USA Colony Losses

[Erichalfbee]

now an agricultural merchants with a civic amenity site on some of the land.

I'm beginning to think that is this Government's and Westminster"s plan all along. Then we can import cheap food from abroad.

 

[rolande]

I'm beginning to think that is this Government's and Westminster"s plan all along. Then we can import cheap food from abroad.

Karl Showler predicted much the same, basically a nation wide outdoor recreation park (with what's left of the undeveloped land) about forty years ago.

 

[JamezF]

I'm beginning to think that is this Government's and Westminster"s plan all along. Then we can import cheap food from abroad.

Right up to the point where "abroad" decides that for whatever reasons it actually needs that food for its own population.

James

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I'm beginning to think that is this Government's and Westminster"s plan all along. Then we can import cheap food from abroad.

the closure of the creamery was in the late 1980's about the same time as they closed our maternity unit - and Abernant colliery was shut down.

 

[Ely]

Terribly sad. Almonds are banned in my house. My daughter used to drink almond milk till I opened her eyes.
So much food is poorly produced.
I read just yesterday that the makers of Cathedral City cheese have cancelled their contracts with a number of small farmers who supply only them. What madness is that? Cheese made from factory farmed milk so we can buy it cheaply?
I used to make my own cheese from unpasteurised milk from my neighbour. I think it’s time to start again.

Is cheese making quite easy to do? I have often thought about it myself. I love cheese

 

[Paulypaul]

Is cheese making quite easy to do? I have often thought about it myself. I love cheese

I think you just need some cow stomach juice, and a few other bits.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

just need some cow stomach juice

calf stomach juice, I think people must also remember that there is a slight difference between the 'hard' cheeses such as cheddar, Caerffili, Wensleydale, supermarket plastic et al and the home produced 'cottage' type cheeses.

 

[The Poot]

This forum never fails to entertain, for example this thread seamlessly moving from USA colony losses to cheese making.

 

[ericbeaumont]

Isn’t there a corresponding decline in bird populations too?

Yes, and the full story was in a Beekeepers' Quarterly magazine about ten years ago.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Ble

cheese making.

Blessed are the cheesemakers

 

[alisonfosterbell]

I think we'd need to be careful about drawing conclusions from such an observation. For a start, cars are far more efficient aerodynamically than they used to be, so perhaps insects are more likely to be carried over the vehicle in the airflow. Roads are also far busier and perhaps insects just tend to avoid them now for whatever reason (increased air turbulence? poorer air quality?). I'm not suggesting that numbers of flying insects definitely haven't decreased, mind.

James

I would tend to agree that insect population has declined (yes we had splats of butterflies and other insectes on the windscreen and the radiator in days of yore in wales and rural oxfordshire) but also agree that cars are far more streamlined so that air moves more smoothy upwards and over the windscreen ....
I have my granny's 1959 Austin 35 ready for her outings when the weather improves so i will do a splat survey driving at 50 mph on the country roads here in Picardy!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

remember getting a lift from Greenock to Glasgow with a colleague , at one part we were driving alongside the river and he drove through a wisp of snipe which had taken off from the mudflats, one hit the windscreen and was killed, and when we got to the airport I had to prise another off the numberplate, does that count?
And I once almost had a red kite splatter itself on the front of the Jeep, fortunately I had seen it hovering and eyeing a bit of roadkill I had passed earlier so I slowed down and stopped in time, although for a few seconds I did have a bemused Kite sat on the bonnet staring at me through the windscreen.

 

[Penninetrader]

I will join you as a grumpy oldish woman then. It’s all just greed, amplified by the Oompa Loompa running the US…

The oomph loompa, if it is Trump that you refer to, has just had RFK appointed health zsar, if you are up to speed on who and what he represents then you will realise the personal cost and effort Trump expended to make that happen. RFK posted that he was having a meeting with Monsanto this very day.

 

[JamezF]

Is cheese making quite easy to do? I have often thought about it myself. I love cheese

I wouldn't describe it as difficult, but it does require attention to detail. Soft cheeses can be made relatively quickly (halloumi can be done in a day, for instance), but harder and more mature types take longer and ideally need a temperature- and ideally humidity-controlled environment for maturing.

Making butter is quite fun too, and if you use a food mixer, not even that much hard work.

This book was recommended to me when I wanted to give it a try.

James

 

[Ely]

I wouldn't describe it as difficult, but it does require attention to detail. Soft cheeses can be made relatively quickly (halloumi can be done in a day, for instance), but harder and more mature types take longer and ideally need a temperature- and ideally humidity-controlled environment for maturing.

Making butter is quite fun too, and if you use a food mixer, not even that much hard work.

This book was recommended to me when I wanted to give it a try.

James

Great. I'll have a look at that book. Thank you

 

[GaryH]

I was on holiday in Cornwall and we drove to the famous Newquay's Fistral Beach.
Upon parking at the bottom of the hill right next to the beach I noticed the usual seagulls scavenging. Also Jackdaws and starlings. I saw some strange behaviour from Jackdaws and dozens of starlings. They were jumping up onto the front bumpers and wing mirrors of the recently parked cars and vans flapping their wings to pick off all the dead insects.

 

[Michael Palmer]

I spoke to a researcher last night, who is investigating the big losses in migratory operations in the past year. He has found something quite concerning. Upon testing live bees in hives now located in the Almond orchards have huge levels of imidiacloprid. He said that many of the live bees have levels over 1000 ppb. It seems that the contaminated bees can live for awhile with such high levels of the insecticide, but most are dead a week after testing. He began testing bees in California almonds as soon as the losses were being reported. The imidacloprid exposure is from soybeans.

 

[Penninetrader]

I spoke to a researcher last night, who is investigating the big losses in migratory operations in the past year. He has found something quite concerning. Upon testing live bees in hives now located in the Almond orchards have huge levels of imidiacloprid. He said that many of the live bees have levels over 1000 ppb. It seems that the contaminated bees can live for awhile with such high levels of the insecticide, but most are dead a week after testing. He began testing bees in California almonds as soon as the losses were being reported. The imidacloprid exposure is from soybeans.

It is with absolute certainty that the chemical companies will have known this risk. It is a beggar thy neighbour approach

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

The imidacloprid exposure is from soybeans.

bloody vogons again!

 

[Penninetrader]

bloody vogons again!

Nature lovers tha knows