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Thursday, May 26, 2016

Maryland bees dying in unprecedented numbers


Beekeepers blame commonly used household pesticide

BALTIMORE —Maryland bees are dying in unprecedented numbers and one of the reasons may be found inside your home.

If the trend continues, experts say it will have a staggering impact on food and prices.

Bees making honey are essential to the food supply. Some scientists estimate one out of every three bites of food humans eat exists because of pollinators such as honey bees.

"If we like apples, if we like pears, if we like tomatoes, if we like cucumbers, all these types of crops 100 percent rely on pollinators to pollinate them," said Bill Castro, an urban beekeeper.

But the pollinators are dying in dangerously large numbers, and some say that poses a threat to the entire food chain.
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13 comments:

Anonymous said...

all hail the EPA :(

Anonymous said...

Bees are being threatened because of the vanity of those who do not want weeds in their yards. Those same weeds like dandelions and clover are sources of food for bees. Need to focus less on green lawns and more on natural lawns. The bees are the canary in the mine, we better start listening to them. Without bees we do not have many fruits and vegetables we enjoy. Don't spray your yard and plant bee friendly plants!

Anonymous said...

I don't trust our government to study anything and give an accurate report. Many have known for years that the chemicals sprayed on fields and injected in seeds are causing insect die-off, including bees. And causing all sorts of health problems in humans. But our government allows the chemical companies to test their own products and then accept their word that the chemicals they manufacture and sell to farmers are safe. Anything for money, even at the expense of killing us all.

Anonymous said...

I have noticed this around my lawn and garden. Used to have dandelions all over my yard, and in the past few years, I see little to none and I don't even treat my lawn at all.

Anonymous said...

You people are idiots, it is the GMO plants that are poisoning and killing the bees... Not everyone uses pesticides and bees are still dying, so how can that be?

Like how Monsanto can sue you for their plant affecting yours when a seed or pollen floats over to you crop... Just like how they force you to buy new seeds every time you plant instead of letting re use the seed you already had... They already cam out publicly and said they want to control the food supply, the worlds food supply... They can achieve this is bees die off, because GMO Monsanto plants can grow without bees... Regular non GMO plants cannot...

Anonymous said...

I use industrial strength white vinegar in a spray container to keep the weeds under control.And a weed whacker of course,but the white vinegar takes care of 75% of the unwanted weeds without harming insects.

Anonymous said...

We are noticing this too on our property. We have been researching the concept of keeping bees and hopefully it will come to fruition soon.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Bees are being threatened because of the vanity of those who do not want weeds in their yards. Those same weeds like dandelions and clover are sources of food for bees. Need to focus less on green lawns and more on natural lawns. The bees are the canary in the mine, we better start listening to them. Without bees we do not have many fruits and vegetables we enjoy. Don't spray your yard and plant bee friendly plants!

May 26, 2016 at 7:43 AM

So you are trying to say that only in Maryland that people don't want weeds and dandelions in their yards. Yeah right. Another ignorant "Free Bird" heard from. You must have Kathy Phillips and the Assateague Coastkeeper on your FB page.

Anonymous said...

You certainly are ignorant. I never said it was only in Maryland, of course it is everywhere. Look at the steps Europe is making to ban these chemicals. I happen to be very conservative. I however am smart enough to understand that this is a problem. I have bees and have done research. Maybe you start doing your own research.

Anonymous said...

Dave T: Three cheers for you Joe ! For having a consistently solid online publication that towers over the lame stream media. Another important and very newsworthy article found here. Mankind is doing an upstanding job of ruining the planet all for greed and lust to attain power, money and fame. How many centuries will pass before people finally realize such false glory is fleeting. Here are some words of wisdom I will share from a man who knew first hand what it means to be in harmony with nature and our environment, "Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. What he does to the web, he does to himself." -- Two Moons, Cheyenne Indian Chief.

Anonymous said...

With the death of Bees, it upsets our ecological system. Things were not as such when the days were EPA-FREE so are they really doing their jobs? I would think not so much.

Anonymous said...

Cell towers and the microwaves they emit is the culprit.

Anonymous said...

Seems to me that it's more important to take away the islands around Ocean City for the birds, then to worry about a real threat such as a loss of our honey bees.