Bees Are Dying, Scientists Have Found Out Why

[Akytalusia]

this is probably the best way to go actually. unfortunate for the bees they all have to die, but fortunate for us it's not something more painful. after this one time quiet proclamation, i'll head back into the shadow to silently root for this event to evolve beyond control.

 

[BehattedWanderer]

I would sooner throw money at figuring out a way to fix this than throw money trying to fix human issues. Save the Bees! They're really amazing!

 

[Lvl 64 Klutz]

When I see the word "Beepocalypse" I think of a much scarier scenario that will probably eventually be played out in a SyFy Original Movie.

Not to say I don't appreciate bees, but those things are scary. Particularly since half of my family is deathly allergic to the little devils.

 

[The Funslinger]

Yeah, this is pretty serious. Bee's don't just make delicious honey, they pollinate pretty much everything for us.

Pretty amazing that such small (sometimes disliked) animals are pretty much the focal point for so much life as we no it, eh? :S

 

[lacktheknack]

Damn, it is worst then we thought.

We're going to have to ask people to be environmentally conscious.

That's not the problem.

The problem is that now we're going to have fungus-ridden hives until we find a usable fungicide... assuming abandoning current fungicides will even reverse the problem. There's a good chance it won't.

And there's the rub... "Be environmentally conscious" is not a cure all. At this point, it may be like offering sunscreen to someone with their skin peeling off from third-degree sunburn.

 

[lacktheknack]

I always wonder when bees go what would take their place, i know bees aren't the only bugs that pollinate but what would have the best shot at replacing them?

Nothing would, I don't think. Most/all bee-pollinated plants would simply die out from lack of reproduction.

You can't just suddenly give the mantle of pollination to a new species, they won't co-operate. It's like asking someone who fixes computers to fix your airplane.

 

[MeChaNiZ3D]

Just goes to show you can never test enough. Honestly, how often is it that something thought to be harmless has caused a massive problem? Reasonably often, in my experience.

 

[Machine Man 1992]

OH GOD, NOT THE BEES!

Bees are basically the mortar that holds the ecosystem together; if they die, everything dies!

 

[deserteagleeye]

What about the hornets? If this is just as bad for those bastards I'd say it about evens out.
Disclaimer: I don't know shit about how closely related hornets are to bees in this situation.

 

[saxman234]

Why can't our pesticides kill bad bugs like hornets or mosquitoes or those africanized bees? Silly humans always killing off the wrong species!

 

[zumbledum]

So I guess we should try our best NOT to killed a lone bee when entering our home or in out area?

What is the reasons in the whole "no more bees mean doom for us all"? Yes I know bees make honey and most importantly collect pollent from plant to plant helping them grow but is there more to it than that?

around 3/4 of the worlds crops require pollination. now honey bees aren't the only ones of course, in fact their actually pretty bad at it comparing to wild bees and other insects but we know and monitor honey bees because that's what the man made hives are full of. and ofc the stuff killing the honey bee off is affecting the "natural" vectors to.

 

[michael87cn]

Yep. Chemicals are doing all kinds of screwed up stuff to humans too, but who cares. $$$$ is all that matters!

MON-AY!

*takes a bite of chemically preserved food*

*takes a sip of chemically 'enriched' Vitamin Drink* (basically sugar water! + icky chems!)

YUM! POISON! \

ARGH! MAH HIVE IS COLLAPSIN!

 

[SinisterGehe]

Ok Stop using that fungalside then? No? Too expensive to use alternatives? Well... Your loss... EU and specially Finland are going to ban that in their next meeting, soon as they get Greece and Italy out shunned out of the room, being the lead weight that they currently are.

Also, it was fun to hear that something was dying and it was not related to global warming.

 

[Sir Pootis]

What's this? A rapid mass-murder of bees?
My briefcase full of BEES ought to put a...

A large influx of BEEEEEEEEES ought to assist this situation!

God dammit, ninja'd.

 

[llafnwod]

Stop using PESTICIDES! Plenty of evidence suggest that the benefits of gmos and pesticides are middling at best and nonexistant at worst. We have countries that are producing more without pesticides. Countries that have gone full organic and flourish because of it.

Which ones? I'm honestly curious, because that would be pretty big.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

bahh, as much as i hate bees with a passion, we do need them...

*sigh*

help the bees...something i never thought i would say.

 

[MorganL4]

I remember when Doctor Who found that the reason bee's were disappearing was because they were really aliens and they were leaving earth due to it's impending doom. Good times.

And my first thought is this:

But no seriously.... Best thing we can do, is contact our Senators/congressmen..... I know it sounds like a long shot, but at this point the only thing that will fix this problem is legislation outlawing the use of those chemicals in pesticides/fungicides.

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

In a related story; that honey you buy in stores is not honey, but sugar and food coloring.

This is somewhat accurate. Most low cost honeys are either a blend of actual honey and a sugar substitute or just plain artificially flavored syrup. It is still perfectly possible to purchase pure honey but it tends to cost significantly more than the average person is willing to shell out.

It is, as a result no more scandalous than the situation with olive oil. In most parts of the US, you have to go out of your way to buy something that was significantly derived from olives of any stripe but because it's "close enough" people don't seem to care.

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

Wow, you Americans are only figuring this out now? Europe and Australia figured this out years ago.

 

[marurder]

Honey don't leave me!