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Honeybees under attack on all fronts - environment - 16 February 2009 - New Scientist

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Honeybees under attack on all fronts - environment - 16 February 2009 - New Scientist

Description: THE world's honeybees appear to be dying off in horrifying numbers, and now consensus is starting to emerge on the reason why: it seems there is no one cause. Infections, lack of food, pesticides and breeding - none catastrophic on their own - are having a synergistic effect, pushing bee survival to a lethal tipping point. A somewhat anti-climactic conclusion it may be, but appreciating this complexity - and realising there will be no magic bullet - may be the key to saving the insects.

A third of our food relies on bees for pollination. Both the US and UK report losing a third of their bees last year. Other European countries have seen major die-offs too: Italy, for example, said it lost nearly half its bees last year. The deaths are now spreading to Asia, with reports in India and suspected cases in China.

Original URL: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126954.600-honeybees-under-attack-on-all-fronts.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126954.600-honeybees-under-attack-on-all-fronts.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news

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- JDP
  
  13 months ago
  
  By some estimates, up to three-quarters of the world's food production depends on bees. Thus, a continued crash in bee numbers (or those just remaining t the current crisis level!?) could lead to world-wide famine. Though IF people could take bees' place in pollination (highly doubtful?), jobs for the world's unemployed might abound (program name WBB = We Be Bees?).
  
  By some estimates, up to three-quarters of the world's food production depends on bees. Thus, a continued crash in bee numbers (or those just remaining t the current crisis level!?) could lead to world-wide famine. Though IF people could take bees' place in pollination (highly doubtful?), jobs for the world's unemployed might abound (program name WBB = We Be Bees?).
  Commented in: Science, China, Biology, Public Policy, Science Discoveries, Politics, Geopolitics, Twine News, Environment, World News, Food Production, Mauro Magnani's FINANCIAL TWINE, India, Unintended Consequences/Unexpected Results, Post-Apocalyptic, Current Science, The Skeptic
- Gin G
  
  12 months ago
  
  Viruses and chemicals..isn't that the very thing that greatly affects the human immune system also?
  
  Viruses and chemicals..isn't that the very thing that greatly affects the human immune system also?
  Commented in: Science Discoveries
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JDP added to Science, World News, Geopolitics, Current Science, Biology, India, The Skeptic, Unintended Consequences/Unexpected Results, China, Post-Apocalyptic, Food Production, Science Discoveries, Mauro Magnani's FINANCIAL TWINE, Politics, Environment, Public Policy, Twine News 13 months ago
Gin G added to Ongoing Learning 12 months ago