[sentis1]

I’m a beekeeper and I’ll try to explain in this thread what I have explained in others.

1.GMO crops might be responsible.....Bees don’t pollinate corn but most beekeepers use corn syrup to feed their bees there has been some speculation that beekeepers who don’t use corn syrup have fewer loses. The natural pesticides in these crops may be causing the bees to become immune-deficient so when you read this or that fungus may be the cause please realize that those fungus have been around awhile and it is sort of like saying pneumonia killed an aids patient. Technically true but it wasn’t the root cause.

2. A pesticide that is in common use in the US (I’m not sure of the brand off the top of my head) was found in France to cause the same symptom beekeepers are now having.

3. Global warming doesn’t affect bees

4. bee die offs of a lesser magnitude have happened every 50-60 years

[brytlea]

there has been some speculation that beekeepers who don’t use corn syrup have fewer loses.

Interesting, but this should be easy to confirm, shouldn't it?

susie

[sinanju]

Yes sentis1, I read on an earlier thread here a few weeks ago where someone stated that imidacloprid caused the same problems in Europe a few years back and was banned for that reason, without the media taking much notice.

[Wonder Warthog]

"1.GMO crops might be responsible.....Bees don’t pollinate corn but most beekeepers use corn syrup to feed their bees there has been some speculation that beekeepers who don’t use corn syrup have fewer loses. The natural pesticides in these crops may be causing the bees to become immune-deficient so when you read this or that fungus may be the cause please realize that those fungus have been around awhile and it is sort of like saying pneumonia killed an aids patient."

Re-read the article. If this were true, it would affect native bees and Africanized honeybees also. But they are NOT so affected. So try again.