shouldn't we be planting more bee friendly seeds now?

[naveed]

shouldn't we be planting more bee friendly seeds now?

 

[Humble me Lord]

I believe so @naveed, the monoculture industrial farming practices of today are going to come back to haunt us. The big corporations with all of their genetically modified seeds, herbicides and pesticides enable farms to produce a lot of product, but at what cost?
The majority of small farms are rapidly disappearing and being acquired by larger farms that remove all buffer zones, tree lines, grasses and plant vast acreages of one crop.
We are already seeing warning signs with the decline in bee populations.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/death-and-extinction-of-the-bees/5375684
Without bees, we are in big trouble
God bless

 

[*LILAC]

I plant perennials that are bees and butterflies friendly so they come back every year. I've seen quite a few very large bumble bees and honey bees while working among my lavender already! Haven't been stung yet so long as I let them bee (be).

 

[driewerf]

I plant perennials that are bees and butterflies friendly so they come back every year. I've seen quite a few very large bumble bees and honey bees while working among my lavender already! Haven't been stung yet so long as I let them bee (be).

Here is Mechelen, Belgium (finally delivered of Trump) there are special seed kits for sale for helping out bees.
Zaden & planten

(site is in Dutch).

 

[PsychoSarah]

I believe so @naveed, the monoculture industrial farming practices of today are going to come back to haunt us. The big corporations with all of their genetically modified seeds

Sigh, this isn't one of the causes of bee death, specifically. Also, quite a few plants naturally produce various insecticides, such as corn. Furthermore, all food crops are genetically modified by us through artificial selection, to make the edible portions larger and have strains resistant to various diseases.

, herbicides

Can have negative effects on the environment as a pollutant, but most herbicides don't kill insects, just so you know. If I recall correctly, they are more of a danger to amphibians.

and pesticides enable farms to produce a lot of product, but at what cost?

It's a difficult question to address, honestly. With our current population, abandoning the use of pesticides would cause mass human starvation. What's your alternative to pesticides? There's an interesting one that utilizes fungi that specifically target species of insects that would munch on our crops, but even that still ends with a lot of insects dying (though, since each species of fungus only targets one species of insect, at least benign insects would be safe from it).

The majority of small farms are rapidly disappearing and being acquired by larger farms that remove all buffer zones, tree lines, grasses and plant vast acreages of one crop.
We are already seeing warning signs with the decline in bee populations.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/death-and-extinction-of-the-bees/5375684
Without bees, we are in big trouble
God bless

With bees specifically, it was found to be a specific chemical group of pesticides, and now there are incentives in place by many governments to reduce their use and promote building safe habitats for honey bees. Also, being that botany is my hobby, honey bees are not the sole pollinator of food crops, and quite a few self-pollinate, such as peas. It'd be non-domesticated plants that would take the worst hit.

Additionally, small farms did enact many of the harmful practices you associate with large ones, and were a bit harder to regulate and keep track of. Furthermore, large farms that I see generally cycle between crops from year to year, having a portion be a crop such as corn or wheat, another be a crop like lima beans (which return certain nutrients to the soil) and often leaving the rest fairly bare, and cycling through that. I rarely see farms, large or small, grow only one crop, since doing so is more of a liability than anything else. There's usually a back up crop if one happens to fail.

 

[Humble me Lord]

Yes, I understand crop rotation, but have you driven through the midwest lately? I have lived in the midwest and upper midwest in rural areas my whole life. I don't know what the all the answers are, but I know what I see, less trees and crp, grasslands, bigger fields and farm equipment. Hundreds and thousands of acres of corn and soybeans. I have never seen a 250 acre lima bean field.
Yes, the honeybee is not the only pollinator, I agree, and pesticides and herbicides have been shown as partial causes for colony collapse disorder. from the USDA website;
"Major factors threatening honey bee health can be divided into four general areas: parasites and pests, pathogens, poor nutrition, and sublethal exposure to pesticides. In reality though, these factors tend to overlap and interact with one another, which complicates issues. In addition, there are other issues that have impacts on honey bee health such as the narrow genetic base of honey bees in the United States."
All I am saying is that there is an unbalance in nature. The best indicator of that is how nature is reacting, and the honeybee is a great example.

 

[PsychoSarah]

Yes, I understand crop rotation, but have you driven through the midwest lately? I have lived in the midwest and upper midwest in rural areas my whole life. I don't know what the all the answers are, but I know what I see, less trees and crp, grasslands, bigger fields and farm equipment. Hundreds and thousands of acres of corn and soybeans. I have never seen a 250 acre lima bean field.
Yes, the honeybee is not the only pollinator, I agree, and pesticides and herbicides have been shown as partial causes for colony collapse disorder. from the USDA website;
"Major factors threatening honey bee health can be divided into four general areas: parasites and pests, pathogens, poor nutrition, and sublethal exposure to pesticides. In reality though, these factors tend to overlap and interact with one another, which complicates issues. In addition, there are other issues that have impacts on honey bee health such as the narrow genetic base of honey bees in the United States."
All I am saying is that there is an unbalance in nature. The best indicator of that is how nature is reacting, and the honeybee is a great example.

Just so you know, honey bees aren't native to North America. I'd be much more concerned about the native bee populations and how they are affected.

People in North America are more concerned about honey bees dying since it impacts the honey industry, and that it might indicate that native bees are also at risk. Personally, I wouldn't weep over the deaths experienced by an INVASIVE species. European countries would suffer more from the loss of honey bees, since they are a natural part of the ecosystem and plenty of native plants heavily rely on them as pollinators. Since the honey bees in your area are part of an unbalance in nature, I'd expect that you'd want them gone.

 

[Humble me Lord]

Even though I am far north midwest now, and I see few honeybees, my native pollinators are down as well. I have two huge gardens and had some of my best pepper plants ever last year, they were not getting pollinated and ended up with way less peppers than I should have had. I am basically in the woods, but have 30 acres of native grass and wildflowers, hoping it was just the unusually wet spring we had last year and they rebound this year, although we have been in a cooler than normal weather pattern.

 

[PsychoSarah]

Even though I am far north midwest now, and I see few honeybees, my native pollinators are down as well. I have two huge gardens and had some of my best pepper plants ever last year, they were not getting pollinated and ended up with way less peppers than I should have had. I am basically in the woods, but have 30 acres of native grass and wildflowers, hoping it was just the unusually wet spring we had last year and they rebound this year, although we have been in a cooler than normal weather pattern.

Wait, peppers? Sir, peppers are self-pollinating, and it was the cooler weather that reduced your crop yield (since they need warm weather to have the best pollination). During cold years, you can hand pollinate them to prevent your crop yield from suffering.

 

[naveed]

California to list herbicide as cancer-causing; Monsanto vows fight

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Just so you know, honey bees aren't native to North America. I'd be much more concerned about the native bee populations and how they are affected.

People in North America are more concerned about honey bees dying since it impacts the honey industry, and that it might indicate that native bees are also at risk. Personally, I wouldn't weep over the deaths experienced by an INVASIVE species. European countries would suffer more from the loss of honey bees, since they are a natural part of the ecosystem and plenty of native plants heavily rely on them as pollinators. Since the honey bees in your area are part of an unbalance in nature, I'd expect that you'd want them gone.

The plants native to Europe came over along with the honeybees, so it's all 'natural'. Not all 'immigrants' are 'invasive species'. Invasive species are those that attack or supplant native species. Honeybees have not done that.

 

[pat34lee]

California to list herbicide as cancer-causing; Monsanto vows fight

This is one of the few areas where we need to follow Europe's lead.
Here’s Why 19 Countries In Europe Just Completely Banned Genetically Modified Crops

 

[naveed]

Here is Mechelen, Belgium there are special seed kits for sale for helping out bees.
Zaden & planten

(site is in Dutch).

yes that is good.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Just so you know, honey bees aren't native to North America. I'd be much more concerned about the native bee populations and how they are affected.

People in North America are more concerned about honey bees dying since it impacts the honey industry, and that it might indicate that native bees are also at risk. Personally, I wouldn't weep over the deaths experienced by an INVASIVE species. European countries would suffer more from the loss of honey bees, since they are a natural part of the ecosystem and plenty of native plants heavily rely on them as pollinators. Since the honey bees in your area are part of an unbalance in nature, I'd expect that you'd want them gone.

But they are pollinating plants that are largely 'invasive' as well, and many from Europe. The early settlers not only brought food crop seeds, but weed seeds, insects, molds, viruses, bacteria, that were unknown here. In other words they brought much of the European ecosystem with them.

 

[PsychoSarah]

But they are pollinating plants that are largely 'invasive' as well, and many from Europe. The early settlers not only brought food crop seeds, but weed seeds, insects, molds, viruses, bacteria, that were unknown here. In other words they brought much of the European ecosystem with them.

Which was unfortunate, as it devastated a variety of ecosystems around the world when they did that.

 

[grasping the after wind]

I am certainly no friend of big agriculture, their encouragement of illegal immigration, or their sucking at the federal teat especially in terms of foisting ethanol on us so we could pay more to pollute more. However, I highly doubt Monsanto would benefit from the demise of their major source of pollination. That being the case, I would find it unlikely they would pursue a course that led to that result.

 

[SkyWriting]

shouldn't we be planting more bee friendly seeds now?

Some bee populations have changed.

 

[naveed]

Grant funds planting of bee-friendly flora in Missouri

 

[naveed]

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[naveed]

Santa Barbara Votes to Become ‘Bee-Friendly’ City