This came thru my email this morning via a Seventh Generation newsletter. Most interesting to me is:
"Adding fuel to this fire is a new study from the University of Virginia, which found that ozone and other types of air pollution destroys the scent of flowers and therefore impedes the ability of honeybees to trace these delicate fragrances to their source and find food."
I had not heard this!
Here is a link to the full article:
http://www.seventhgeneration.com/learn/news/bee-line-colony-collapse-disorder-still-stinging-honeybees?source=email&utm_source=bronto&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Image&utm_content=threeltlbirds%40juno.com&utm_campaign=7Gen+-+June+2008This might be the first article I have seen that recommends becoming a beekeeper to help thwart CCD!
"That makes finding the cause or causes of CCD a critical mission. And it makes anything we can do at home to help honeybees vitally important, too. The Natural Resources Defense Council suggests steps like these:
• Plant species native to your region in your yard and garden. These will provide abundant food for local bee populations.
• Grow a wide variety of plants with different colors, shapes, and flowering times. A diverse range of plants will attract an equally diverse range of bee species and give them plenty of food choices throughout the growing season.
• Stay away from hybrid and genetically modified plants, which often don’t produce any of the pollen that bees need to survive.
• Never use pesticides or herbicides of any kind. Though these poisons may be meant for plants and non-bee pests, they can often have a “spill-over” effect that harms innocent bystander species, bees among them. (Pesticides are also extremely unhealthy for us land-bound creatures, too!)
•
Consider starting a hive and being a beekeeper. The NRDC suggests creating a nest for wood bees (which don’t sting!) by simply taking a non-treated block of wood, drilling holes 3/32 of an inch to 5/16 of an inch in diameter and about 5 inches deep, and leaving it out for bees to find. Traditional beekeeping also has many rewards, from a supply of homemade honey to assured garden pollination."- Jess