Monday, September 6, 2010

Bee decline already having dramatic effect on pollination of plants

During the course of several different conversations with friends who garden(or know those who do), there seems to be a consensus regarding the declining output in their respective harvests. Nothing is producing like it has in years past. Firsthand, I agree. This might be my first year of flying solo, but dad has tended large gardens for well over 50, maybe close to 60 years, and so my "consultant" has a vast storehouse of knowledge and technique he's imparted to me over the last several years. Our vines(The ones not destroyed or repeatedly maimed by a family of groundhogs) didn't come close to last year's yield, and won't. Same with the peppers. Nothing is producing like years past.

This might be why. Excerpts:

Researchers have found that pollination levels of some plants have dropped by up to 50 per cent in the last two decades.

The "pollination deficit" could see a dramatic reduction in the yield from crops.

The research, carried out in the Rocky Mountains, Colorado, is the first to show that the effect is real and serves as a "warning" to Britain which if anything has seen an even greater decline in bees and pollinators.
And:
"I believe that this is the first real demonstration that pollination levels are getting worse. I believe it is a significant decline. I believe the pollination levels have dropped by as much as 50 per cent.

"Bee numbers may have declined at our research site, but we suspect that a climate-driven mismatch between the times when flowers open and when bees emerge from hibernation is a more important factor."
And:
It is estimated bees are responsible for one in three mouthfuls of our food, and that insect pollinators contribute £440 million to the British economy through their role in fertilising crops.

For the latest study, Prof Thomson carried out a 17-year examination of the wild lily in the Rocky Mountains.

It is one of the longest-term studies of pollination ever done.

It reveals a progressive decline in pollination over the years, with particularly noteworthy pollination deficits early in the season.
And:
"Early in the year, when bumble bee queens are still hibernating, the fruiting rates are especially low," he says.

"This is sobering because it suggests that pollination is vulnerable even in a relatively pristine environment that is free of pesticides and human disturbance but still subject to climate change."

So whether or not "Global Warming" is real or not, the effects of "Climate Change" continue to manifest in non, "can't be global warmin' cuz it's cold outside" ways.. How much more information or consequences will it take to sway people's opinions, how do we stop this, and how do we immediately proceed? And how quickly will circumstances degenerate into something much, much worse?

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