The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #138986   Message #3184346
Posted By: Crowhugger
09-Jul-11 - 11:12 AM
Thread Name: BS: Honey Bee News Article
Subject: RE: BS: Honey Bee News Article
Okay, so I wonder:

What what happens in the longer term when the sought-after increase in pollination occurs not just with food supply but with non-native, invasive, non-food species like the 10'-15' tall grass that looks much like pampas grass (I don't know the actual name) that is crowding out bulrushes and drying up wetlands faster than normal, or purple loosestrife which also dries up wetlands (10x the natural pre-loosestrife rate)?

And what happens when the increased pollination occurs with the many other non-native species (wild carrot, chicory, most of the clovers we are used to seeing, to name a few) that have crowded out considerably more native North American plants than they replaced (which names sorry I don't recall because I almost never see these plants, and sighting is what leads to looking them up in my wildflower books or asking someone, which is how I remember plant names)?

And same question with respect to native species, those which now are in balance with the bugs and birds and other wildlife they support and which support them?

The article doesn't say whether a lighter workload for domestic honeybees will in fact prefent hive collapse or enable the bees' natural defenses to protect them against the problem viruses that wipe out ever more colonies.

A verrrry complicated issue because it affects nothing less than all of life itself.