Vanishing of the Bees

The beautiful encaustic exhibit at Bernice's got be to thinking about the disappearance of the bees. I've actually seen quite a few in the last 3 days (and more fruit flies as well), but they were strangely absent the rest of the summer.

There is a great new documentary on this:
Vanishing of the Bees
Watch the trailer here: http://www.vanishingbees.com/trailer/
Bee populations have been in massive decline and bees have been mysteriously disappearing from their hives for the past five years - a syndrome better known as Colony Collapse Disorder.

The new documentary, Vanishing of the Bees, narrated by Oscar-nominated actress Ellen Page (Juno, Inception), takes a piercing investigative look at the economic, ecological, political and spiritual implications of the worldwide disappearance of the honeybee.

Does anyone know more about this topic and what we can do it stop it?

My biology teacher at the Vo-Tech, Mr. Henderson, worked on all kinds of things with bees.

Here's one of his:

http://www.beeculture.com/content/ColonyCollapseDisorderPDFs/How%20You%20Can%20Help%20-%20from%20BeeAlert.pdf

I am currently editing a video about colony collapse disorder. 

In fact, if anybody has any pictures I can use (complete with rights and stuff) of massive orchards, that would be great.

Are there organic bee keepers in the missoula area?

I'n not 100% sure if it comes from organic sources but there are a couple kinds of honey available in the bulk foods section of the Good Food Store.  I like to get the Agave nectar once in a while just to mix things up with any of my recipes that use honey.

paul wheaton wrote:
Are there organic bee keepers in the missoula area?

I've got just the person you might dig chatting it up with...http://1000newgardens.ning.com/forum/topics/im-looking-for-places-to-keep?xg_source=activity...I'll invite him here, and perhaps...if you guys wouldn't mind, please share the conversations you continue your conversation on both sites...that would be wonderful for all audiences involved with PERMIES and 1KNG Montana...

My quickie notes about CCD:

It is a list of contributors.  About a dozen things.  CCD for some hives could be caused by just two or three from the list - and other hives will do okay until they rack up all twelve.

In a way CCD is a good thing:  people that have no respect for the bee will end up bee-less.  And commercial crops that depend on bad bee practices will not get pollinated.  But those that embrace good bee practices will have lots of great crops in a time when supply and demand drive the prices way up for the crops (due to the failures from lessor farmers).

The short (and brief) list:

1)  feeding sugar water instead of honey

2) exposed to blossoms from a monocrop instead of a diversity of nectar sources

3) moving hives

4) genetics based on selling skillions of bees instead of based on survival of the fittest

5) insectides sprayed on mites and bees in an effort to kill the mites that are on the bees

6) comb foundation with cell size too big

7) insecticides used on crops

people buying bees that are acclimated to a different region

9) people inspecting hives too often

In the July 2010 issue of Acres USA I found an article about building dodecahedron hives to help the bees rebuild their populations.  Sort of a safe haven for bees. 

★ Tonight at The Roxy Theater (718 S. Higgins): MORE THAN HONEY ★

Nov. 15, 8pm. $3 special admission!

"'More Than Honey' may be the most visually beautiful documentary ever made." - Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Without any preachiness, this magically beautiful film urges us to take better care of the bees, and honor the irreplaceable things that they do for us." - New York Post

➤ Sponsored by Missoula Independent