https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_collapse_disorder

“Where honeybee populations decline, there is also a decline in plant populations.”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/10/09/tiny-flying-robots-could-answer-europes-bee-crisis/

“The bee is under threat due to our farming methods and we don’t know what their future will be,” he added.

“The goal is to have a device that could pollinate flowers as it may be that bees will die out…if you can imagine a swarm of these robots flying around a warehouse or greenhouse, they would very safe to work around as they are so small and light.”

although…

https://www.acsh.org/news/2018/04/17/bee-apocalypse-was-never-real-heres-why-12851

Arts said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_collapse_disorder

“Where honeybee populations decline, there is also a decline in plant populations.”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/10/09/tiny-flying-robots-could-answer-europes-bee-crisis/

“The bee is under threat due to our farming methods and we don’t know what their future will be,” he added.

“The goal is to have a device that could pollinate flowers as it may be that bees will die out…if you can imagine a swarm of these robots flying around a warehouse or greenhouse, they would very safe to work around as they are so small and light.”

although…

https://www.acsh.org/news/2018/04/17/bee-apocalypse-was-never-real-heres-why-12851

Tassie is exporting a lot of queens. Many of the US hives are being replaced as they die out.

sarahs mum said:

Arts said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_collapse_disorder

“Where honeybee populations decline, there is also a decline in plant populations.”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/10/09/tiny-flying-robots-could-answer-europes-bee-crisis/

“The bee is under threat due to our farming methods and we don’t know what their future will be,” he added.

“The goal is to have a device that could pollinate flowers as it may be that bees will die out…if you can imagine a swarm of these robots flying around a warehouse or greenhouse, they would very safe to work around as they are so small and light.”

although…

https://www.acsh.org/news/2018/04/17/bee-apocalypse-was-never-real-heres-why-12851

Tassie is exporting a lot of queens. Many of the US hives are being replaced as they die out.

it makes me wonder if this is why we have to resort to ‘fake honey’

I wonder how many native bee species have been driven extinct by the introduction of the honey bee Apis mellifera.

Can you say “ecological catastrophe”?

mollwollfumble said:

I wonder how many native bee species have been driven extinct by the introduction of the honey bee Apis mellifera.

Can you say “ecological catastrophe”?

Do you know?

or only wonder?

roughbarked said:

mollwollfumble said:

I wonder how many native bee species have been driven extinct by the introduction of the honey bee Apis mellifera.

Can you say “ecological catastrophe”?

Do you know?

or only wonder?

Only wonder.

mollwollfumble said:

roughbarked said:

mollwollfumble said:

I wonder how many native bee species have been driven extinct by the introduction of the honey bee Apis mellifera.

Can you say “ecological catastrophe”?

Do you know?

or only wonder?

Only wonder.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1442-9993.2004.01376.x

http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive-species/insects-and-other-invertebrates/invasive-bees

roughbarked said:

mollwollfumble said:

roughbarked said:

Do you know?

or only wonder?

Only wonder.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1442-9993.2004.01376.x

http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive-species/insects-and-other-invertebrates/invasive-bees

Thanks, I had no idea that there was already this much research on the topic.

mollwollfumble said:

roughbarked said:

mollwollfumble said:

Only wonder.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1442-9993.2004.01376.x

http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive-species/insects-and-other-invertebrates/invasive-bees

Thanks, I had no idea that there was already this much research on the topic.

I can’t get this page to load which is a bit odd. http://publications.rzsnsw.org.au/doi/pdf/10.7882/AZ.1999.018

roughbarked said:

mollwollfumble said:

roughbarked said:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1442-9993.2004.01376.x

http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive-species/insects-and-other-invertebrates/invasive-bees

Thanks, I had no idea that there was already this much research on the topic.

I can’t get this page to load which is a bit odd. http://publications.rzsnsw.org.au/doi/pdf/10.7882/AZ.1999.018

Works for me.

roughbarked said:

mollwollfumble said:

roughbarked said:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1442-9993.2004.01376.x

http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive-species/insects-and-other-invertebrates/invasive-bees

Thanks, I had no idea that there was already this much research on the topic.

I can’t get this page to load which is a bit odd. http://publications.rzsnsw.org.au/doi/pdf/10.7882/AZ.1999.018

It loads for me. The occurrence of a hugely successful invasive new species must have a severe negative effect on local competing species. But … from roughbark’s latest link:

“This controversy has been raging, off and on, for about the last 20-25 years” … “There is little sign that this controversy will be resolved soon, if ever”

Of course, the damage is done as soon as the invasive species is introduced into a new ecosystem. Trying to hold back the tide 190 years later is laughable, but possibly justified.

Further, it’s surprising how few invasive species actually lead to the extinction of pre-existing species. From island biogeography we know that the introduction of one new species is likely to result in the extinction of one existing species (humans being the most extreme counterexample to this). I thought it would be different for honeybees in Australia, and perhaps it was, but few people were counting native bee populations in Australia 190 years ago.

I would guess that the smaller island faunas – Hawaii, Mauritius, Galapagos etc. would be most seriously damaged by the honeybee introduction.