The Gov is blaming harsh winter on loss of Bee Colonies here.. Read this!

This is total Bullshit!
We did not have a harsh winter here.
We had a little more snow than usual, but the temperatures were never really that cold.

[link to www.wsbt.com]

From WSBT News.

Harsh winter conditions killed off half of Michiana's bee colonies

Kristin Bien, WSBT-TV

5:38 p.m. EDT, June 21, 2011

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY -- The long, cold winter took a toll on honey bees, killing as much as 50 percent of bee colonies in the Michiana area. This has devastated some beekeepers who can't figure out why their bees didn't survive. And that means higher prices for all of us at the grocery store.

This is a problem nationwide.

It is called Colony Collapse Disorder. It is a phenomenon in which honey bees are disappearing -- and this brutal winter isn't making it any easier for people who rely on bees for business.

Topics
Blueberries
John Nelson

Dave Laney has been a beekeeper for more than 30 years, But in three decades of working with bees, this past winter was one for the record books.

“It was a tough winter, which accounted for a lot of losses in the Michiana area. It was a long cold winter and that is tough on bees,” said Laney. “Some starved to death...some could get going in the spring and couldn't make it.”

Laney lost 11 bee colonies -- more than 50 percent. And he isn't the only one. Some beekeepers lost all their bees.

Last winter, The US Department of Agriculture reported losses of honey bee colonies nationwide hit 33 percent. Colony Collapse is causing the cost of honey production to increase, meaning the cost at the grocery store will go up too.

And it isn't only beekeepers that depend on bees for business.

“If we don't have pollination, we don't have blueberries. Or we have blueberries but they extremely tiny,” said John Nelson, the owner of Blueberry Ranch in Granger.

There are 88 acres of blueberries at Blueberry Ranch in Granger. Nelson says each flower should be visited by a bee at least three or four times. The work the bees do in May is crucial to getting those big, fat blueberries for people to pick in July.

Apples and Almonds also depend on honey bees. Farmers pay beekeepers to bring bee colonies to their farms. Which means you'll see the costs of these products go up as the numbers of bees dwindle..

Little is known about the reasons honey bee numbers are declining, but beekeepers like Laney will continue doing all they can to nurture their bees -- and create new colonies.

So what can you do to help? Laney suggests limiting your use of pesticides. And don't be so angry when those dandelions pop up in the spring.

"Dandelions are a key source of nectar and pollen for bees in the early spring coming out of winter. They will go desperately looking for pollen and nectar to reproduce and build their colonies up," says Laney.

End....

What really caused the loss of the Bee colonies?

I can cite three really good reasons why the populations are declining, not in any particular order of severity however I can however attest to the first one being the most severe of the three, I'll explain after the list:

1)High frequency spectrum emitters (Satellites/Celltowers/Cellphones)

2)Excessive Pesticide Use

3)Weather pattern changes

I used to live a few blocks from a beekeeper. He had 5 hives. The year after a cell tower was installed and the tower was turned on, 2 of the three hives experienced CCD-like symptoms. The tower was disabled by a lightning strike and transformer fire which caused them to shut down the tower early in the season. During the towers downtime 1 of the 2 colonies went back up to full production and the other was at almost full production shortly thereafter. When the tower went back to full operation later that year 4 of his five colonies experienced complete colony collapse.