Mystery bee poisoning

[katybravery]

Sad story here from Kent. Wonder what the poison was? Or some other cause?

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/weald/news/colony-of-30-000-bees-poisoned-284856/

 

[Ian123]

Poisoning would likely also affect the hive next door it’s unlikely they would not have found the same source. Possible cbpv….early for it to show but we don’t really know a lot about it and bees have been more confined than previous years.
It’s good to see she’s done the exams and obviously tongues sticking out is in the syllabus

 

[Wilco]

I'm voting not poisoning. Starvation or varroa more likely IMO. Bees dropping down on return to the hive could be old bees.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Did she do a PM of the frames?
Easy to blame somebody else

 

[JamezF]

I'm voting not poisoning. Starvation or varroa more likely IMO.

Yes, as presented the article does seem to suggest there's a fair bit of jumping to conclusions going on. Tongues sticking out may well be an indicator for poisoning, but it's not definitive and the fact that the colony next to it is fine suggests a cause that's specific to that hive.

James

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Bees dropping dead as they fly around?
Doubtful
'Expert' after four years and 'doing all the exams' laughable
Tongues hanging out after poisoning
Doubtful
tongues hanging our from starvation
Probable
an obvious case of a clueless beekeeper blaming anyone else apart from her inexperience/ineptitude. and also seeking attention.
We see it time and time again - people scrabbling around to find some exotic/obscure excuse as to why their bees have failed (or they've failed their bees) rather than accept the obvious and learning from their mistakes.

 

[Erichalfbee]

MSM’s slant is never helpful either

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

MSM’s slant is never helpful either

well I suppose the headline

'my bees just died - it might have been my fault'

doesn't sell many copies!

 

[Erichalfbee]

It doesn’t save any bees either

 

[ericbeaumont]

Wonder what the poison was?

To rule out further conjecture, I hope that by now Ellen has contacted her local SBI and perhaps, sent samples for analysis. Better to have done that first, before contacting the media.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

To rule out further conjecture, I hope that by now Ellen has contacted her local SBI and perhaps, sent samples for analysis. Better to have done that first, before contacting the media.

that type never do - it's all about attention seeking and finding someone else to blame

 

[Erichalfbee]

It could just be that they don’t know any better. It’s hard to admit it might be one’s error

 

[Sunflower123]

She posted about it first on a Hawkhurst facebook page. I'm in a nearby village.
Quite, a few people pointed out that its unlikely to be pesticides this time of year.
She posted a photo of her holding bees in both hands. Seeking an audience.

 

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[Swarm]

"Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Audience

Plenty of that on some of these youtube beekeeping offerings

 

[Ian123]

Oh for F£&# sake give her some credit…….SHE COULD HAVE BLAMED IVY!

 

[JamezF]

Oh for F£&# sake give her some credit…….SHE COULD HAVE BLAMED IVY!

Ivy used to own my house. I blame her for quite a lot of things.

James

 

[Karol]

Yes, as presented the article does seem to suggest there's a fair bit of jumping to conclusions going on. Tongues sticking out may well be an indicator for poisoning, but it's not definitive and the fact that the colony next to it is fine suggests a cause that's specific to that hive.

James

Occam's razor does suggest another more probable cause specific to the hive. However unlikely that poisoning is the culprit, it is still feasible for just one hive to be affected in one particular scenario. Neonics taken up at a specific flowering location that the bees from that particular hive had found could account for the poisoning of the one hive. Highly improbable but not impossible.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

feasible? I think the word you want is highly improbable

 

[Karol]

Highly improbable is what I concluded but neonic nectar is addictive to honeybees who will recruit preferentially to the laced source and given that neonics tend to be cumulative sub LD50 in the way they work it is entirely feasible for one hive to be affected because the delayed action of the neonics would facilitate multiple exposures to an identified nectar rich source before taking fatal effect. Look for the most obvious causes first - starvation, varroa, disease and if they turn up blanks then consider neonics. Acute toxins are far less likely to fit the bill.