China Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Super Bees Could Save Us From A Food Crisis Colony collapse disorder first appeared in 2006. But while the North American honeybee population has dropped precipitously recently (one beekeeper tells Fast Company that his 2010 honey crop was the smallest in 35 years of beekeeping), honeybee populations had been declining for decades due to insecticide-resistant mites and viruses. Instead of trying new insecticides, researchers are trying a different approach: breeding stronger bees. Viruses and mites have, according to the U.N., killed 85% of bees in the Middle East, 10% to 30% of bees in Europe, and nearly a third of American bees each year. This is a big deal--over 70 of the 100 crops that provide 90% of the world's food are pollinated by bees (that's $83 billion worth of crops). So researchers at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg have started to ship queen bees from hives that exhibit some resistance to mites across Canada, where they are exposed to "disease pressure." Each generation of survivors is bred for the next season, the theory being that eventually a mite-resistant brand of bees will emerge. Click on the link for the full article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PokerPacker Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 yeah, go evolution! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpoch Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Isn't this how we ended up with "killer" bees. By trying to genetically alter them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOF44 Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Isn't this how we ended up with "killer" bees. By trying to genetically alter them? "Killer" bees were natural African bees. They were brought to South America and escaped containment and now are spreading through the Americas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 This is a good thing. Im thinking about bee hives on my property but because loud sounds like lawn mowers agitate the hive, Im hesitant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterMP Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 "Killer" bees were natural African bees. They were brought to South America and escaped containment and now are spreading through the Americas. I think the general principle of unintended consequences likely still applies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubbs Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 I think the general principle of unintended consequences likely still applies. True, but I have to say that I'm at a bit of a loss when it comes to trying to imagine what could go wrong if we had too many honeybees. What are the negatives of honeybees, other than freaking me out when they grow too big? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterMP Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 True, but I have to say that I'm at a bit of a loss when it comes to trying to imagine what could go wrong if we had too many honeybees. What are the negatives of honeybees, other than freaking me out when they grow too big? They out compete some other pollinating species. That pollinating species was an important food source some bird species. Both go extinct. That bird species and some other bird species competed for nesting growns. With the nesting growns freed up the other bird species booms. That bird species eats worms and burrowing insects. They decrease in population. Worms and other burrowing insects are good for plant growth and without them lot's of plant species start to have trouble. In 50 years, life on Earth as we know it is tittering on the edge. The other possibility is that as we've helped the bees evolve the mites come under more pressure to evolve, but instead of being able to infect the bees, they start to infect some mammal somewhere. Of course, once they've moved to another mammal, humans are short jump away and in 30 years we end up with mites infecting everything because we messed with the relationship between the mites and the bees. In other words, I haven't got a clue, but that is why they happen. If they were easily forseen unattended consequences, steps would have been taken to make sure they didn't occur. The fact that ever happen is normally the result of the inability to forsee that they will happen, except with 20/20 hindsight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IONTOP Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 They out compete some other pollinating species. That pollinating species was an important food source some bird species. Both go extinct. That bird species and some other bird species competed for nesting growns. With the nesting growns freed up the other bird species booms. That bird species eats worms and burrowing insects. They decrease in population. Worms and other burrowing insects are good for plant growth and without them lot's of plant species start to have trouble. Can't we just breed stronger birds, worms, and burrowing insects? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubbs Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 unattended consequences The consequences are having trouble drawing crowds? :pfft: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PleaseBlitz Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Can't we just breed stronger birds, worms, and burrowing insects? Yea, but the unintended consequence of that is the human race enslaved by super birds, super worms, and super burrowing insects. Artists rendering: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IONTOP Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Yea, but the unintended consequence of that is the human race enslaved by super birds, super worms, and super burrowing insects. But couldn't we just breed stronger people then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 But couldn't we just breed stronger people then? pshhhh, we are already doing that.... Captain America eats super burrowing insects for breakfast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumbo Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 One saved me in Alaska a long time ago. It's a great story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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