bees disappeared

[gonzomax]

Bees. Are your's gone. About 4 years ago I noticed when walking my dogs across a field of dadelions ,there were none. later I met a hobbyist beekeeper who said a mite was killing them off. They were all gone. he said they were getting new ones from out of state to mix with the Michigan honeys bees he still had. For the last 3 days we have been stung on a walk. What are they mixing them with?

[yabob]

You're perfectly welcome to the carpenter bees drilling holes in my porch. They probably won't sting you, and the males couldn't even if they wanted to. Of course, getting them to Michigan might present a problem, and they might drill holes in YOUR porch.

[Squink]

Originally Posted by gonzomax

For the last 3 days we have been stung on a walk. What are they mixing them with?

They might just be regular old honeybees. That population is coming back in some parts of the country: Bees surviving parasitic mites

[Bobotheoptimist]

Originally Posted by Squink

They might just be regular old honeybees. That population is coming back in some parts of the country: Bees surviving parasitic mites

This is the happiest I've been all day! "bees are showing behaviors to combat varoa mites" and "I think natural selection has played out with the tracheal mites." That was getting scary! Virtually gone in the wild and losing 80% of captive hives in the winter.
Now I feel a need,


A need for MEAD!

[gonzomax]

I was taught as a child that bees were essential in the pollination process and we should tolerate them. If they were gone ,what did the work?. I still have fields of dandelions and flowers are everywhere.
The bees I encounter seem more aggressive. It could be bad luck on my part or they mixed witha more nassty strain. Are the efficient docile Michigan honey bees a thing of the past?

[Fetchund]

Are you sure they are Honeybees stinging you? This time of year, the Yellowjackets get more aggressive, and you may be disturbing some ground-nesting bee species when you walk...

[tomndebb]

Unless each of the three "bees" that stung you were fastened to your body until they worked themselves free or you brushed them off, dragging their guts out, you were probably not stung by honeybees. More likely culprits would be something from the wasp family. Bumblebees and carpenter bees can sting, but both need to be provoked prety badly before they will do it. (Carpenter bees almost have to be physically assaulted before they will "fight back" and bumblebees are nearly as reluctant to sting unless one is attacking their nest.)

While there are Africanized bees in the U.S. (the famed "killer bees" of the 1980s), none have made it anywhere near Michigan, yet. (In fact, the only states where the Africanized bee has established itself are the southern sections of those state that border on Mexico with a few hectartes of Nevada thrown in.)

I've been delighted to see three honeybees in my yard this entire summer. We used to be awakened by the roar of hundreds working over the vicary outside our bedroom window until the mites wiped out all the local hives.

[levdrakon]

Originally Posted by tomndebb

We used to be awakened by the roar of hundreds working over the vicary outside our bedroom window until the mites wiped out all the local hives.

What's a vicary?

[Squink]

Originally Posted by levdrakon

What's a vicary?

It's the sound a vicar makes when chased by bees. More commonly a vicar Eeee Eeee!

[Tikki]

There's a farmer's market that operates near me one day a week. The other day I was there, looking around, when I came upon a stall selling flowers. In one bucket were a bunch of big sunflowers. I was thrilled to see at least a dozen genuine honeybees diligently working them over. Hopefully, that's a great sign that they're coming back in our area!

[gonzomax]

Originally Posted by Fetchund

Are you sure they are Honeybees stinging you? This time of year, the Yellowjackets get more aggressive, and you may be disturbing some ground-nesting bee species when you walk...

Was not me .It was my beagle and he didn't like it one bit. Got him on the nose yesterday and he snorted for 30 seconds and rolled over and rubbed nose on thre ground.One did look like a yellow jacket. But they seem to be more aggressive than usual.

[gonzomax]

Did California bees die out too. Was it national.Ohio etc.

[tomndebb]

Originally Posted by levdrakon

What's a vicary?

A bush related to privet. It is a tall, woody plant that never develops into a real tree. The leaves are yellowish, turning brown in the autumn, but not falling until pushed off by buds the following spring. It has very tiny yellow-green flowers in long clusters that are, apparently, saturated in pollen. When they bloom, the area around them takes on the distinct aroma of honey and, when there are live bees around, the whole plant is covered in workers (loudly) harvesting the stuff.

[tomndebb]

Originally Posted by gonzomax

Did California bees die out too. Was it national.Ohio etc.

As far as I knew, the tracheal mite problem covered the entire U.S. Apparently, the Varroa infestation was just about as bad, although I did not hear as much about it.

Some info: http://nimss.umd.edu/homepages/outline.cfm?trackID=2017

[gabriela]

My bee balm was diligently worked over this summer by a huge variety of bees that were not honeybees. Many were very small and their appearance was atypical if you are used to honeybees. More bumblers too.

I understand there are a great many species of wild "bee" and most of them are not useful to humankind as honeymakers. But they still pollinate.

[levdrakon]

I've been seeing the very occasional honeybee this year in my yard. In fact, one flew in the house today. Took me a little while to catch it & put it back out. Gotta help out those honeybees 'til they get their numbers back!

Thanks for the info on the Vicary, tomndebb.

[Biffy the Elephant Shrew]

Originally Posted by gonzomax

Did California bees die out too.

I have indeed noticed drastically reduced numbers of honeybees here in recent years. But there do seem to be more this summer.

[toadspittle]

We (upper Hudson Valley, NY) had few honeybees last year (though plenty of bumbles), and a ton of paper wasps. This year, lots and lots of honeybees (huzzah!), but hardly any wasps (also huzzah!). The bumblebees remain as plentiful as ever.