Oh dear. Are we all sure that we're not being used by these people? From their briefing paper:
> Setting the scene: Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD)
> Over the last two years there has been a massive, worldwide drop in bee
> numbers. In the UK beekeepers report a one in three loss of bee colonies
> has occurred.
OK then, are we saying that American CCD is the same as UK winter losses? Apparently this is what they have in mind as they continue in this vein later in the piece. Are we saying that one in three winter losses means a year-on-year reduction to 2/3 of the total population?
> In 2007, Lord Rooker, then a DEFRA Minister, said “If nothing is done
> about it, the UK honey bee population could be wiped out in 10 years”.
> However, this is a worldwide phenomenon, and appears that we are heading
> towards a global disappearance of honey bees.
He might have said it, the BBKA might have repeated it, but does *anyone* here actually believe it? Even Brosville?
> Einstein said, “If the bee disappeared off the surface of the
> globe, then man would only have four years of life left. No more
> pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man”.
Goodness gracious me! It gets worse. Lies, lies, lies. Einstein never said anything like it.
> The evidence against these chemicals is strong, ....
Really? April/May exposure via OSR, bees healthy in April, May, June, July ... yet they die in November, December, January, March. How come?
This is pure propaganda, based on half-truths and total falsehoods. Nowhere near the truth. The evidence against these chemicals is weak. They might be part of the bigger picture, but focussing on them to the exclusion of other possible contributors to the winter losses of the winter before last and the one before that is ... utter folly!
> These two behavioural strategies seem to be in place to make
> up for the fact that bees have a lesser detoxifying capacity
> in their bodies compared to some other insects.
You should all read their briefing paper and have a laugh about the Soil Association's ideas on 'tester bees'! However that comment above is also ridiculous - bees are fairly efficient de-toxifiers as they have to face a range of natural poisons in their varied diet. No doubt that is why it is possible to load large quantities of pyrethroids into hives to kill mites (not that I advocate doing so).
That is such a weak paper, clearly written by people with little real understanding of bees and driven to exploit the current concerns about bees. Shame on them!
Gavin.