the collapse of honeybees = the collapse of civilization?

[whiskeytown]

seen this sort of story a lot lately

I remember a hive of honeybees in the walls of my house as a kid - but I honestly don't recall seeing a live one recently.

On a scale of 1-10, this is potentially hideous for civilization - and as the article suggests, there is a potential for Genetically modified crops to be the culprit, making the bees susceptible to several types of viri and fungi.

This seems to be a bit more measurable then global warming, as bees have been needed for years for large scale pollination, and beekeepers are just noticing their bees are going missing/dying at unprecendented rates

plans/suggestions? Will we try to genetically modify our way out of it even further? Inquiring minds want to know...

rb

[arahant]

[ QUOTE ]
seen this sort of story a lot lately

I remember a hive of honeybees in the walls of my house as a kid - but I honestly don't recall seeing a live one recently.

On a scale of 1-10, this is potentially hideous for civilization - and as the article suggests, there is a potential for Genetically modified crops to be the culprit, making the bees susceptible to several types of viri and fungi.

This seems to be a bit more measurable then global warming, as bees have been needed for years for large scale pollination, and beekeepers are just noticing their bees are going missing/dying at unprecendented rates

plans/suggestions? Will we try to genetically modify our way out of it even further? Inquiring minds want to know...

rb

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not worried. I guess my fruit and veggies will cost more, but the collapse of all plant life is a bit silly.

[whiskeytown]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
seen this sort of story a lot lately

I remember a hive of honeybees in the walls of my house as a kid - but I honestly don't recall seeing a live one recently.

On a scale of 1-10, this is potentially hideous for civilization - and as the article suggests, there is a potential for Genetically modified crops to be the culprit, making the bees susceptible to several types of viri and fungi.

This seems to be a bit more measurable then global warming, as bees have been needed for years for large scale pollination, and beekeepers are just noticing their bees are going missing/dying at unprecendented rates

plans/suggestions? Will we try to genetically modify our way out of it even further? Inquiring minds want to know...

rb

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not worried. I guess my fruit and veggies will cost more, but the collapse of all plant life is a bit silly.

[/ QUOTE ]

you see - that's why I posted in SMP - to talk to all the science heads -

if the bee population collapses, who does pollenation? -

rb

[arahant]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
seen this sort of story a lot lately

I remember a hive of honeybees in the walls of my house as a kid - but I honestly don't recall seeing a live one recently.

On a scale of 1-10, this is potentially hideous for civilization - and as the article suggests, there is a potential for Genetically modified crops to be the culprit, making the bees susceptible to several types of viri and fungi.

This seems to be a bit more measurable then global warming, as bees have been needed for years for large scale pollination, and beekeepers are just noticing their bees are going missing/dying at unprecendented rates

plans/suggestions? Will we try to genetically modify our way out of it even further? Inquiring minds want to know...

rb

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not worried. I guess my fruit and veggies will cost more, but the collapse of all plant life is a bit silly.

[/ QUOTE ]

you see - that's why I posted in SMP - to talk to all the science heads -

if the bee population collapses, who does pollenation? -

rb

[/ QUOTE ]

1) Not all crops require pollination
2) Other insects and animals pollinate
3) Polination can be performed mechanically

If the bee population collapsed, here's what I think would happen...
1) Intensive efforts to breed healthy bees en masse, in a controlled/clean environment, as opposed to the current practise of allowing them to 'breed while they work'
2) Efforts to identify the problem would intensify, we'd look for resistant species of bees, etc.

I figure those 2 approaches would probably solve the problem, but if not...

Some flowering plants would die out, to be replaced by plants not pollinated by bees.

Some crops would have to be hand/mechanically pollinated, adding to the cost.

Some crops (the clover, eg) would be replaced by other feed crops.

Frankly, the only thing we are CERTAIN to lose is honey.

[Borodog]

Natural selection FTW.

[pvn]

[ QUOTE ]
Natural selection FTW.

[/ QUOTE ]

[MrMon]

A quick check on the background of this story reveals its anti-GM bias, typical of European publications. Why would GM crops cause the collapse of European honeybees, when virtually none of the crops grown there are GM? The current problem started in California, where virtually no corn is grown, and the collapse is much less here in the Midwest, where it is. Bees don't normally pollinate corn either, so that's another strike against the gist of the story. Add in the fact that colony collapses have been observed since 1896, long before GM crops existed, and the story becomes even more worthless.

Also note that the honeybee we associate with pollination isn't even native to North America, it was brought here in 1622. There are a lot of other insects that can pollinate plants, it's just that the honeybee is so good at it, we domesticated it. And there are plenty of plants that self-pollinate. So the Einstein quote really doesn't hold either. In a short scan, I can't really find anything debunking the quote, but I've seen enough to know it can't possibly be true. For that matter, I haven't seen anything indicating Einstein even said it.

[Jiggymike]

[ QUOTE ]
A quick check on the background of this story reveals its anti-GM bias, typical of European publications. Why would GM crops cause the collapse of European honeybees, when virtually none of the crops grown there are GM? The current problem started in California, where virtually no corn is grown, and the collapse is much less here in the Midwest, where it is. Bees don't normally pollinate corn either, so that's another strike against the gist of the story. Add in the fact that colony collapses have been observed since 1896, long before GM crops existed, and the story becomes even more worthless.

Also note that the honeybee we associate with pollination isn't even native to North America, it was brought here in 1622. There are a lot of other insects that can pollinate plants, it's just that the honeybee is so good at it, we domesticated it. And there are plenty of plants that self-pollinate. So the Einstein quote really doesn't hold either. In a short scan, I can't really find anything debunking the quote, but I've seen enough to know it can't possibly be true. For that matter, I haven't seen anything indicating Einstein even said it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Glad you posted this, I was thinking a lot of these thoughts while I read this article, mostly the Europe = anti-GM with no evidence to back it up.

[latefordinner]

blah blah blah the market and technology can take care of any problem weeeee!!

FWIW no one knows why the population is collapsing, only that it is, in a completely [censored] huge way. GM crops are one theory, climate change is another, immune system weakness due to stress or pathogens is another, and actually the most viable hypothesis so far appears to be pesticides

the global mass disappearance of frogs is another ultra-worrisome sign

but I know I know everything is fine and the growth trajectory of capitalism is infinite

[m_the0ry]

[ QUOTE ]
Europe = anti-GM with no evidence to back it up.

[/ QUOTE ]

QFT