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Wednesday, January 4, 2012

ZOMBIE BEES

Bee with Fly Parasite on its back
Now this story is quite alarming.  Scientists have discovered a tiny fly that deposits its eggs in the abdomen of honeybees, and the gestating larvae take over the bees brains, essentially turning them, for lack of a better term, into "zombies".  This causes them to go mad and become suicidal.

I know it sounds like something from a bad Sci Fi movie, but it's real and it's happening in California now.:


This is not the CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder) that has been in the media the last few years, this is apparently a completely NEW thing they discovered that is affecting bees.  It is still unclear if this is a culprit for CCD as well.


Either way, it's a very real threat to our way of life as people don't realize how much we depend on the honeybee for the pollination of so many of our crops.  They are an important link in our food chain which, if eliminated or, in the least, vastly depopulated, would lead to major problems with our food supply.

 We need to keep all the bees healthy and happy!

4 comments:

  1. I've been hearing about this for a few years and it has affected my garden this year something terrible..and many others are speaking of it across the nation..there has got to be something that can be done about it and soon..My garden is just a pin head compared to others especially the big farmers who really supply .This is one the things we need to focus on..instead of trival things.

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  2. I read this article too. I am surprsed that the parasite wasp is attacking bees. I didn't know that they attacked bees.

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  3. We're all gonna get pretty hungry if they don't solve this.
    Here's a page about beginning beekeeping, if you're interested.

    http://permaculture-media-download.blogspot.com/2011/09/how-to-start-natural-beekeeping-for.html

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  4. Thanks for sharing this!!! It's SO IMPORTANT! I love bees, I want to protect and do my part to save them... and being aware is step number one. News like this makes me want to cry, however, each person who learns not to destroy beehives on their property, not to swat at the kind little creatures, and to appreciate the importance of bees is a step in the right direction! :)

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