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From: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, April 14, 2007 6:33 PM
Subject: bees
Hi Walter, How funny, I wrote to you about bees in my first mail I just sent to you a few minutes ago, then I switched to the Neue Zurcher Zeitung which has an English page, and guess what I find? More bee stories. Here a copy:
14. April 2007, Swissinfo
Concern mounts over falling bee population
Fears among Swiss beekeepers and experts remain high following reports from other countries that many bees have died or mysteriously disappeared during the winter.
The bee mortality rate in Swiss hives has been above average in recent years and it is still not known what is killing the insects, which are important for the ecosystem and the rural economy.
In the United States, many beekeepers have reported that they opened their hives after the winter to find the colonies were either completely empty or that only the queen bee and a few workers were left.
The extent of the deaths ? 60:70 per cent of the swarm ? has alarmed beekeepers all over the world.
Other countries, such as Spain, Germany and Britain, have also confirmed higher than average bee mortality rates, although not as high as in the US. The problem also affects Switzerland.
"A death rate of ten per cent is normal," Jean:Daniel Charrière, a scientist at the Agroscope Liebefeld:Posieux agricultural research station, told swissinfo.
"But for about five to six years now this percentage has been higher. For example, in 2003 or 2006 it went up to 25 per cent," he added.
Charrière said that, although the situation this spring seemed to be better, the general decline in the bee population was still worrying and could cause a change in the ecosystem.
Bees play a very important role in the natural world. Many plants and vegetables, such peppers, pumpkins, rape and sunflowers, depend on the insects for their pollination.
"In the cases where the loss in bees' habitat is not compensated by repopulation by beekeepers, repercussions on productivity in various agricultural sectors cannot be excluded," said Theo Nicollerat, president of the Ticino Beekeepers' Association.
Cause unknown
The exact cause of the high mortality rate is still not known.
"We think that the causes are pathological above all," said Charrière. "Many organisms can weaken bees, the question is which ones."
One candidate is the Varroa destroyer, a bee parasite that arrived in Europe from Asia in the 1980s.
However, Charrière says that, although it has not yet been eradicated, the pest is under control in Switzerland ? so it cannot be the sole reason.
Other theories include viruses but these are very difficult to diagnose. Bacteria, fungus, moths, lice and birds are also under consideration.
Another foe is man ? not only has he modified the insects' genes making them more susceptible to illnesses, he has also "domesticated" the insects, making them reliant on him.
"Bees, at least those in the northern Alps, cannot survive without beekeepers," explained Charrière
Fewer beekeepers
Beekeeping is, however, declining in popularity.
"Most of the 19,000 beekeepers in Switzerland do it as a hobby. If we keep losing bees for the next few years they could become discouraged and drop everything," added Charrière.
Nicollerat says part of the problem is that it is still uncertain whether the sector will receive any state help.
"Compared with our European neighbours, where beekeepers receive direct aid for buying materials or bee colonies for repopulation, we are still light years away," he said.
The government supports research and training in the bee sector. It finances the research centre at Liebefeld:Posieux to the tune of around SFr900,000 ($738,000) a year and reserves SFr100,000:150,000 per year for information campaigns. Many cantons also contribute financially.
But all is not lost. In mid:March the Swiss Parliament accepted a motion calling for more support for beekeeping in Switzerland, but it is still not yet clear how the measures will be carried out.
swissinfo, based on an Italian article by Anna Passera
<http://www.nzz.ch/2007/04/14/eng/article7706217.html#topofarticle> nach oben<http://www.nzz.ch/2007/04/14/eng/article7706217.html#topofarticle>
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