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Jim Brewster

Jim Brewster

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For a good few years I've been hearing about how pollenators and in particular bee populations bees are suffering, and the apparent mystery behind it, a bit like the Bermuda Triangle.

Well, I went on a walk with friends over the Easter bank holiday and at one point it was alongside a big field of bright yellow oilseed rape. Initially someone said "oh, there's a dead bee" and then someone else said it. Then, when I actually looked down at the ground as I was walking there was a dead bee of differing types/species every few feet, amongst a few other insects but it was mainly bees, all along the side of this field of oilseed rape for a hundred metres or so. Didn't see any other dead bees apart from next to this field.

Now, we're encouraged not to draw conclusions from one-off personal experiences, but to me
it was pretty apparent that something that had probably been put on the field, i.e. pesticide, that was killing these insects.

So next time I hear a news article about the apparent mystery of what is happening to bees I'll think back to this experience.
 
It’s not just Bees. It’s all insects.
Can you remember in the old days when you used to go on a trip in a car that included a bit of motorway driving. You used to reach your destination and the windscreen and whole front of the car was covered in dead insects that you‘d splattered during the journey. Not anymore. One or two at the most.
 
I was having the same conversation re insects on the windscreen the other week, one conclusion we came to was that the air flow around around modern cars is much better than they used to be, allowing insects to flow instead of splat.
 
Benfleet Brewery said:
It’s not just Bees. It’s all insects.
Can you remember in the old days when you used to go on a trip in a car that included a bit of motorway driving. You used to reach your destination and the windscreen and whole front of the car was covered in dead insects that you‘d splattered during the journey. Not anymore. One or two at the most.
Click to expand...
Spot on I forgot just how many bug would be on the car after a long motorway drive and now hardly any.
 
There's an app, i don't know what it's called that someone was telling me about at work the other day. You go for a drive and at the end of your drive you count how many dead insects are on your number plate (same for everyone then), input where you've been etc and they can work out the local insect population. Apparently quite interesting but I haven't got around to looking at it. I do however get a fair few in my eye when cycling.
 
Isn't it strange how when as kids we were told not to go near Bees and now we find them such wonderful creatures and I encourage my grandkids to watch and protect them at a distance.
I and the wife have revived many a Bee with sugar water in the past few years, as Clint said without them we all die?
 
Benfleet Brewery said:
It’s not just Bees. It’s all insects.
Can you remember in the old days when you used to go on a trip in a car that included a bit of motorway driving. You used to reach your destination and the windscreen and whole front of the car was covered in dead insects that you‘d splattered during the journey. Not anymore. One or two at the most.
Click to expand...
Perhaps cars are to blame for the decline.
 
pilgrimhudd said:
……….. I do however get a fair few in my eye when cycling.
Click to expand...

I wore wrap-around specs when riding a bike, but for me it was always insects that got into my ears!

I still have a product called “Céruspray”, that I bought in France many years ago, after an earful of olive oil failed to float the offending insect out!

I thank the Lord that bees and other stinging insects stayed out of my ears; the ones that buzzed were bad enough!
 
I work for the dept of Fisheries and Wild life in Tasmania and we do work closely with the Dept of Agriculture. There is growing concern over the bee population or lack of. Some plants and trees will wind pollinate others like the Almond tree doesn't. In the Riverina district of northern Victoria Southern NSW orchards as big as 500 square K's and getting bigger need to be pollinated, at the moment by bees. But the draw back is it can take 300-350,000 hives to do the job. There are trials on going using drones to pollinate the orchards which is looking to be successful.
As for the dead bees around crops, unfortunately when pesticide is sprayed it doesn't discriminate between the types of insects. We do need more bees the world over.
 
Jim Brewster said:
For a good few years I've been hearing about how pollenators and in particular bee populations bees are suffering, and the apparent mystery behind it, a bit like the Bermuda Triangle.

Well, I went on a walk with friends over the Easter bank holiday and at one point it was alongside a big field of bright yellow oilseed rape. Initially someone said "oh, there's a dead bee" and then someone else said it. Then, when I actually looked down at the ground as I was walking there was a dead bee of differing types/species every few feet, amongst a few other insects but it was mainly bees, all along the side of this field of oilseed rape for a hundred metres or so. Didn't see any other dead bees apart from next to this field.

Now, we're encouraged not to draw conclusions from one-off personal experiences, but to me
it was pretty apparent that something that had probably been put on the field, i.e. pesticide, that was killing these insects.

So next time I hear a news article about the apparent mystery of what is happening to bees I'll think back to this experience.
Click to expand...
That sounds quite bad. Have you considered reporting it to the Environment Agency?
 
Colonies of bees do get diseased and die. I let a local bee-keeper use my land, he's got some hives out in the garden here and also across the road in the paddock. We've lost several hives full of bees and just lost another recently.
 
Crappyfish said:
Have you tried these ......General enquiries: [email protected] or telephone 01786 594 128. We aim to respond as soon as possible.
Click to expand...
Bumble Bees were introduced illegally here in Tasmania and are regarded as a pest. The wind can carry them over the Tasman and into mainland Australia.
They are **** crop pollinators (glad I had to type that and not say it) they are good at pollinating weeds. Fox Gloves are becoming out of control due to the Bumble Bee. The Bumble Bee here is what the hedge hog is to New Zealand.
 
Tassie said:
Bumble Bees were introduced illegally here in Tasmania and are regarded as a pest. The wind can carry them over the Tasman and into mainland Australia.
They are **** crop pollinators (glad I had to type that and not say it) they are good at pollinating weeds. Fox Gloves are becoming out of control due to the Bumble Bee. The Bumble Bee here is what the hedge hog is to New Zealand.
Click to expand...
Never knew that
 
BarnBrian said:
When I was a kid there were loads of grasshoppers around, I haven’t seen or heard one for decades.
Click to expand...
The kids and I get loads of Crickets which we use for fishing bait.
I love these little creatures, don't know what we look like to them but their eyes follow every move.
This one was on our water tank.

001.JPG


Emma
 
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