Adding something on climate changes:

I live at the inner Oslo fjord. When I was a kid we could just walk down to the shore and throw in a fishing line. There would almost always be a catch and sometimes a bag full. One guy landed a 3kg Cod on Bryll Cream!! It isn't like this any more. The fish aren't there. An old timer I spoke with commented on how the seaweed in the area had changed. That would make the disappearence of fish a climate issue. The fish follow the fauna.

I know virtually nothing about bees, however, wasps are probably smart!

News update from BBC radio 4 this morning.People are reporting that bees are collapsing.Conservation charity RSPB advise that they are simply exhausted from pollen gathering and advise people to leave out diluted sugar drinks for them.

Both the honey bee and the bumble are at risk but from habitat loss rather than disease

Matt

I've read somewhere that scientist suspected it was cellphone antenna radiation that's been driving away the bees. No beez-buzzing but lots of cell-phone buzz instead.

In my area the birds have been singing cell-phone ringtone imitations for years, now.

What follows is a self-indulgent need to talk about my self and my own views. Sorry it?s not very astrological, but I can?t help it. I?ve been aware of this story for a few years now, and remember it being reported that if we lost the bees, the effect on the food-chain would devastate the planet in about 10 years.
But I struggle with the story because I have loads of bees in my garden. I can see about 20-30 of them right now on just one lavender bush outside my window. But I don?t gather in the lavender when it?s fresh, even though I?d love to, because I know how the bees depend upon it. My name means ?bee? in Hebrew, and I think my name is my midheaven significator of Jupiter on the MC. So maybe bees gather around my garden because I don?t freak out when they are near. I like them ? they are my favourites. Years ago I stood next to a woman who stamped on a bee that wasn?t bothering her, and I?ve never spoken to her since.
We all pay lip service to how important it is to do things to protect the planet and keep nature in balance, but I know that anyone who would stamp on a bee doesn?t really get it or care. Recently the thrush population became devastated in Britain ? is it any wonder when nearly everyone is buying up horrible stuff to kill the snails which thrushes depend upon? The only thing in my garden which fills me with loathing and puts me in a rage is bindweed. If you don?t know why, it?s because you don?t have it in your garden. Don?t be fooled by its pretty flower. If you know someone who really deserves to be punished, offer them a cutting of bindweed for their garden (or recommend them to watch the DVD ?Flowers? with Bill Murray in it). That?s about as close as I get to being evil. I know that bindweed has its uses, but the world is not exactly short of supply.

Things to do so I'll have to end the rant. I'll just add that I used to fight with nettles but I have totally annihilated that species from my garden. It?s a shame really. Part of me misses the battle.

matt23z wrote:News update from BBC radio 4 this morning.People are reporting that bees are collapsing.Conservation charity RSPB advise that they are simply exhausted from pollen gathering and advise people to leave out diluted sugar drinks for them.

Going back to the initial chart of Saros series 8S with Mars at 20TA19: This is literally a detrimental placement for Mars. Mars experiences an energy blockage. Things get in the way for a natural energy release, causing frustration. The 'Bull in the China shop', getting too heavy or clogged up. Taurus ruled by Venus - is simply too sweet for the nature of Mars.

I've often wondered about this replacing honey with glucose and giving it to the bees in exchange. It seems like cheating on nature. I've wondered how long they would put up with it or how long time would pass till things went wrong. The general notion is that sugar is a bad thing, while honey is good.

Could the bees collapse in anyway be related to sugar poisoning?

Hi I can't help but wonder whether there is a sort of linkage with the Sun (not sure whether symbolic, astrological or physical). The Bee has all sorts of mythical linkage with the Sun/Apollo. Colony Collapse disorder and bee disappearance coincided with the sudden arrival of SOlar Minimum ( ie no spots and low activity) in 2006. We all know that the Sun has been behaving unpredictably ever since!! Indeed although its been showing signs of waking up over recent months with a few weak sunspots with opposite magnetic polarity to the last solar cycle ( a sign of a new cycle), it still remains in slumber. I've been watching the Solar WInd figures for quite a while and its been remarkably low for a long time. Ie we live on earth in the Sun's wind's and we've been "becalmed" for quite some time
mike

I used to have a great link to Norwegian university that provided daily reports on sunspot activity. I'll get out and reconnect an old computor of mine and see if I can find the link there. For the mean time, www.solarcycle24.com reports that 31 days has passed since the last official sunspot.

Back to the topic of climate changes and disturbances in nature, Norway has been invaded by 'Killer slugs' (Spanish slug or Arion Vulgaris) the recent years. Last year there was an official 'public war' to attempt reduce the colony. Personally I picked over 1700 Killer Slugs in the back garden and round abouts. This has got nothing to do will bees, I realize - but it does have something to do with changes in nature.

My Grandfather once told me that durign the depression years, when it was really dry, they left out sugar water for the bees, because the farm was not well enough to sustain them. It does keep the hive alive long enough to get past a few years drought so there must be something to it. Just as Hummingbirds will live on sugar water if real nectar is not available. I'm sure it isnt' the best... but ...

Granny

Last spring the bee decline was my subject for a paper for my study. Apart from the colony collapse disorder / varroa mite some scientists believe the bee decline is caused by the use of a certain pesticide; neonicotinoids. Imidacloprid is one of them, it disturbs the nerve system of pests insects. It was developed by Bayer, who is not only known for the production of aspirin but also of heroin, Zyklon B and mustard gas.

Imidacloprid is a substance used in agents like Gauchos. Sometimes it is sprayed but another method is placing it near the roots of plants or the seeds are impregnated. The whole plant takes it in it and every part becomes poisonous, also the pollen and nectar. Bees don't immediately die from it but as it affects theirnerve system bees get desoriented and can't find their hives anymore. The remaining bees weaken because of lack of food supplies. They also get more vulnerable to the Varroa mite.

Here's more info on scientific research.
http://www.bijensterfte.nl/en/taxonomy/term/10
There is also a possibility to sign a petition.

Although the use of Imidacloprid is permitted in the EU, according to the precautionary principle of article 174 EC-Treaty member states can prohibit several things that cannot (yet) be totally proven to be damaging. This is a useful principle because if we had to wait for total 100% proof (which in a early stage may even not be possible becaus of lack of knowledge) then it might be to late. France has forbidden the use of Imidacloprid in 1999 and bee population has been increasing again.

I too am very fond of bees and I like honey more than Winnie the Pooh does. If I remember well Lilly lists bees under Jupiter. I wrote the paper when transiting Jupiter was trine to my natal Jupiter. For sofar my astrological comments.

If I remember well Lilly lists bees under Jupiter.

Jupiter/Neptune again, poor bees!

Actually I guess the timespan of when this issue first became noticed was around the time of the last Jupiter-Neptune square around 2006!

mike

Any international report on the state of the Bees about?

I've seen more Bees around the house this year than entire 2009, but they are still in singles..

Andrew Bevan wrote:Any international report on the state of the Bees about?

I've seen more Bees around the house this year than entire 2009, but they are still in singles..

Recently there was this news,
http://www.thehagueonline.com/headlines ... luted-food

There are also wild bees that live solitary, perhaps you saw them?