The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #100756   Message #2024897
Posted By: Donuel
14-Apr-07 - 03:43 AM
Thread Name: BS: honey bee update
Subject: BS: honey bee update
http://www.earthfiles.com/news/news.cfm?ID=1230&category=Environment


Here in MD we have the largest genome research lab in the country. A new 6 month old micro array analysis will be used to see if the bees genome compared to 7 years ago has changed.
Also in MD the agricultural labs are looking into a new bacteria found in the bee's gut. It will take 2 months to find out if they are helpful or harmful.

What is conclusive at this point is that the relatively new niconoid pesticides remove bee memory and cause other neurological harm to the bees.
Only Northern Hemishere bees are disappearing. Some hives are now showing dead bees in the hive wheras before only total disappearnce was noted. California Almond growers imported Australian bees but they too have died out.

One out of every 3 bites of food you eat come from a bee pollinator.
The Almond lobby has gotten an emergency Cogressional hearing underway and has probably led to the heavy weight research labs to get involved. The ALmond crop will certainly be down this year (future stock traders beware! this is not a stock tip)

Anecdotal evidence also points to round up and other fruit tree pesticides causing harm to bees.

Also a dubious source said that Einstein suggested that it would only take 4 years for the human race to wither if the bees were to disappear. (population control weapon conspiracy theory #42)

An early hot spring followed by the recent freeze has killed much of the peach crop and many other crops nationwide. 2 weeks ago the spring peepers here were deafening. They are silent now.
I am concerned that the US food crop will be more severely hit than we thought.


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From NPR

Ocean dead zones up to 150 locations world wide now.

The cause is algae but of a priomoridial type which grows from a single spore into a footbal field area in just one day. with a slimy black mat. As it makes oxygen it folats up tot he surface in huge gooey black gunk. IT IS HIGHLY TOXIC to mammels and fish alike. Anything that can't swim awaylike crabs and starfish is consumed .
When fishermen get this black gunk in their nets they are at risk of poisoning. When it has been taken to labs it out gasses and drives people from the building with symptoms of nausea and mental confusion which is sometimes persistent.

This primordial algae is getting a foothold again due to pollution and acidity in the ocean. There are fewer ocean fish to limit its growth at the relatively safe spore portion of the primordial algae's life cycle.

Once the acidity of ocean reaches a certain point the chemical process that allows all calcium carbonate animals like coral and shells will no longer be able to form any shells and lock carbon dioxide in the ocean. Scientists have witnessed that acidic level in labs simply disolving snail shells.


Some good news, Spongebob Square pants is good for another season.