OK, this post bothers me.  I've tried to let it go, but I'm not smart enough to.  I'm sure I will be hammered for this, but here goes.  To state that the decline in the bee population is caused by pesticides is misguided and narrow minded.  The truth is, scientists don't know why the bee population is dropping so fast.  Now, I'm not a fan of pesticides, but to think that if we just get rid of them, the bee population will automatically rebound is a little naive.  There is some evidence that cell phone towers may be part of the cause, so why don't we all destroy all cell phone towers?  Jumping to the conclusion that pesticides are the reason just seems a little short-sighted to me.

Sherman, 
what do your studies on Clothiandin conclude?  The EPA will be sure to take note, as your safety is in their number one concern.  They'll do anything to make sure pesticides aren't hurting you.  
What's bad for the goose is bad for the gander.  No quarter, son...
 
Clothianidin is a widely used pesticide linked to a severe and dangerous decline in honeybee populations. We are writing to request that you take urgent action to stop the use of this toxic chemical. As we are sure you appreciate, the failure of the agency to provide adequate protection for pollinators creates an emergency with imminent hazards: Food production, public health and the environment are all seriously threatened, and the collapse of the commercial honeybee-keeping industry would result in economic harm of the highest magnitude for U.S. agriculture. 

The science shows that clothianidin-contaminated pollen and nectar presents an imminent hazard. Because the hazards to honeybee health are present within registered use parameters, it is clear that label changes and use restrictions will not offer adequate protection. We therefore urge the agency to issue a stop use order immediately. Our nation cannot afford, and the environment cannot tolerate another growing season of clothianindin use. 

In addition, because this problem reflects an overuse of the conditional registration program, we urge you to set an immediate moratorium on the use of such registrations until the program is fully evaluated for compliance with its underlying statutory responsibilities. The conditional registration of clothianidin in 2003 with outstanding data critical to its safety assessment represents a failure that could and should have been avoided. 

So, what they're saying here, is pesticides, mostly suck... And aren't helping bees, and yes, cell phones cause accidents, and alter brain waves, and verdicts on all of the above all still out, until definitive proof exists.  Its still hard to prove grandma died from cigarettes though isn't it?  Cigarettes were considered healthy at one point too. This spring, Home Depot will roll out their section of garden variety pesticides where you enter the store.  Do yourself a favor, and go stand by them for 15 minutes, then come back, and tell me how it made you feel.  If it gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling, instead of making you feel nauseated, I'll apologize to all those heroic pesticide companies right here on PDD.

Queenofthesun.com

The cause of bee colony collapse is indeed complex, but pesticide use is one of the contributing factors (along with viruses, mites, fungus, loss of habitat).  The pesticide issue is important and we need to address any and all of these contributing factors and the use of pesticides is one of the easier to address.

This publication is useful: http://www.extension.umn.edu/honeybees/components/pdfs/The-Plight-of-the-Bees.pdf

http://davidbozek.net/2011/03/03/did-you-know-that-propolis-kills-the-hiv-virus-that-causes-aids/  oh shit! Really?

In case you missed it:
The incredible powers of honey heal in TCM and worldwide medicine

by


Wildflower Honey in Here?
Christopher Gussa


(NaturalNews) Honey's ability to heal wounds and treat infections is quite notable. It also is known for its antioxidant, antibiotic and antiviral capabilities. Honey is 18 to 20 percent water and is comprised of the monosaccharides glucose and fructose and vitamins A, B-complex, C, D, E, K and beta-carotene, as well as plenty of minerals and enzymes. Raw, unprocessed honey has the most medicinal and nutritional value. (The fructose in raw honey does not, in any way, have the same negative effect as fructose from corn syrup.) It is also a very important and valuable component of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

In TCM, Honey is known as Feng Mi and has the ability to nourish yin energy and strengthen the spleen. Apart from its widely recognized nutritional value, honey is also the Chinese people's favorite as a "neutral" food with medicinal properties.

In the "Compendium of Materia Medica," the TCM classic by pharmacist Li Shizhen in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), "Honey can help dispel pathogenic heat, clear away toxins, relieve pain and combat dehydration." Li Shizhen showed that eating honey regularly resulted in clear sight and rosy cheeks. He also wrote that eating honey every morning can help prevent constipation and it is a good choice for those who suffer chronic coughing.

TCM also shows that due to honey's affinity for the stomach and spleen it can greatly enhance the effect of many of the super-tonics such as He Shou Wu
( http://www.naturalnews.com/026786_H... ) and Ci Wu Jia known as Siberian Ginseng
( http://www.naturalnews.com/024235_g... ). You will often see liquid extracts of these herbs combined with honey sold in small bottles at many Chinese herb stores.

One of the most remarkable combinations is taking Shilajit with honey.
( http://www.naturalnews.com/029498_S... )
Shilajit already contains 87 minerals and is naturally backed with fulvic acid for absorption into the tissue. However when raw honey is added to the mix, it is said to multiply the amount of minerals that the body truly utilizes by a factor of three!

In a study of 104 patients with first-degree burns, researchers in Maharashtra, India, compared honey's effectiveness to gauze soaked in silver sulfadiazine (the conventional treatment). After seven days, 91 percent of honey-treated burns were infection-free compared with 7 percent of those treated with SS. After 15 days, 87 percent of honey-treated burns were healed compared with 10 percent of the SS-treated burns. The raw wildflower honey formed a flexible protective barrier which prevented infection, absorbed pus, and reduced pain, irritation and odor.

Researchers in Sanaa, Yemen, treated 50 patients with wound infections following cesarean section or hysterectomy twice daily with either raw wildflower honey or a standard antiseptic solution of alcohol and iodine (AI). The 26 treated with honey were infection-free after six days compared with 15 days for the 24 treated with AI. Eighty-four percent of honey patients healed cleanly compared with 50 percent of all patients. Honey treatment reduced the average postoperative scar width by nearly two-thirds and hospitalization duration by half.

Raw honey is applied directly to the skin of an open wound in liberal amounts as often as needed. Bacteria cannot live, so infections always reverse. Best of all, scarring is basically avoided or unbelievably reduced. Wherever honey is applied it helps transform damaged skin into healthy new skin within a week. Long live our wonderful bees!

Sources:
http://www.drgrotte.com/honey-medic...
http://www.bee-hexagon.net
http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies...
Dr. Wen Zi -U of A Medical Center

I haven't raised bees yet, but I've learned how as an enthusiast and it's not hard, but you need some space and lots of flowers. A few setup costs, but minimal. The amount of national support for this, as yet, seems challenged at best. That might change. A few suppliers to choose from, but not any real 'Save the Bees' campaigns flowering yet to speak of.   A 'mostly older folks living in the country' kind of thing still, as that too needs to change. There is a guy at the farmer's market in the know, but he's one of many local beekeepers I suspect. I'd just like to see people promoting, supporting and raising awareness.  Its fun for kids in the summer, as is gardening, and the two coexist swimmingly. (You'll  want to teach kids to control their fear around bees so they won't sting, because fear is released in hormones and bees can understand that as can most any other animal.) It's a great learning tool. Insects are cool, the native ones are even cooler, and kids have a natural desire to learn about that which freaks them out. 

Regardless of reasons for colony decline, there's much focus on global warming, and not enough on pollution. The upper midwest has had the least loss of colonies, so people around here have no experience with it, are still afraid of bees, and certainly not with any great knowledge about maintaining them in a backyard setting.   Much of the decline is in the Middle East and California. Petrochemicals and mismanagement of crops are probably what caused bees to loose immunity to invaders or virus/fungus, but who knows for sure?
 Those companies who produce harmful, DNA incompatible chemicals for pest controls and fertilizers should be encouraged and compelled to divert their resources to create sustainable products instead, it falls under 'in the best interest of everyone'.  Nature has proven itself resilient, but only laws can prevent plasticized oceans and poisons.   Now that scientists have invented this mite resistant bee with hopes it doesn't mutate into Dick Cheney (see article below), maybe it'll all work out in the end, and save that fundamental process to life and our food supply, called pollination- that which gives us nice strawberries in the summer,  apples in the autumn, and most every other food we desire. 
 Give your opinion to the EPA and senators on whether or not to continue such pesticides proven harmful to life, and tell friends and family about the healthy effects of bees and honey. Your freedom of speech is sacred, express it through buying honey in bulk at the local co-op, make Baklava, bees wax candles, smear it on after a devastating burn, cure a virus, or use it as an enhancement for your next romantic interlude, whatever.  While a sting may hurt, its still good for arthritis, and it won't kill you, unless you're allergic.  

I've asked the makers of Queen of the Sun to come to Zinema 2 for a screening. Though it may go down like so much liberal balderdash for some is of no consequence. Others will see the importance of reconnecting to terra bella firma as it brings you back to where you once belonged. So let the power of nature wash over you while beholding the wonders of creation. Plant a nice flower garden this spring. Hug the bunnies and the trees. Be one with the bees.  

    
http://news.discovery.com/animals/honeybee-mite-sniffers-
colony.html

I'm gonna do the Mason Bee(s) thing this year. More should too. I reckon they should be promoted at the farmer's markets, garden centers, and the harvest/fall fests and such.