Some striking news about the bees...and while bee die-offs are not new, the current one seems to have scientists stumped and worried. (NYT) Interestingly enough, David Byrne has some potent thoughts: basically, no pollen=no life, but cross-pollination also means a threat to agri-business "intellectual property" and dot dot dot (via)
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found a dead bee in my garden this morning... poor lil guy...
pdf.
This scares the crap out of me, worse than global warming, 300' sinkholes, and that 3D-H project in Seville.
No, seriously. From the Spiegel article linked to in the Byrne post it seems there might seriously be a connection to crops genetically modified to resist other insect damage. Who the hell ever thought that was a good idea?!?
I'm scared.
Well this just....hey look, a new possibly habitable planet!
it was on kcrw's Warren Olney's 'to the point' show today.
it may have to do with cell phones and other wireless technologies:
http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/wildlife/article2449968.ece
Talk about a tipping point. If either the cell or biotech angle gains any traction there'll be some dour economic fallout. Best check your mutual funds...
I have a hard time with the cell phone angle - not that cell phones can't disrupt bee navigation, but that I don't think there has been a significant increase in cell phone usage in the last year or two, when the bee problem has occurred.
The article in Speigel makes it seem that a weakened immune system is the primary suspect. I blame GMO's, but I know nothing.
One of my son's favorite books is all about bees. They are totally amazing creatures. This really makes me sad and scared.
Perhaps the African Honey Bee (AHB) could be helpful here. This is the so-called "killer" bee species that is extremely feral and defensive. Maybe some cross-breeding will make the native bees more resistant to pathogens...
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"Dr. Dewey Caron, a professor of entomology at the University of Delaware and a member of the CCD working group in the United States, is confounded by the recent epidemic."
"The working group has already disqualified such possible sources as radiation from cell phone towers and contamination from genetically modified crops."
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