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Eye witness to colony collapse: Bee-farmer loses 2,000 hives in one month

48K views 145 replies 45 participants last post by  BayHighlandBees 
#1 ·
Please see the LINK below to an account of the devastating collapse of over 2,000 bee colonies in California.

The eye-witness account was provided to me by the bee-farmer in question, who arrived in California with 3,150 healthy hives on November 1st 2012. All of the hives were examined and 'passed' as fit for the Almond Pollination - which takes place in February (right now). The inspection is critical, since each healthy hive receives a pollination fee of up to $200 and the almond-growers will not pay for anything that is less than healthy.

The bee-farmer in question had contracted to supply 3,000 hives at a fee of up to $200 per hive, so conceivaby he stood to earn $600,000 for one month's work pollinating almonds. He has already lost 2/3rds of that planned income.

More than 2,000 of his colonies died while waiting for the almond pollination to start. They did not die as a result of pesticides they encountered in the California winter (November/ December). Rather they died because of the systemic neonicotinoid insecticides, and other pesticides they had been exposed to back in the Midwest, from May to September, among the pesticide-treated crops of soybeans, corn and other crops.

The article can be downloaded from Google Docs here:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B7FCgF0BwlDGbWhUUGd4ZkQtcWs/edit?usp=sharing

Having possibly lost $400,000 worth of bees, and an additional loss of pollination income - for the same amount $400,000 - it is questionable whether his business can ever recover. There may be hundreds of other American bee-farmers suffering a similar fate this season, since, according to USDA, more than 240 million acres of American crops were treated with systemic neonicotinids in 2012. Of that - around 92 million acres of GM corn were treated with clothianidin, as well as being blasted with roundup and fungicides.

Many of the 1.5 million hives brought to California from all over America for the almond plination will have been exposed to the same hyper-toxic, bee killing pesticides. So this year may prove to be a watershed both for bee-farmers and for the almond industry - as many people have already commented.
 
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#32 ·
when making up an article on bee death, and directly linking it to Neonicotinoids you need a bit of proof to back the story. You sound like your making an anti neonicotinoids article using the beekeeper as the frount. With no facts and no references, might as well just run that in the daily paper. It will get alot of attention there,

just waiting for questions and comments from my neighbours on this one . . .
 
#33 ·
With no facts and no references, might as well just run that in the daily paper. It will get alot of attention there,
That is exactly what happens.
The UK press run the same story 'all the bees are dying' over and over again.
Even the quality press do this, the Guardian and the Independent.

The non beekeeping general public think we have CCD due to erroneous press reports, (we don't), and imagine that our bees are on the way out.
In actual fact they are doing reasonably well in the UK although I expect heavier losses than usual this winter as it has been cool and wet for the past 8 months.
 
#36 ·
He has issued the article in this way to encourage other bee-farmers to come forward and tell what has been happening every year since 2003. The fact that 10,000,000 colonies have been lost, and apart from Dave Hackenberg, almost nobody has 'gone public' should tell you something about the kind of pressures that are being brought to bear: politically, commercially and socially. -borderbeeman
Quite a few beekeepers have "gone public," I think. Why wouldn't they be willing to report losses to colony collapse (CCD)? So far, no definitive cause has been pinpointed, as far as I know. I've read quite a few accounts even here on Beesource of people who provide information on hives they have lost to CCD or CCD-like symptoms. Hackenberg was the first, but far from the only to report losses. And much larger losses by individuals have been widely reported in the media.

I'm not sure that the losses sound quite so massive when the numbers are reported a different way. (http://www.ars.usda.gov/News/docs.htm?docid=15572) "Ten million colonies lost" attracts far more attention than "11 percent of colonies per year" attributed to CCD-like losses.
 
#41 ·
Quite a few beekeepers have "gone public," I think. Why wouldn't they be willing to report losses to colony collapse (CCD)? So far, no definitive cause has been pinpointed, as far as I know.
The only downsides might be that a beekeeper may feel ashamed or prefer the public dosent know about their business. The greater incentive was to report it as unexplained that way (up until a few years ago) you could qualify for an ELAP reimbursement if you could get an inspector to conclude that it was in fact a CCD loss. That's correct, folks, your tax dollars at work. If the conclusion was that it was caused by varroa then you got nothing. So it's anyone's guess how many of these widely reported losses fell under some classification of the as yet still unexplained phenomena of CCD and how many were something more closely resembling PPB. There may not be an ELAP program today but the same principle still applies. If one were able to prove any loss is potentially someone else's fault the prospect of a government payment or even a future class action suit might be your only possible prospect for reimbursement. Unfortunately varroa don't have deep pockets.
 
#37 ·
Thank you for the report, Bbman.

I just wish more beekeepers had the guts to write up their story and go public. - But obviously they fear criticism and loss of business.

A look at this thread so far shows exactly what is thrown at those that dare to speak out. The pro neonic propaganda machine uses it's dirtiest tricks to discredit those who go against the mighty chemical industry, as they fear massive losses when these products get banned.

A call to all those posters who demand to see the name of the author of the report: identify yourselves so that we can check your credentials!
 
#38 ·
The pro neonic propaganda machine uses it's dirtiest tricks to discredit those who go against the mighty chemical industry, as they fear massive losses when these products get banned.

A call to all those posters who demand to see the name of the author of the report: identify yourselves so that we can check your credentials!
I am not pro neonic. It's just that they are so much better than the organophosphates and,having been a farmer, I know how important insecticides can be. I also have not seen any real evidence that the neonics are that bad for bees, both in my own bees and in studies.

I'm pretty well exposed if you click on my profile or go to my web site. Probably more transparent than you are!
 
#42 ·
Ummmm.....so you don't even know where this came from? You claim to have edited the copy from the beekeeper, but you don't even know who it is?

....talk about a "stooge", you really take the cake. Sometimes the facts just come pouring out when you take the time to make a joke :)

deknow
 
#46 ·
Ummmm.....so you don't even know where this came from? You claim to have edited the copy from the beekeeper, but you don't even know who it is?
You are twisting the facts here:

Bbman knows the author of the report, but he didn't want to reveal his identity yet.
That's fair enough, as such a massive loss of hives has huge financial implications for the beekeeper as well as the contractors who are losing out on pollination.

I assume we will know soon enough, who the author of the report is.
Maybe other beekeepers want to tell us about their losses in the meantime?
 
#45 ·
I am here thinking, if the beekeeper risk all his finance and time to manage his hives hoping for a profit, how come he waited so late to discover his hive problem later on. If he is not lazy like me as a beekeeper, then he should of known if suspected to send his pollens to the test. Wouldn't you do a hive check or have your buddy to check for once a month if not biweekly? They still need to feed the bees pollen patty or syrup here so a quick check is needed to identify a potential problem later on. A prudent beekeeper can prevent lots of bee problems later on by having an eye open for it. You think he is just careless person to leave his hives there for a few months to come back in February to check them? If that is the case of careless management then he cannot blame anybody. Knowing the health of his bees then he can do something about them rather than waiting too late months later to discover them. By then it is too late.
Now he's blaming on the pesticides contamination from the west. Who knows where his bees got them from and where at? There are many variables like starvation, etc. He need to send his proof also if pesticide is to blame. At least we have a conclusion of his claim. If this is true may it
be a learning lesson for next time. As in any business, there is also risk and reward. Who say life is easy, eh. Sorry for his lost hives though.
 
#48 ·
Hmmmm... seems a rash of disappearing bees. 3 months in CA... no one checked the hives.... hmmmm... maybe they just got lost and ended up in different boxes by mistake? Hmmmmm.... Don't know but I think it is plausible yes? I have read about someone who has been doing a lot of research and bee rearing in Cali... Maybe they are doing RESEARCH in wayward bees inability to find the CORRECT hive? Like doing research in AFB infected yards?

yea yea ... I know already... just couldn't help myself.
 
#52 ·
Lets bring it back to this operator and his die off. Has there been any investigation to what caused the death? If so what have they found?
The whole story rides on this statement

>>>Rather they died because of the systemic neonicotinoid insecticides, and other pesticides they had been exposed to back in the Midwest, from May to September, among the pesticide-treated crops of soybeans, corn and other crops.<<<

Is speculation and assumptions the basis of their diagnosis ?
 
#54 ·
Do you really think even those figures are acceptable?

Let's just go along with this quoted half life of 1155 days for a moment:

That means that in this soil type half the toxin is still present after three years!

Assuming that there is a noenic treated crop planted every year, the level of neonics will accumulate, and the soil will have to be considered toxic waste after just a few seasons!


Anybody who's alarmbells are not ringing now has got some serious disorder ...
Here's an accumulation curve for a pesticide applied at a rate of one unit per year, with a half life of three years. It accumulates but levels off at just under five units, when natural decay matches the rate of application. Depending on how much moves from the seed to the soil and dilution effects as the pesticide diffuses through the soil, having five years' worth of applications in the soil may or may not be a bad thing.

Text Line Font Parallel Number
 
#63 ·
Nice bit of detective work Mike. It confirms what many of us suspected. These folks aren't here for a rational discussion but instead to promote an agenda through whatever means possible. The irony is, I believe, the unfairness will just backfire on them since there should always be caution and concern about chemical use. This stuff only confuses the issue.
 
#66 ·
Okay, I go first, and then you.
I'm running about 50% loss in one nuc yard. Still not sure what the cause is. But it is not within 3 miles of any neonics, has great flora around, and has been a great yard in the past. I suspect ppb is much of the problem. I didn't treat any of these nucs for mites [didn't even sample them] and many got very strong. I believe the mites built up more than usual and there are probably virus issues as well. My other nuc yard is doing well and is similar, so go figure. I haven't been able to pull the deadouts from the yard since it's about 1/4 mile through some deep snow to it. I sent some of the bees to Beltsville for them to check. Be interesting to see what they find.
 
#72 ·
Cam - I know for us in the past we have seen some our Grade one yards, ones that really thrived during the season, be the yards that suffered higher winter losses. We deduce among other things, more bees, more mites, more interaction with other bees afield, more virus, more bees, higher use of stores. I'd be interested to hear what you find? We had one really great yard we no longer use to winter because we realized it was a cold air drain and in an area very near the Catherine Welands south of Seneca Lake. That yard consistently had high losses due to moisture and cold. Have you considered this?
 
#81 ·
This was the first winter I used this yard for overwintering. I have considered the cold/moisture drain. It sits on a north facing slope, but is wide open to the sun. Bees have done great there for a couple years. I do suspect mites and their virus issues, maybe nosema problems but most of the bees I checked under my scope had no nosema. Survivors in that yard are strong. Since I didn't treat these nucs [on purpose] I believe they got so strong that mites were abundant and took their toll on the winter bees. Guess I need to revisit not treating strong nucs. I have some weak nucs in another yard doing pretty well. I post the results from Beltsville when I get them.
 
#71 ·
You know when i first read this I got pretty ticked that this type of stuff would be allowed on this site. I had hoped that the moderators would delete and ban those that are trying to do this stuff, after all one little reference to sarcasm will got you a slap on the wrist....... but i am at least pleased that almost everybody here is now seeing thru this stuff...... It is actually refereshing to see so many standing up and saying hey, my bees are in this and are fine....... maybe we need to keep looking........
 
#73 ·
Neonicotinoids are not used where I keep my bees, ... -stromnessbees
Really? You state that with a high degree of certainty. Homeowners cannot purchase and use formulations of neonicotinoids there? Systemic formulations for pets are not available where you are (think of it: a pet owner puts a "top spot" neonicotinoid treatment on his dog, the insecticide is systemic in the dog, the dog urinates on some sod, the neonicotinoid in the dog urine is taken up by a flower in the sod, the neonicotinoid becomes systemic in the flower, a bee visits that flower to collect pollen and/or nectar ... you get the idea)?

For me, it's difficult to picture a place in industrially- and agriculturally-intensive areas that would truly be isolated from neonicotinoid use.

Bees without pesticide challenge need very little looking after (mainly food, varroa control, swarm control), there is no reason why they should dwindle away to nothing. -stromnessbees
This statement really stuck in my mind. I keep bees in an area with heavy agricultural neonicotinoid use. I feed only in extreme circumstances, I have not used any treatments for Varroa for a number of years, and I still have not experienced the "dwindling" that is often presented as an effect of neonicotinoid exposure (the "cause"). The care I devote to hives is related more to population management issues (i. e., making the hive appropriately sized for the number of bees in it) and honey or food stores management, especially for overwintering.

What sort of care do pesticide-exposed bees require that bees not exposed to pesticides do not need?
 
#76 ·
What sort of care do pesticide-exposed bees require that bees not exposed to pesticides do not need?
"Pesticide exposure in honey bees results in increased levels of the gut pathogen Nosema"
from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3264871/

So perhaps Nosema care?

Any sub lethal stress should be relieved at least somewhat but appropriate nutrition to facilitate imunocompetence.
 
#75 ·
It's hard to trust and article that cant even get some basic facts straight:

Almonds make up more than 825,000 acres of California’s Central Valley generating
more cash than both the California wine and tourism industries combined.

The forecast is based on an estimated 740,000 bearing acres. Almonds rank as California's No. 1 tree nut crop with a production value of $2.3 billion last season:
http://westernfarmpress.com/tree-nuts/california-almonds-turn-another-good-year




Tourism annually generates more than $75 billion in direct travel spending for the state’s economy:
http://www.destinationanalysts.com/casestudycalifornia.htm



California wine has a $51.8 billion impact on the state $103 Billion on the US Economy:
http://www.wineevents-calendar.com/california_wine_has_51_billion_impact_on_state

Since when is 2.3 > 75 + 51.8 ?

The un-named eye witness can't even add 2 numbers.
 
#83 ·
My main objection to this single-minded focus on a single class of pesticides is that it neglects all of the other problems facing bees and other pollinators.

From what I've observed, loss of habitat is overwhelmingly the greatest threat to pollinators, including honeybees. Finding locations for yards with good numbers of floral sources that honeybees will use, and especially finding locations with a high diversity of floral sources, continues to become increasingly difficult.

I think the widespread use of broadleaf herbicides and herbicides to eliminate any and all "weeds" is at least as imminent a threat to bees as insecticides.
 
#84 ·
From what I've observed, loss of habitat is overwhelmingly the greatest threat to pollinators, including honeybees. Finding locations for yards with good numbers of floral sources that honeybees will use, and especially finding locations with a high diversity of floral sources, continues to become increasingly difficult.
Very well said, Kieck
 
#86 ·
I live in the center of Missouri and the drought last summer was even worse than the official report. Depended which cloud you were under. It was just too hot and dry for the bees to forage.
I came thru last spring with 8 of 8 hives and started 12 more nucs during the summer. Bad timing. Even though I fed sugar all fall, they did not store enough to get thru the winter. Bottom line- between robbing and me combining nucs and hives, I think I still have 12 total.

Wish I knew how this "bee-farmer" was able to get 3000 + hives strong for the move to CA.
Charlie
 
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