- Pacific coconuts need replanting. Quick, alert the media!
- Bees don’t just fly down the rows. Quick, alert the media!
Human beings don’t need honeybee pollination
Yes, but “quality of life in a developed economy does.” I got the quote via a post at LEISA’s Farm which makes the point that most information on the recent bee die-off has come from the USA and Europe. If you know of similar observations from other part of the world, let them know (leisasfarm at gmail.com).
What crisis? This crisis!
Whatever The Economist might think, DEFRA is worried about bees and is on the job.
No bee problem
Here’s something contrarian. The Economist says that there’s no shortage of bees in California this year. Far from it, there’s actually a glut. As you might expect, it’s complex:
This year’s Californian bee glut, then, has been caused by a mixture of rising supply meeting falling demand. The price of almonds dropped by 30% between August and December last year, as people had less money in their pockets. That has caused growers to cut costs, and therefore hire fewer hives. There is also a drought in the region, and many farmers are unlikely to receive enough water to go ahead with the harvest. Meanwhile, the recent high prices for pollination contracts made it look worthwhile fattening bees up with supplements over the winter. That may help explain why there have been fewer colony collapses.
The entire article is a useful summary of where things stand on colony collapse disorder, and the clearest conclusion is that almost certainly there is no single cause. A diversity of problems, each exacerbating the others and — what do you know? — a diversity of solutions, each of which seems to improve matters a little.
(I’d like to add that the headline and crossheads of that article are among the best I’ve seen all year: The bees are back in town; Bee good to me; Bee-conomics; Bee off with you. Someone had a lot of fun. And thanks Michael for being so quick off the mark with a tip.)
Nibbles: Cacao, Forbes, Gum arabic, Bees, Private sector, Kumquats, Maize, Edible weeds, Herbs, Medicinals, Banana wine, Cachaca. Obamas’ dog
- The history of cacao cultivation, breeding and conservation in Trinidad explained.
- The latest update from Adam searching for seeds around the world. Go, dude.
- “Uganda exports 0.1% of the world’s gum Arabica…” Hardly seems worth it.
- Giving bees a hand. It’s hard to be a bee in the city.
- An active participation is required from the private sector and non-government organisations to take technological advances in farming and its practices to the grassroots level.”
- Kumwhat? Kumquat, that’s what.
- Bush sells maize. Maize surrenders.
- Let them eat weeds.
- But don’t let Thais eat herbs!
- Climate change bad for medicinal plants too.
- Banana wine in Malawi. Pass the bottle.
- How to make cachaca. A couple of friends and I once spent a night looking for the best caipirinhas in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Can’t remember if we found them.
- First Dog found.