Honey Bee Population Dying Out

CHAN:
British beekeepers are alarmed at the rapid decline of the honey bee population. They are calling on their government to help fund much needed research. They claim the world's food supply is at risk.


STORY:
Scientists are alarmed over the mysterious and rapid delcine of the honey bee population. And experts fear this could cause great harm to the world's agriculture.

[Father Francis Capener, National Honey Fair]:
"They pollinate so many different plants and if they weren't doing that work, we wouldn't be having any fruit. It just wouldn't be there."

Genetically modified crops, climate change, pesticides and modern farming techniques have all been blamed for making bees vulnerable to parasites, viruses and other diseases.

[Dr. Dewey Caron, Honey Bee Expert]:
"Climate change, plants blooming at an earlier time, being affected by levels of pollution, but we think, or we know, that something is also happening to bee colonies, they seem to have a heavier dosage of some of the pathogens, the things that kill them, diseases that kill them including viruses, and we're trying to figure out why this is the case."

British beekeepers lobbied the government for more research funding. According to the president of the British Beekeepers Association, one third of Britain's bee colonies have been lost in the last year.

[Tim Lovett, British Beekeepers Association]:
"Basically, because there's such a benefit to the nation, to our agriculture and horticulture, it's clearly a job for government to come up with something and so far they've just worked around the edges."

The European Parliament was expected to cast a vote yesterday to call for more research and to recommend the European Union to take the matter seriously.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• ntd
• ntdtv
• news
• Honey
• Bee
• Population
• Dying
• Out
• beekeepers
• decline

[twinpeninsulas]

@razorbak42O its happening only in certain part of the US. not everywhere.

[razorbak42O]

Its happening in the US too. America has a $10mil program to find out why, but they still know nothing. In retrospect $10mil isn't enough but funding isn't exactly easy to come by in America now a days.

[Tagard1995]

why the fuck should we help the gm crop growers! And Britain...they've made species go extint before why help them. The wolf and goose are the two i know of, countless others probably.

[yourrealmother]

It is not difficult to see the relation of the declining bee population with the introduction and spread of GM crops and plants which the bees feed on. Don't expect any research or Gov. official to tell you this... Way too much $ in the GM food industry.

[asc0914]

just watched the happening...freeky what could happen

[RockManAU]

I think is was Albert Einstein that said it would only take 4 years to see the end of the human race if all the bees died.

[symodiezel]

By the time we all hear about this its pretty well over, this is yet another example of the poor state our planet is in, its only going to get worse because people are so slow to change, and most are more concerned about celeb bs and whos banging who to really care, too bad coz that will end us and we are going there fast now.

[ramusling]

Politicians keep discussing pointless bullshit and matters of vital importance to humanity are absolutely ignored.... That is what politicians are here for.