Very interesting and informative information, which is what this particular forum of MSDAOL is really all about.

Then I hope they all die. Is that OK to want that? I don't want anyone or thing to die, however I want to go to heaven. If we were to purposely wipe out all the bee's, then God would come first, right? So, why not just start eradicating the bee's and other creature's that God gave us? Maybe we wouldn't have to do it, we could get someone else to do it so we don't have to feel bad about them all dying?

Just a thought.

If we were to do that, then we would be one of those who would be guilty of destroying the earth, and we all know what God will do about that.

I think there are other ways to hasten the Lord's coming without doing that and thus avoid coming under the wrath of God.

You're among nature lovers here, so have you any other suggestions, including using nature, to hasten our Lord's Return?

How about nature showing the glory of God to point people toward the glory of God's salvation?... for those who're good at explaining the appearance and functioning nature out there.

And I'm a nature lover as well. Many, many, many years I have spent in the woods. In fact, as a child that was one of the best things about the Sabbath. It is a chance to commune with nature, with God, out in the wonderful world he created for us. So please don't think I'm not a lover of all animals.

And I agree, nature can show us God's glory. Look at all the amazing things he has given us command over. I think we would do well to look after those things He has given us charge over. To treat them well, provide for them when they cannot do it themselves. And find in them the type of Love that the Father has for us, a true love. A love that doesn't care what you wear, if your breath stinks, or if you just want to stay inside today. That's the love I get from my wonderful little doggies, and I think it's the same love that God has for me.

How wonderful to be one of His creatures!

As far as a problem with honeybees, yes, they are having problems. Haven't heard anything about Bumblebees. And I believe African Killer bees aren't bothered, either. There are also several kinds of honeybees. I'm not sure there are many over here besides the European kind.

However, as far as elimination of pollinators goes, Would plants really die out? How about food crops? How many of our major food crops would be eliminated if there were no honeybees or others? Not wheat, corn, nor soybeans.

Honeybees are an exotic import. So, one would suppose the only thing affected by their demise would be exotic plant imports. Then, there are other bees and other insects which pollinate plants. Granted, it may not be as profitable, which would translate into higher food costs. But, that would be only certain foods. Plenty of frosted flakes will continue to be available.

But to think that all nature will collapse because elimination of one specific component kind of says God didn't plan His design very well. And, of course, eliminating bees to speed up His coming would only prolong the period of time without bees.

Heard a report from a survey of several hundred hives in the U.S. which said death this winter was high, but colony collapse disorder was something like 5% and actually decreased from the previous year. Varroa destructor mite was their biggest concern.

I'm starting to view a honeybee hive as a living organism much like our bodies. If you keep it healthy, it does well. If you feed it sugar or other harmful substances, it declines. They talk about being careful using in the hive certain fungicides / pesticides which are very toxic to humans since this is a food item.

Beekeepers speak about taking off "excess" honey, but I'm concluding there is no excess as it is intended for the hive to grow. By taking off the honey, they report, results in a decline of the bees, but the mites continue increasing, which then results in eventual death. One would need to do an experiment with multiple hives with the same amount of bees and mites. Take honey off some and not off the others and see if the bees can cope with the mites.

(By the way, one shouldn't quote Albert Einstein / Thomas Jefferson / Abraham Lincoln / famous person, unless they really said it.
http://www.snopes.com/quotes/einstein/bees.asp)

As for bumblebees, they may be attracted to straw / hay as they may be looking for a nesting site (or their nest!). They usually find a mouse nest in the field. They may use a sparrow nest in a barn. They even have nested in the grass trimmings that accumulated around a post I weed trimmed around -- which I found out with subsequent trimmings with their buzzing! I tried relocating a small nest (just the queen starting) from a pile of hay mulch in our garden. I placed it in an old metal container with a hinged lid I closed part way. The next day or two, it was opened and the nest pulled out and the cells destroyed, presumably by a raccoon.

Humans have been keeping bees for the purpose of harvesting honey since early biblical times, 4400 years at least. The question then begs asking, is this mite issue a new problem? If it is, what causes it to happen now, rather than at any previous time during the long history of apiculture?

Well, as a former beekeeper myself, I think I might have something to add to this discussion.

First of all, there are two major disasters that were formerly considered the worst among North American apiculturists: 1) foul brood; and 2) mites. In the case of the former, hives would often be destroyed by fire to keep them from contaminating neighboring hives. I saw some of my hives die out on account of it. As a beekeeper with foul brood experience, my nose is all I would need to diagnose it, which may contribute to the "foul" portion of the name, in addition to the fact that it fouls the brood and keeps them from maturing properly.

I would have feared foul brood more than winter kill, even though the latter completely destroys the hive and sometimes the former can be treated. At least winter kill is not contagious and transmissible. Strong hives resist both mites and foul brood. But hives can be weakened by a number of factors, certainly including chemical pesticides and the like.

Regarding the honey, and the "excess" of it, the hive truly does produce an excess of honey. There is no reason that some cannot be removed. It is true that the wise beekeeper will not remove too much, or the hive will not survive the winter. However, if the hive is allowed to grow without limits, the beekeeper will lose more than just honey--the hive will swarm. When a hive swarms, generally about half or more of the bees will leave and find some hollow tree, wall, or shelter of some sort to move to. That will set the hive back by at least a couple of months, and often during the height of the honey season. This in and of itself can tend towards winter kill, as the hive will struggle with a smaller colony to go through the winter. The beekeeper would far rather split a hive on the beekeeper's own terms and timetable as to let them swarm and no longer have the benefit of the departed bees.

I have seen hives that were 14 supers (wooden hive boxes) tall, with the bottom 6 full supers entirely in brood and the top full of honey. It was an amazing sight. (The one who owned them prayed regularly for his bees and animals.) But beekeepers generally do not permit hives to grow so tall as this that they require a ladder to open! Beekeepers often put a queen excluder (a special wire grid with slots too small to permit the queen to pass through, but still allowing the workers through) above one of the lower boxes to keep the queen from laying brood up in the supers reserved for honey.

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.