Bees-Will they Be Replaced by Technology?

That sounds like a far out question: Is it, though?

These amazing little creatures are in dire peril. Our environment, Electro Magnetic Fields, and so many other hazards such as pesticides are threatening these precious creatures everywhere.

So many plants that we eat, and foods and drinks made from them such as coffee, depend on pollination from bees. Check here to see the long list.

There is a very interesting BBC TV show entitled Hive Alive on Netflix. You will enjoy it.

There was another show I came across on Netflix, and that is Black Mirror. It is a very avant-garde show regarding technology in fictional story plots. But, are they really fictional in all cases.

One in particular is entitled Harm ... about bees, drone bees, designed to pollinate plants. This is most interesting, since there is a concern that in the not too distant future bees may tragically be extinct.

This is a proto-type. Interesting, isn't it?

Image-http://www.nurserymag.com/article/nm1112-nursery-industry-notes/

The Harvard Microrobotics Lab has been working on its Micro Air Vehicles Project since early 2009. Borrowing from the biomechanics and social organization of bees, the team of researchers is undergoing the creation of tiny winged robots to fly from flower to flower, immune to the toxins dripping from petals, to spread pollen. They even believe that they will soon be able to program the robobees to live in an artificial hive, coordinate algorithms and communicate amongst themselves about methods of pollination and location of particular crops.  

Of course, published reports from the lab also describe potential military uses—surveillance and mapping—but the dime-sized cyber-bees have yet to be outfitted with neurotoxin tipped stingers.

Mind you this video was made several years ago. Technology has advanced. So what is in store for us now and in the future? That is up to us.

Bees are amazing, wonderful little gifts from God! They take care of us. Let's take care of them NOW.

Blessings,
Stephen

P.S. Besides robotic bees, there are, also, robotic natural-looking  hummingbirds and other birds. Quoting this article in 2011, "DARPA's head of the Nano Air Vehicles (NAV) program. Dr Todd Hylton, said the successful flight tests pave the way for new vehicles that resemble small birds and match their agility." 

What's next? That was 6 years ago. It is getting very interesting!

Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2011-02-robot-hummingbird-flight-video.html#jCp

Bees: A Barometer to the Earth's Environmental Stability

Bees: These amazing little creatures are so interconnected to our very existence, and yet, they are in such danger.

Thirty-five percent of hives are dying annually due to our environmental pollutants. We need to do something now, and each and everyone with a bit of property can make a difference in a bee's world.

I have two sites I came across that deserve some attention. They are the following: BeeAction.org  and Bee-Friendlier.com.

Albert Einstein said,  “Mankind will not survive the honeybees disappearance for more than five years.” 

This was quite prophetic for one of the biggest, foreboding dangers of all facing humans is the loss of the global honeybee population. Why is that? 

The consequence of a dying bee population impacts man at the highest levels on our food chain, posing an enormously grave threat to human survival. It is amazing how a creature so small can have such a huge impact on our lives.

Did you know that 70 out of the top 100 crops for our human food, which supplies around 90% of the world's nutrition, are pollinated by bees. A single bee colony can pollinate 300 million flowers each day. This consists of fruits, nuts, and vegetables. Honey bees, both wild and domestic, perform 80% of the pollination... Unbelievable!

Since 2006 beekeepers have been noticing their honeybee populations have been dying off at increasingly rapid rates. In Iowa, alone, there has been a decrease of over 70%! California's bee production has dropped nearly half in the last 6 years, and so many other states have seen a reduction, as well, such as Florida.

Chemicals, herbicides, and insecticides being used are having a horrifying effect on the bee population.  Hives are being devastated by what is known  Honeybee Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). This problem has caused such a loss that the bee phenomenon has been recognized as an urgent crisis. There are so many other maladies that bees suffer from, even through electro-magnetic cell tower emissions.  What is happening to bees is a barometer to the earth's environmental stability.

Visit the websites, plant some wild flowers even if it is in containers, do your best to avoid pesticides, herbicides, and chemicals around your home and property for the sake of bees and all of nature, and plant heirloom or GMO free seeds in your garden if at all possible. If we each cooperate with nature, we can collectively change our world and preserve the natural habitats of God's creations, as well as, our food supply. 

Be kind to nature and nature will be able to do what God intended for it to do for you.

God bless,
Stephen 



SEDRO-WOOLLEY, Wash.—Oct. 15, 2014 / PR Newswire / —  Bees are responsible for one in every three bites of food we eat,
but their populations are in decline,
threatening the food supply as we know it today.

Bees and Our World

It is reported that Albert Einstein once said: 

“If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live. No more bees, no more pollination … no more men!”

These are words to take to heart. 

There is a new film that has been released and that can be ordered  entitled: More Than Honey. It shows the importance bees play in our lives and our food supply and how they are now disappearing and dying. These special little creatures are not just the providers of a special sweetener you use. They pollinate; they, essentially, are responsible for a great portion of our food supply. Watch the trailer below.


More than Honey - Markus Imhoof (Official Trailer) from CIBER Science on Vimeo.
This is another little video I posted  HERE sometime ago.

Bees pollinate a significant majority of the world's food. In North America alone, honey bees pollinate nearly 95 kinds of fruits, including almonds, avocados, cranberries and apples. In fact, we can thank honey bees for one in three bites of food we eat. We all rely on bees – and the pollination services they provide – every day.

What’s happening to bees?

In recent years, bees have been dying off in droves. First in France in the mid-1990s, then in the U.S. and elsewhere, colonies have been mysteriously collapsing with adult bees disappearing, seemingly abandoning their hives. 

In 2006, about two years after this phenomenon hit the U.S., it was named “Colony Collapse Disorder,” or CCD. Each year since, commercial beekeepers have reported annual losses of 29% - 36%. Such losses are unprecedented, and more than double what is considered normal. Much has been made over the "mystery" surrounding CCD, but two points of consensus have emerged: Multiple, interacting causes are in play – key suspects include pathogens, habitat loss and pesticides; and Immune system damage is a critical factor that may be at the root of the disorder. Read more... 

There is a PDF that is quite interesting. It is a Bee Tool-Kit. You can access it HERE. Share it with your children and grand-children, and make the young ones aware of the importance that bees play in their life and life of this beautiful planet we all share and call home: It is the only one we have.

Check out the little widget in the side-bar and observe the bee-harming pesticides/chemicals being used in our agriculture that remains on your food supply. It is alarming. 

Visit with your local farmer's markets, and ask whether their produce is grown with bee safety in mind. If so, I urge you to patronize and support them.

Have a safe, Natural Living day,
Stephen

Vanishing Bees-The Movie

One out of every three bites of food is a result of honey bees. Isn't that incredible? Bees are a gift to man. Our food supply depends on the little bee.

However, bees are vanishing. We have to bring this to the attention of the populace. Bees, bats, and butterflies: They are all very special creatures in this world that we depend upon for insect control, the plant world, and our food supplies. Yet, they are in peril.

This is an excellent movie on the plight of the bees. Watch this trailer. The site from which it comes from is http://www.vanishingbees.com/. We certainly hope that it's considered for the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, if it's not already on the agenda. Do share the trailer. Most people are unaware of what an important part these little creatures play in our daily life and what is happening to them which is tragic.

Till next time,

Stephen

Vanishing of the Bees - Trailer from Bee The Change on Vimeo.