Beepocalypse

So today a study came out in the journal Science  pointing towards a virus called Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV) as a factor in the Beepocalypse.  There are stories in every major news outlet but I’m feeling kind of lazy today (human acute paralysis virus?) so I’m going to recommend you just listen to the Marketplace story from NPR.

Marketplace: Clue found to missing bees

If you really want to get some dead tree news you could try The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune or your dead tree media source of choice. You however can’t go to the Wall Street Journal.  Rupert says No Cash, No Flash.

John Cleese and Rowan Atkinson - Beekeeping

I gotta tell you, there is a reason I didn’t get my PHD in biology. It’s partly because I wasn’t that good at it, and partly because I don’t like anything slimy.  I’m not really sure, but it sounds pretty likely that in order to figure out the story on odorant receptors for queen bee pheromones probably required some amount of mucking with slimy stuff.  The good news is that other people are taking care of this for me.  Life is good.

After refining and testing the technique in insects, Luetje’s graduate student Andrew Nichols exposed each of the drone odorant receptors to 9-ODA. Only one of the four receptors responded. When it bound 9-ODA, the protein receptor’s conformation changed, setting off a measurable shift in the membrane potential.

ScienceDaily: How Drones Find Queens: Odorant Receptor For Queen Bee Pheromone Identified

Hawaii has an edge when it comes to preventing spread of mites and other bee killers.  That whole island thing really works in their favor, and they aren’t taking it for granted.  They are making sure that the little pests don’t spread by intensifying their efforts to keep them off the big island.  Make sure your permits are in order.

Hawaii moves to control honeybee mite - The Honolulu Advertiser - Hawaii’s Newspaper

I don’t know about you, but when I’m driving if I get something in my eye the first thing I do is slam down on the gas peddle to get moving as fast as possible.  I feel pretty strongly that the safest thing for everyone involved is to get my car to maximum velocity.  It makes me harder to hit.  I’m glad to see that 19 year old David Santana agrees with me.  Most people don’t learn this lesson until much later in life.  David had a bee fly into his eye and took off to maximize safety.  The patrol officer who stopped him doing 105 in a 35 (ahem, allegedly) seems not to have bought it, and David’s been charged with reckless driving.  Click the link to find out where to send your checks for David’s legal defense fund.

Bee excuse doesn’t get 100 mph driver off hook

The fine folks at Fortune Magazine took time out from their coverage of the general collapse of our economy to get specific on the costs we might face if we have “CCD2″ (Revenge of Colony Collapse?) next year.  Turns out $9.3 Billion.  Basically they think we got lucky this year (I mean, everyone but the bees that is) and had perfect pollination weather that masked the true impact of colony collapses.  If there is a repeat of the losses next year it seems unlikely that we will see the same kind of weather, so you know, beepocalypse.

In addition to the story, they have this lovely slide show with details about percentages of crops pollinated by honeybees and their values.  God I love the internet.

Fortune: Flight of the honeybees - September 3, 2007

I want it down to the bottom of the soles of me feet.  I want it so badly I’m posting this open letter from Laurel Hopwood who chairs the committee in the hope that Laurel will recognize my contribution to the cause and hook me up with, at least an honorary membership.  Think it comes with a badge?   Basically Laurel wants Senator Thomas Harkin to make funding available to research the impact of genetically engineered crops on pollinator populations.

GE and bee Colony Collapse Disorder — science needed! - Sierra Club

Scott is going to lose everything! Without the bees, it’s all over for his farm. I mean at least it could be all over. I had thought we made it through the whole almond pollination season, but it’s unclear from this article if Scott’s farm got taken care of or not. Maybe Scott isn’t on Google maps? If you aren’t on Google Maps it is like you don’t even exist. Also interesting is the growth rates expected for almond acreage.  20% more acres of almonds in the next 5 years.  At two hives per acre that means 270,000 more hives in 2011 just for the almond crop.  I’m thinking that’s pretty hard to do with 30-80% die off rates.  Lucky for me I hate almonds.

For Scott Hunter, bees are crucial to his life.

“I have 30 days to get the trees pollinated. If I have no effective bees, I have no crop,” Hunter said.

And Hunter could never recoup that loss. “Having no bees is just like having a hard frost. I would lose everything,” he said.

US: Bee deaths hurt almond growers

Usually when we talk about a “Bee Problem” here at Beepocalypse we are talking about the massive breakdown in civilization that will result from the die-off of millions of honeybees worldwide. We of course are also concerned by the potential rise of large numbers of zombies who, when unable to find nourishment through fresh fruits and vegetables will begin attacking us for our delicious brains. Ok, maybe that last part won’t happen, but once the honeybees are gone, who can really say what is and isn’t possible?

Wichita, Kansas is apparently some sort of spectacular utopia because their “bee problem” is that there is a tree where bees are living. The ironically named Sunflower Community Action Group, who would never get pollinated at all if not for honeybees (I actually checked — “Honey bees are the primary pollinating agents of sunflowers almost wherever they are grown”) are all up in arms because a few people get stung here and there.

Anyway, they are going to cut down the tree and “alleviate the bee problem”. I think we all know what that’s a euphemism for. Can I get a moment of silence?

KWCH - Kansas News and Weather - City to Solve Neighborhood Bee Problem

While Americans are busy stressing out about the current beepocalypse, it seems our friends in Australia are busy stressing out about the last beepocalypse.  Or beepocalypse - 1, or whatever you want to call it.  They think it’s only a matter of time before the Varroa Destructor (Everytime I read that I think it sounds like a comic book villain name) reaches their shores.  Which has a sort of, relax and embrace the horror overtone to it.  They should consider themselves lucky.  Technically they are a day ahead of us with the whole dateline thing, shouldn’t they also be a beepocalypse ahead?

bendigo.yourguide.com.au