sandiquiz's WunderBlog

Posted by: sandiquiz, 9:44 AM GMT on June 13, 2013

For several years the experts have been telling us that the bee is dying.

Initially they thought it was a parasite, then they blamed chemicals farmers used to fertilize their crops, the lack of wild flowers and even the wet summers we have had the last couple of years, but today the news tells us that 33% of the remaining bee population died during our really cold winter.

"This winter's losses of honey bee colonies were the worst since records began six years ago, according to a survey carried out by the British Bee keepers Association.

More than a third of hives did not survive the cold, wet conditions. All regions of England saw dramatic declines with the numbers lost more than double the previous 12 months.

This year's poor winter, following on from a disastrous summer, is said to be the main reason for the losses.

The hardest hit region was the South West where over half of the hives were lost.

The bad weather meant that honey bees were unable to get out and forage. There was a scarcity of pollen and nectar throughout the season.

Some bee-keepers believe that the increased number of infections and disease that bees are subject to may have made them weaker and unable to cope with the colder conditions.

We are in a different era; quite frankly the bees haven't got the resistance and reserves that they once did because of various illnesses and viruses.

Another weather-related factor that has worked against the bees is what is called isolation starvation. Because of the cold, the bees cluster very closely together to maintain hive temperature and consume the stores of honey closest to them.

If the weather is so cold that they can't actually move, the bees will starve - although there may be plenty of food sources nearby.

Bee-keepers say that is very bad news for honey supplies in the coming months."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~

Surface pressure for the UK.

Create your own visitor map!

Office Depot Coupon

Permalink | A A A

View Full Blog Entry — View Comments (61)

« View Older Entries

About sandiquiz

I have been a WU member since September 2005. Now a retired teacher, enjoying my garden, writing, sketching, taking photos, and having great fun!

Tropical Blogs

Tropical Weather Stickers®

Contact This Author

Recent Photos

sandiquiz's Wunder Photos

Previous Entries for 2013

Far Bletchley Bletchley, England
Elevation:	377 ft
Temperature:	72.1 °F
Dew Point:	64.2 °F
Humidity:	76%
Wind:	2.0 mph from the NW
Wind Gust:	7.0 mph
Updated: 10:45 AM BST on June 19, 2013 Station History

Newport Pagnell Newport Pagnell, BUCKS
Elevation:	200 ft
Temperature:	67.6 °F
Dew Point:	64.6 °F
Humidity:	90%
Wind:	Calm
Wind Gust:	0.0 mph
Updated: 10:50 AM BST on June 19, 2013 Station History