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Bad News in Paradise...

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goodvibes

NewBee
Registered Member
Aug 29, 2007
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Thought I'd share a little about something new here in Hawaii. It's nice to have access to rare types of honey for a little cheaper....but this article I found while surfing, is kinda eye-opening. For those of you who don't know... invasive species pose a real threat to the delicate balance of life here in the islands. I also read somewhere once that, "If all the bees on the planet were removed from existence...humans would only have 4 years left to survive." Is this a true statement? Share some feeling on the subject if you're inclined.

varroa.jpg

Close-up view of a varroa mite.
Photo by: Walter Nagamine, entomologist, HDOA


"On Friday April 6 the parasitic mite, Varroa jacobsoni, was detected on honey bees in Hawai`i for the first time in 4 hives that had been abandoned for some years on the grounds of the Makiki Nature Center in urban Honolulu. The HBA is working closely with the Department of Agriculture to survey the surrounding area and the entire island of O`ahu in order to locate and contain this infestation ASAP.

Please refer any calls related to sighting of any honey bee swarms or feral colonies to Michael Kliks at 988-7203 in Honolulu so that we can locate the bees and collect adequate samples from them for detecting mites and map the distribution of this destructive parasite.

Do not move any managed honey bee colonies within the City and County of Honolulu or between islands until further notice!"


If this manages to get out of hand, it could end up being a serious problem for Oahu. And with the introduction of the new Superferry from Mobile, Alabama....could easily spread to the other islands.

Any thoughts? Complaints? Feelings? Comments?

Aloha,
~Neil
 

Oskaar

Got Mead Partner
Administrator
Dec 26, 2004
7,874
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The OC
This post belongs in the beekeeping forum, I'm moving it now.

Cheers,

Oskaar
 

wolf_tracker

NewBee
Registered Member
Jan 18, 2007
184
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0
:wave:

In this month's American Bee journal

A comment by Jerry Hayes:

"
Many of you have heard or read that Albert Einstein said something to the effect that
"if the honey bee became exstinct, human society would follow in four years."
There are various places where this quote can be found, but the question was always
why would a very smart guy who was instrumental in the development of nuclear weapons
have felt the need to think about honey bees and human society. I may have found an
intriguing link and possible original source of the quote. Recently, while visiting with
beekeepers in Ukraine, I was given a small painting on wood by Valery Dombrovsky, of two
men in very old monk-type clothing collecting a swarm of honey bees,. On the back are a
description and a quote. When translated from Ukrainian into English this is what is says:
"Guardians of Beekeepers Saints Tosima and Savatry", "When the bee will die --the whole
mankind will die." So from the depths of ancient Ukrainian history we have two Orthodox Saints
who have a quote very much like Einstein's centuries later. Did Einstein plagiarize or is
this a common sense linkage no matter society you are in or in any age? Isn't the world of
beekeeping interesting?"

From Sept 07 American Bee Journal Comment by Jerry Hayes page 767

About the mites ... we checked our hives yesterday ... YES we have them and now we have white
bees. Powder sugar once a week for 4 weeks is the method we are trying.

Hope all are well.

:cheers:
Wolf
 

beeboy

NewBee
Registered Member
Aug 29, 2004
350
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Port Orange, Florida, USA
Toss garlic powder in with the sugar to keep the mites at bay. I'm still dealing with small Hive Beetles in my small apairy, they are really hard to control. Just treated the ground around the hives and looks like i've won the battle if not the war with them. If your are asking why I keep bees I do it because SOMEBODY HAS TO and I have decided to be that person. I enjoy the fact that I am working with a bee hive that is three or four time more deadly than a rattle snake. I also can see the difference that a bee hive makes with local plants for pollination and love the honey from my hives. Mites are part of beekeeping, I've lost a lot of hives to them and will loose a lot more. The overview shows that in ten or twenty years we will be dealing with crossover biodiversity and will be exposing species to pests from totally different enviromental backgrounds. I really don't know if "modern' beekeeping will survive the next few years, maybe we are asking the bees to perform outside what they are programmed to do. Don't mean to rant, just think there is not enough thinking ahead in the beekeeping field. After getting down off the soap box I'll haved a mead ;D
 
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