Climate Change Forcing Penguins North?, via IPS

In October of this year, 2,500 penguins found themselves in Brazil, 50% of them dead and the rest of them starving. The Magellan penguin, found in Patagonia, eat anchovies by following their migratory pattern through the cool water, during the winter, to fatten up for their hybernation.

It is thought that the penguins were confused after the anchovies were able to swim deeper into the colder waters. The penguins were not able to get deeper in the water, became disoriented and washed up on the shores dead or starving. Climate change is the suspect due to increase in surface temperature.

More polar bears going hungry, via The New Scientist

Warmer temperatures and earlier melting of sea ice are causing polar bears to go hungry. The number of undernourished bears has tripled in a 20-year period. The increase in fasting bears is explained by warmer temperatures and earlier spring melts. Polar bears use sea ice as a hunting platform, catching seals by sitting next to their breathing holes and waiting to pounce. Spring is usually a time of feasting for polar bears, filling up before summer when the ice retreats. “It is clear that the changes in the sea ice are affecting the hunting opportunities available to the bears,” says co-author Andrew Derocher of the University of Alberta.

The First Full Accounting of Colony Collapse Disorder, via The Daily Green

These discoveries have been extremely beneficial to beekeepers, but the basic act of taking good notes and gathering lots of data over time and from many places has been perhaps even more helpful for understanding CCD, and in helping beekeepers. Over the two years that Colony Collapse Disorder has been a recognized problem, no other researchers that I am aware of have visited as many beeyards suffering CCD, in as many locations, and over as long a time. In a full report prepared by this team to be released in the February issue of Bee Culture magazine, Bee Alert’s Scott Debnam and Jerry Bromenshenk from Missoula Montana, David Westervelt from Florida’s Apiary Inspections Bureau, and Randy Oliver, a commercial beekeeper with real-world honey bee research experience from Grass Valley, California detail the symptoms of CCD with respect to where it hits, and when it hits. This information is critical in making a diagnosis as the symptoms change as seasons progress and knowing what to look for, and when to look for it, is absolutely necessary in making a correct diagnosis. So far, to even answer the simple question: “Is this colony dying from CCD, or something else?” has been difficult to answer.

If you have any interest in Colony Collapse Disorder, this is a fascinating article.

In an article, “Insecticide! (An ecological disaster that will affect us all), via The Independent, the issue of all insect extinction is addressed.

The population declines among invertebrates in general and insects in particular are now greater than among any other group of living things, greater than declines in mammals, birds and plants. “There are more extinctions among invertebrates than in any other groups, and a greater proportion of the species are in decline, and the decline is steeper, than in plants, birds and mammals, wherever there is data.”

The point of telling you this: bees are not the only ones who go about pollinating. All insects, whether we like them or not, have a function that benefits us. Whether it is pollinating a plant or decomposing a tree back into the earth, insects evolved to have functions that are a net positive on the environment. And, we just don’t know what the impact will be with their extinction.

I guess the moral of the story… as much as you may want to whip out the vacuum when you see a spider, maybe you shouldn’t.

This is the first time I am hearing about this toxin, but I feel it warrants a lot of attention.

A few years back, the NRDC petitioned the EPA and asked them to place a ban on Carbaryl, a pesticide used in everything from flea collars to apple orchards. It is also seen as a major factor in the depletion of our bees. The EPA, after being forced by a lawsuit, finally responded with an adamant “nope”.

You can find the entire article on the NRDC blog, HERE.

Some information about Carbaryl:

Carbaryl, trade name ‘Sevin’, is a broad-spectrum insecticide used on pets, lawns, and gardens as well as agriculture crops that include apples, pecans, grapes, alfalfa, oranges, and corn. About 3.9 million pounds of carbaryl are used annually in the U.S., with about half for agriculture and half for non-agriculture uses.

Carbaryl is classified by EPA as a likely carcinogen, and according to EPA’s own fact sheets, “carbaryl can cause cholinesterase inhibition in humans; that is, it can overstimulate the nervous system causing nausea, dizziness, confusion, and at high exposures, respiratory paralysis, and death.”

From my experience in studying chemicals, etc., is that when an organization like the NRDC says something is bad, it is usually bad. I would look at all your pet and garden products and remove them from your home. I would also make a special effort to buy organic produce, so you can avoid the poisoning from pesticides.

I know we have all heard about the issues with our bees. But, I just learned what it was actually called… Colony Collapse Disorder.

To get more information go HERE. Some great information can also be found HERE.

I think I might investigate getting a beehive for my roof! I’ll let you know….