Research shows that a virus is killing bee colonies worldwide. Global warming and the destruction of the Ozone layer has nothing to do with it. Frogs and other amphibians also seem to be dying from the spread of pathogens, not rising temperatures as some people have suggested.



Of course, if you’ve seen the latest episode of Doctor Who here in the U.K. you would know the real reason why the bees are disappearing ;)

  1. JimD says:

    Ah, but the rise in temperature may be related to the spread of the pathogens that might have been confined to tropical zones now spreading north and south into the the temperate zones !!! Second-Order Effects, you know !!!

  2. tcc3 says:

    This is really just a clever Halo related marketing campaign.

  3. Les says:

    For some people in the US, we can also watch Doctor Who on the same night!!!

  4. it's just an expression says:

    Chemical fertilizers.

  5. green says:

    Its factory bees that are dropping dead (mostly). Hence the worry in the media. They truck these hives around, steal their food stores and wonder why they aren’t surviving.

    One-crop factory farming doesn’t provide enough nutrients for the colonies. Urban bees have a diversity of food sources and are doing just fine.


  6. dude984 says:

    Haha…Glad to see someone in the know!

  7. Ian says:

    “Man made” global warming is a hoax. It is being levied politically to create global carbon taxes.

  8. Glenn E. says:

    1- No JimD, small temperature changes have no effect on virus spreading. It’s technically non-living. And insects that may carry them are amazing resistant to these changes. If you think mosquitos aren’t a problem in colder parts, just ask Canadians. But anyway… The problem with virus spread in bees has been elevated by the methods of modern agriculture. Bees are moved greater distances, than they normally would on their own, by trucks. Even transported across the ocean. Thus bees bring along whatever is already effecting them, before they succomb to it themselves. Normally, they’d die far away from other bee colonies. It wouldn’t surprise me if these mites carry the virus between bees visiting each crop. The keepers may have to work out some kind of timetable, to keep their bees away from others until enough time passes, so the mites aren’t as active.

  9. smartalix says:

    Green hit it on the head. It is the “commercial” bees that are suffering the most, and the related species that can catch their sicknesses.

    As Green points out, those poor damn insects are put into trucks and driven around the country, fed on sugar water, with multiple hives kept in crowded environments, prime territory for contagion.

    Proper husbandry, from fish to fowl, keeps this shit from happening. Look how bad the situation of disease has gotten with domestic animals.

  10. Donal says:

    PBS recently aired a great Nova episode: “Tales from the Hive”

    Of particular interest is the area of China where people are pollinating fruit tree crops by hand. There are no more bees to do it for them.

    One other thing to note, all pollinating insect populations are down, not just honey bees.

    I doubt this has anything to do with our current position in the Ice Age time table.

  11. bobbo says:

    The bees, the amphibians and what we can learn are of crucial importance to us humans.

    The Bee story makes sense==increase the numbers and move them around sets the stage for a virus attack. But no such human aided congestion is taking place with amphibians so why the die-off there? Natural boom/bust cycles could be it. I thought there was a long list of human caused environmental degradations to the environment (carbon, mercury, fertilizers, plastics etc) that directly affected the critters. Whenever given a choice, I will stick with “both” vectors are causing this set back.

    All important for humans. How congested, packed-in, moved around can we be before a virus will arise and attack? How much environmental degradation can occur before a virus will arise and attack? Or will god protect us?

  12. Peter iNova says:

    Geez. I thought they had gone on strike because we keep taking their honey without representation.

  13. supermoose37 says:

    I Heard they went back to their home planet after Davros threatened to move the Earth 🙂

  14. HMeyers says:

    After reading the frog article, one aspect of climate change we sorely ignore is the effect of global trading.

    Plant diseases, fungus and viruses that affect plant and animal life can spread worldwide very rapidly.

    Due to:

    – Exports of produce, meat and pets
    – Humans flying all over the place bring disease with them
    – Driving all over the place spreading the above across a region.

    Really, a side-effect of globalization has been creating a paradise for the spread of diseases.

  15. Mark T. says:

    I think that The X-Files Movie already covered this. The secretive Syndicate created an alien virus that is to be spread to the human food supply through the use of industrial bee farms located in the midst of secret corn fields in the desert. Simple!

    Remember the black oil in the eyes? Coincidence??? Obviously, the Syndicate are controlled by the dreaded evil oil companies!!! Those bastards!

  16. deowll says:

    All I know is the the mite and the virus are killing off all potential hosts.

    The last two I saw one was dead and the other could not fly.

  17. innercity bugman says:

    “Urban bees have a diversity of food sources and are doing just fine.”
    I was just in my flower garden. I live in the middle of a large town. I seem to have a bumper crop of honey bees this year.


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