This was taken from a weekly newsletter called KLEINER'S KORNER that we get at Ion Exchange. We wanted to share this with our readers. Howard Bright President Ion Exchange.
DESTRUCTIVE MITE THREATENS HAWAII BEES”“A tiny mite that has devastated mainland honeybee populations showed up in Honolulu hives for the first time this month and has now been confirmed in bee colonies across Oahu.The infestation by varroa mites has led the state to ask beekeepers to restrict transport of bees around the islands. There are concerns it could threaten the Big Island's thriving queen bee export industry, which has so far tested free of the mites."This is going to be for us a nightmare," said Michael Kliks, head of the Hawaii Beekeepers' Association and owner of Manoa Honey Co. "When I saw that mite I knew exactly what it was. I knew exactly what it meant and I fell to my knees and almost began to weep because it's inexpressible what that sea change is for us in Hawaii."quoting the AP.
B. “NO ORGANIC BEE LOSSES”“I'm on an organic beekeeping list of about 1,000 people, mostly Americans, and no one in the organic beekeeping world, including commercial beekeepers, is reporting colony collapse on this list. The problem with the big commercial guys is that they put pesticides in their hives to fumigate for varroa mites, and they feed antibiotics to the bees. They also haul the hives by truck all over the place to make more money with pollination services, which stresses the colonies,” quoting information liberation. Her email recommends a visit to the Bush Bees Web site.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Friday, May 18, 2007
To Spray or Not to Spray...
To Spray or Not to Spray... Are Bee Deaths Due to Pesticide?
Bees are now dying worldwide. As matters stand, massive dieoffs in both Europe and the US will affect crop yields this year, and lack of reporting from Asia means that nobody really knows what is happening there. Now a French reporter, Michel Dogna, explores the possibility that the Bayer pesticide GAUCHO might be responsible for the catastrophe. GAUCHO was banned for use on sunflowers in France because of its effect on bees, but it has not been banned on other crops, and there is little chance that anything will be done about it in the US. Research into the possibility that ever-increasing pesticide loads are destroying the immune systems of bees is essential if mankind is going to survive this building catastrophe. There comes a point where even the profits of important corporations must come second to the survival of the human species.
Howard Bright, President Ion Exchange, Inc
.http://www.ionxchange.com800-291-2143
“Helping you create your own natural beauty”
Bees are now dying worldwide. As matters stand, massive dieoffs in both Europe and the US will affect crop yields this year, and lack of reporting from Asia means that nobody really knows what is happening there. Now a French reporter, Michel Dogna, explores the possibility that the Bayer pesticide GAUCHO might be responsible for the catastrophe. GAUCHO was banned for use on sunflowers in France because of its effect on bees, but it has not been banned on other crops, and there is little chance that anything will be done about it in the US. Research into the possibility that ever-increasing pesticide loads are destroying the immune systems of bees is essential if mankind is going to survive this building catastrophe. There comes a point where even the profits of important corporations must come second to the survival of the human species.
Howard Bright, President Ion Exchange, Inc
.http://www.ionxchange.com800-291-2143
“Helping you create your own natural beauty”
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Women Retreating into nature at The Natural Gait.
Our sister site The Natural Gait holds a women's retreat at our beautiful Natural Gait Resort once a year. We did want to include all our Ion Exchange friends in this fun relaxing time. Below our Women's Retreat coordinator Sue sends out her greeting and invitation.
Thinking good thoughts, Ion Exchange.
Women's Retreat at The Natural Gait Good morning!
I hope the sunshine is warming all your hearts today! The Natural Gait would like to invite all of you to The Natural Gaits Women's Retreat. There are several options available for all. If you are not able to come for the whole retreat, that is OK. If you would like to bring a horse, we have a plan for you. And if you live close and don't need a place to sleep, we have just the thing for you. Tell your friends! This will be a great event!
Sue Gavle The Natural Gait 877-776-2208
We would like to extend a special invitation to you to come and join us at our Women’s Retreat at The Natural Gait June 8Th, 9Th and 10Th Come join in some or all of our activities. Friday - Dessert and Wine Tasting Saturday -Massages, Herbal Remedy Garden with Ann Bushman and Vendors and Events Scrapbooking Craft, Bingo, Herbalife, Lia Sophia, Fast Track, Sencaria, At Home America, Annie's Garden & Greens, Avon, Pampered Chef, Ion Exchange and more. Music by Jason Brink • Certified Laugh Leader - Laura Gentry Sunday - Scavenger Hunt, Muscular Therapy with Gregg Jones Open House, 2 day and Weekend Packages available with and without lodging.
Call for information. Advanced reservations required. Please call by May 31st to make your reservations. 877-776-2208http://thenaturalgait.com
Thinking good thoughts, Ion Exchange.
Women's Retreat at The Natural Gait Good morning!
I hope the sunshine is warming all your hearts today! The Natural Gait would like to invite all of you to The Natural Gaits Women's Retreat. There are several options available for all. If you are not able to come for the whole retreat, that is OK. If you would like to bring a horse, we have a plan for you. And if you live close and don't need a place to sleep, we have just the thing for you. Tell your friends! This will be a great event!
Sue Gavle The Natural Gait 877-776-2208
We would like to extend a special invitation to you to come and join us at our Women’s Retreat at The Natural Gait June 8Th, 9Th and 10Th Come join in some or all of our activities. Friday - Dessert and Wine Tasting Saturday -Massages, Herbal Remedy Garden with Ann Bushman and Vendors and Events Scrapbooking Craft, Bingo, Herbalife, Lia Sophia, Fast Track, Sencaria, At Home America, Annie's Garden & Greens, Avon, Pampered Chef, Ion Exchange and more. Music by Jason Brink • Certified Laugh Leader - Laura Gentry Sunday - Scavenger Hunt, Muscular Therapy with Gregg Jones Open House, 2 day and Weekend Packages available with and without lodging.
Call for information. Advanced reservations required. Please call by May 31st to make your reservations. 877-776-2208http://thenaturalgait.com
Friday, May 11, 2007
Ion Exchange emails on honeybees dissapearance.
Here is an email from Margo on the honeybees and genetically modified plants.
I've never researched the GM (genetically modified) controversy, but with the info you sent, and further reading, I wonder if the connection is there.Monsanto said that the product, which has been grown commercially in the United States and Canada since 2003, is safe, and that EFSA's Scientific Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms even published a statement on 29 October 2004 verifying this.When did we start growing these crops? The above statement is about "MON 863, modified to protect itself against corn rootworm", but when did we begin Roundup Ready Beans?I'll try to talk to a beekeeper, and see if his organizations know more.I'm not sure where to proceed from here, though. What group would/could be most effective? The current trend today is "misinformation" to discount scientific findings, it seems. And so far seems to be very effective.
Margo
Thanks Margo we at Ion Exchange and The Natural Gait welcome your input.
I've never researched the GM (genetically modified) controversy, but with the info you sent, and further reading, I wonder if the connection is there.Monsanto said that the product, which has been grown commercially in the United States and Canada since 2003, is safe, and that EFSA's Scientific Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms even published a statement on 29 October 2004 verifying this.When did we start growing these crops? The above statement is about "MON 863, modified to protect itself against corn rootworm", but when did we begin Roundup Ready Beans?I'll try to talk to a beekeeper, and see if his organizations know more.I'm not sure where to proceed from here, though. What group would/could be most effective? The current trend today is "misinformation" to discount scientific findings, it seems. And so far seems to be very effective.
Margo
Thanks Margo we at Ion Exchange and The Natural Gait welcome your input.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Commentary on honeybees
We have recieved a lot of comments and information via our email. We encourage you to get an account name and post to this blog. Keep up the good work and thanks for all the emails, we will do our best to get the information out there. Folks need to know.
Here is some good information from one of our emails.
By the way, there is also no evidence that
Einstein ever commented on the value of honey bees. Personally, our
farming operation (high intensity vegetables) relies on native bees
encouraged by areas that we are able set aside as wildlife habitat We use
the most advanced agricultural practices on those acres that we farm (10
acres of our 73 acre farm), allowing us to support the native acres. I
understand the value of honey bees to agriculture, but mis-information
reduces the credibility of those trying to solve this important problem.
New Ross, IN
In case people are wondering, honey bees are not native to North America,
and in spite of Einstein's brilliance in physics, people lived in North
America for at least 20,000 years before honey bees were introduced by
Europeans.
Thinking good thoughts, Howard and Donna
Ion Exchange and The Natural Gait
Here is some good information from one of our emails.
By the way, there is also no evidence that
Einstein ever commented on the value of honey bees. Personally, our
farming operation (high intensity vegetables) relies on native bees
encouraged by areas that we are able set aside as wildlife habitat We use
the most advanced agricultural practices on those acres that we farm (10
acres of our 73 acre farm), allowing us to support the native acres. I
understand the value of honey bees to agriculture, but mis-information
reduces the credibility of those trying to solve this important problem.
New Ross, IN
In case people are wondering, honey bees are not native to North America,
and in spite of Einstein's brilliance in physics, people lived in North
America for at least 20,000 years before honey bees were introduced by
Europeans.
Thinking good thoughts, Howard and Donna
Ion Exchange and The Natural Gait
Monday, May 7, 2007
More News on the Honeybees
This article appeared online at LATimes.
Experts may have found what's bugging the bees
A fungus that hit hives in Europe and Asia may be partly to blame for wiping out colonies across the U.S.
By Jia-Rui Chong and Thomas H. Maugh II, Times Staff WritersApril 26, 2007
Colony Collapse Disorder
click to enlarge
Related Stories
-
Flight of the honeybees
A fungus that caused widespread loss of bee colonies in Europe and Asia may be playing a crucial role in the mysterious phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder that is wiping out bees across the United States, UC San Francisco researchers said Wednesday.Researchers have been struggling for months to explain the disorder, and the new findings provide the first solid evidence pointing to a potential cause.But the results are "highly preliminary" and are from only a few hives from Le Grand in Merced County, UCSF biochemist Joe DeRisi said. "We don't want to give anybody the impression that this thing has been solved."Other researchers said Wednesday that they too had found the fungus, a single-celled parasite called Nosema ceranae, in affected hives from around the country — as well as in some hives where bees had survived. Those researchers have also found two other fungi and half a dozen viruses in the dead bees.N. ceranae is "one of many pathogens" in the bees, said entomologist Diana Cox-Foster of Pennsylvania State University. "By itself, it is probably not the culprit … but it may be one of the key players."Cox-Foster was one of the organizers of a meeting in Washington, D.C., on Monday and Tuesday where about 60 bee researchers gathered to discuss Colony Collapse Disorder."We still haven't ruled out other factors, such as pesticides or inadequate food resources following a drought," she said. "There are lots of stresses that these bees are experiencing," and it may be a combination of factors that is responsible.Historically, bee losses are not unusual. Weather, pesticide exposures and infestations by pests, such as the Varroa mite, have wiped out significant numbers of colonies in the past, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s.But the current loss appears unprecedented. Beekeepers in 28 states, Canada and Britain have reported large losses. About a quarter of the estimated 2.4 million commercial colonies across the United States have been lost since fall, said Jerry Hayes of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in Gainesville."These are remarkable and dramatic losses," said Hayes, who is also president of the Apiary Inspectors of America.Besides producing honey, commercial beehives are used to pollinate a third of the country's agricultural crops, including apples, peaches, pears, nectarines, cherries, strawberries and pumpkins. Ninety percent of California's almond crop is dependent on bees, and a loss of commercial hives could be devastating."For the most part, they just disappeared," said Florida beekeeper Dave Hackenberg, who was among the first to note the losses. "The boxes were full of honey. That was the mysterious thing. Usually other bees will rob those hives out. But nothing had happened."Researchers now think the foraging bees are too weak to return to their hives.DeRisi and UCSF's Don Ganem, who normally look for the causes of human diseases, were brought into the bee search by virologist Evan W. Skowronski of the U.S. Army's Edgewood Chemical Biological Center in Maryland.Dr. Charles Wick of the center had used a new system of genetic analysis to identify pathogens in ground-up bee samples from California. He found several viruses, including members of a recently identified genus called iflaviruses.It is not known whether these small, RNA-containing viruses, which infect the Varroa mite, are pathogenic to bees.Skowronski forwarded the samples to DeRisi, who also found evidence of the viruses, along with genetic material from N. ceranae."There was a lot of stuff from Nosema, about 25% of the total," Skowronski said. "That meant there was more than there was bee RNA. That leads me to believe that the bee died from that particular pathogen."If N. ceranae does play a role in Colony Collapse Disorder, there may be some hope for beekeepers.A closely related parasite called Nosema apis, which also affects bees, can be controlled by the antibiotic fumagillin, and there is some evidence that it will work on N. ceranae as well.
jia-rui.chong@latimes.comthomas.maugh@latimes.com
Experts may have found what's bugging the bees
A fungus that hit hives in Europe and Asia may be partly to blame for wiping out colonies across the U.S.
By Jia-Rui Chong and Thomas H. Maugh II, Times Staff WritersApril 26, 2007
Colony Collapse Disorder
click to enlarge
Related Stories
-
Flight of the honeybees
A fungus that caused widespread loss of bee colonies in Europe and Asia may be playing a crucial role in the mysterious phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder that is wiping out bees across the United States, UC San Francisco researchers said Wednesday.Researchers have been struggling for months to explain the disorder, and the new findings provide the first solid evidence pointing to a potential cause.But the results are "highly preliminary" and are from only a few hives from Le Grand in Merced County, UCSF biochemist Joe DeRisi said. "We don't want to give anybody the impression that this thing has been solved."Other researchers said Wednesday that they too had found the fungus, a single-celled parasite called Nosema ceranae, in affected hives from around the country — as well as in some hives where bees had survived. Those researchers have also found two other fungi and half a dozen viruses in the dead bees.N. ceranae is "one of many pathogens" in the bees, said entomologist Diana Cox-Foster of Pennsylvania State University. "By itself, it is probably not the culprit … but it may be one of the key players."Cox-Foster was one of the organizers of a meeting in Washington, D.C., on Monday and Tuesday where about 60 bee researchers gathered to discuss Colony Collapse Disorder."We still haven't ruled out other factors, such as pesticides or inadequate food resources following a drought," she said. "There are lots of stresses that these bees are experiencing," and it may be a combination of factors that is responsible.Historically, bee losses are not unusual. Weather, pesticide exposures and infestations by pests, such as the Varroa mite, have wiped out significant numbers of colonies in the past, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s.But the current loss appears unprecedented. Beekeepers in 28 states, Canada and Britain have reported large losses. About a quarter of the estimated 2.4 million commercial colonies across the United States have been lost since fall, said Jerry Hayes of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in Gainesville."These are remarkable and dramatic losses," said Hayes, who is also president of the Apiary Inspectors of America.Besides producing honey, commercial beehives are used to pollinate a third of the country's agricultural crops, including apples, peaches, pears, nectarines, cherries, strawberries and pumpkins. Ninety percent of California's almond crop is dependent on bees, and a loss of commercial hives could be devastating."For the most part, they just disappeared," said Florida beekeeper Dave Hackenberg, who was among the first to note the losses. "The boxes were full of honey. That was the mysterious thing. Usually other bees will rob those hives out. But nothing had happened."Researchers now think the foraging bees are too weak to return to their hives.DeRisi and UCSF's Don Ganem, who normally look for the causes of human diseases, were brought into the bee search by virologist Evan W. Skowronski of the U.S. Army's Edgewood Chemical Biological Center in Maryland.Dr. Charles Wick of the center had used a new system of genetic analysis to identify pathogens in ground-up bee samples from California. He found several viruses, including members of a recently identified genus called iflaviruses.It is not known whether these small, RNA-containing viruses, which infect the Varroa mite, are pathogenic to bees.Skowronski forwarded the samples to DeRisi, who also found evidence of the viruses, along with genetic material from N. ceranae."There was a lot of stuff from Nosema, about 25% of the total," Skowronski said. "That meant there was more than there was bee RNA. That leads me to believe that the bee died from that particular pathogen."If N. ceranae does play a role in Colony Collapse Disorder, there may be some hope for beekeepers.A closely related parasite called Nosema apis, which also affects bees, can be controlled by the antibiotic fumagillin, and there is some evidence that it will work on N. ceranae as well.
jia-rui.chong@latimes.comthomas.maugh@latimes.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
