There are too many honeybees(nytimes.com)
nytimes.com
There are too many honeybees
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/19/business/beekeeping-companies-colony-collapse.html
3 comments
Too many domesticated honey bees - and not enough wild bees, or other insects - which are all in alarming decline.
This is crazy, I’ve spent the majority of my life hearing in the news and online about the “save the bees” story. It’s been a recurring story for my entire adult consciousness, this is just so surprising to hear that it wasn’t actually very much of a problem the entire time. I feel kind of lied to.
Irresponsibly buried as an offhand remark most of the way through the article: "many species of wild bees are, in fact, declining"
Commercial honeybees are not endangered. But honey bees are just one type of bee. And the major issues that kill 1/3 of honeybee colonies every year also affects other bee species. It's just that only honeybees are propped up by commercial agriculture.
https://brightly.eco/blog/are-bees-endangered
Commercial honeybees are not endangered. But honey bees are just one type of bee. And the major issues that kill 1/3 of honeybee colonies every year also affects other bee species. It's just that only honeybees are propped up by commercial agriculture.
https://brightly.eco/blog/are-bees-endangered
Say hello to modern journalism.
We were just discussing this at dinner just how awful the news is to watch. They blow everything out of proportion and always have a strong bias in one way or another. It is no longer informative but simply every news outlet has turned into the sensational rags that used to only be in the form of grocery store check outs pushing the latest Bigfoot conspiracy.
Modern news is terrible. I suggest everyone to stop watching it. You will be happier.
We were just discussing this at dinner just how awful the news is to watch. They blow everything out of proportion and always have a strong bias in one way or another. It is no longer informative but simply every news outlet has turned into the sensational rags that used to only be in the form of grocery store check outs pushing the latest Bigfoot conspiracy.
Modern news is terrible. I suggest everyone to stop watching it. You will be happier.
The following snippet from the article seems important in case anyone missed it:
> Still, the save-the-bees narrative persists. Its longevity stems from confusion about what kind of bees actually need to be rescued. There are more than 20,000 species of wild bees in the world, and many people don’t realize they exist. That’s because they don’t produce honey and live all but invisibly, in ground nests and cavities like hollow tree trunks. But they are indispensable pollinators of plants, flowers and crops. Researchers have found that many species of wild bees are, in fact, declining.
> Still, the save-the-bees narrative persists. Its longevity stems from confusion about what kind of bees actually need to be rescued. There are more than 20,000 species of wild bees in the world, and many people don’t realize they exist. That’s because they don’t produce honey and live all but invisibly, in ground nests and cavities like hollow tree trunks. But they are indispensable pollinators of plants, flowers and crops. Researchers have found that many species of wild bees are, in fact, declining.
Totally irresponsible that they condemn "save the bees" as a misunderstanding, but barely mention the many species of bees that are critically endangered. The phrase isn't "save the honeybees." It's still a valid issue, even if honeybees aren't.
Im not trying to be cruel but if you had read this article or indeed any of the other articles of which you were nebulously aware for your entire adult life you would have already known this comment makes no sense.
Instead you became vaguely aware of an actual issue and just like that from reading a headline you are ready to conclude it's all a conspiracy and revise your entire world view.
Did you not consider at some point reading even one of the articles.
I'm not chiding you specifically for not having read this particular article I'm certain we have all been equally guilty of that I'm wondering instead about revision of your entire understanding on a topic you had never bothered to understand at all.
Instead you became vaguely aware of an actual issue and just like that from reading a headline you are ready to conclude it's all a conspiracy and revise your entire world view.
Did you not consider at some point reading even one of the articles.
I'm not chiding you specifically for not having read this particular article I'm certain we have all been equally guilty of that I'm wondering instead about revision of your entire understanding on a topic you had never bothered to understand at all.
> it wasn't actually very much of a problem
It is a critical problem. The endangered wild bees (critical for many ecosystems) are not the same honeybees that are farmed for profit
It is a critical problem. The endangered wild bees (critical for many ecosystems) are not the same honeybees that are farmed for profit