Article (from earlier this year):
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/hobbyist-beekeepers-buzzing-reversing-america-212213119.html
That’s a headline with some sting! Bee the change you want to see! I bet the dad-journalists are called in when anything has to do with bees.
Native bees are still fucked. Get a bee house for your house and plant flowers to help. Get rid of your lawn too.
Here’s a pretty solid explanation of the problem and how it remains unsolved today, for anyone interested.
https://youtu.be/m-fA_tjtFOc?t=179 without the trackers
Summary by Kagi:
Title: Gas Stoves, Murder Hornets, Spy Balloons, And Other Media Panics We Forgot About - SOME MORE NEWS
- The media often engages in sensationalism, quickly moving from one crisis to another, which can leave the public unaware of ongoing issues that require attention.
- The narrative surrounding Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) highlights how bee populations, particularly honeybees, have been misrepresented; while honeybee farming has increased, wild bee populations are facing significant threats.
- The panic over murder hornets was largely exaggerated, focusing more on their potential threat to humans rather than the real danger they pose to honeybee populations and agriculture.
- The controversy over gas stoves stemmed from concerns about health risks associated with gas emissions, yet it was sensationalized into a culture war issue, with no actual plans to ban them at the federal level.
- The fear of losing meat consumption due to the rise of lab-grown alternatives and insect-based protein is largely unfounded; these innovations are viewed as potential solutions to resource scarcity rather than outright bans on traditional meat.
- Brexit serves as a cautionary tale of how misleading campaigns can lead to significant economic and social consequences, with many voters now regretting their decision to leave the EU.
- The Chinese spy balloon incident exemplifies media panic, where the focus shifted from the actual implications of surveillance to sensationalist narratives that stoked fear without substantial evidence.
- Many perceived crises, such as the ozone layer depletion, have seen improvements due to coordinated international efforts, contrasting with the media’s tendency to focus on immediate panic rather than long-term solutions.
- The document critiques the media’s failure to follow up on stories, which can lead to misinformation and a lack of public awareness about resolved issues or ongoing challenges.
- Overall, the discussion emphasizes the need for critical media consumption and the importance of understanding the nuances behind reported crises to foster informed public discourse.
Deets about the bees:
In the winter of 2006, US beekeepers reported unusually high levels of hive loss, with 28-33% of colonies dying off in commercial operations. This phenomenon was named Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).
Over the next decade, media coverage progressed from seeing CCD as a scientific curiosity to a full-blown crisis, with warnings about the potential consequences of bees going extinct.
However, despite the dire warnings, the overall honeybee population in the US has actually been increasing. As of 2024, the US has added almost 1 million new bee colonies in the last 5 years, bringing the total to 3.8 million.
The reason for this is that the bees thriving are the domesticated honeybees, which are raised in captivity for honey production and crop pollination. These honeybee populations are doing well.
The real issue is with wild bee species, many of which are in danger of extinction. Factors like habitat loss, pesticide use, and the spread of diseases from commercial honeybee colonies are threatening these wild bee populations.
So while the overall bee population is not collapsing, the diversity and health of wild bee species is still a major environmental concern that was overshadowed by the focus on the thriving honeybee industry.
I dug mine out, covered the ground with shredded cedar (an attractive mulch) and planted a diverse set of trees and smaller plants. My city offered a free one hour consultation with a landscaper to select drought tolerant plants I would like and plan an arrangement of them. I replaced all the sprinkler heads with drip irrigation nodes controlled by a Rachio that does smart adjustments like not watering in the rain.
Now we have a beautiful yard with redbud trees and lavender and blue flowering sage plants everywhere. The bees happen to love it. I have a little hibiscus plant which I baby with extra water and it produces stunning flowers one after another.
I’m talking about my front yard there, which has pure ornamental value. The back yard lawn I also dug out but I replaced it with UC Verde Buffalo Grass. This is a rich, soft drought-tolerant grass that looks great short or long and doesn’t require constant watering. You can even stop watering for long periods and it will just go dormant.
I didn’t want to lose the back lawn because I have kids and they play on it.
I did all of the above myself while working full time, except for the tree installations, which did involve a work crew coming out to dig holes.
I have a lot of yard to maintain and it has been a project over the years. Drip irrigation is less “set and forget” than I hoped - every once in a while there’s a line that’s clogged or burst.
But we are in an area that has been embattled with droughts over the years and showering a lawn with sprinklers every morning is just idiotic here. I’d say 70% of my neighborhood have ditched their lawns. Some just let them die and haven’t done shit about it. Others have gone whole hog into stone and succulent makeovers. And the other 30% still overwater their shit until water is flowing out over the sidewalks and down the gutter. These are mostly old people with old ideas - the earth is patiently waiting for them to die off.
Check out Crime Pays But Botany Doesn’t (aka Joey Santore, aka Tony Santoro). He’s been a vocal advocate for the “kill your lawn” / natural landscaping crowd for a while, and also I just really enjoy him.
He worked on/is working on a cable TV show called “Kill Your Lawn” too, but it’s not super widely available. You can find some episodes of that on YouTube as well.
I found a bumble nest this year and made sure to preserve it cuz they’re great little guys.
Love my bumbles. They’re sweet little derps. The native milkweed in my garden came through strong this year and I made sure to spread the seeds nearby so next year is even better for them.
Honeybees are unfortunately only a very small part of pollinators. There’s a LOT of other bees, as well as other insects that pollinate. And honeybees even often outcompete native pollinators, which is bad for biodiversity.
And honeybees even often outcompete native pollinators, which is bad for biodiversity.
Of course, Texas has to incentivize this type of destruction:
"In Texas, the law qualifies people who own between five and 20 acres of land for tax breaks if they rear bees for five years. "
Here in Brazil we have native stingless bees, they are awesome and very cute, but European honeybees do outcompete them.
Thankfully there are beekeepers that work with the native species, but as they produce way less honey, it’s less lucrative.
About 6000 species of solitary bees in North America. Providing them habitat by planting the flowering species they visit is a huge first step. Additionally making ‘space’ for their larva is enormously helpful. Many are ground dwelling, so getting rid of ‘landscape cloth’ which blocks them from burrowing is useful.
Check with your local cooperative extension service for information about the bees in your area.
Here’s an article from OSU on the topic: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/pollinators/nesting-habits-solitary-bees
Xerces Society: https://xerces.org/publications/brochures/save-the-stems
World Bee Project: https://worldbeeproject.org/2023/11/15/solitary-bees-their-crucial-pollination-role-and-diverse-habitats/
But why is this article not in buzzfeed?
Are they still around?
Edit: nope
On April 20, 2023, Peretti announced that BuzzFeed would be shuttering BuzzFeed News
It’s good to bee back, baby!
