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Mystery of the Dying Bees Solved
jamie points out news of a study attempting to explain the decline of honeybee populations across the US. As it turns out, the fungus N. ceranae that was thought to be killing off bee colonies had a partner in crime — a DNA-based virus that worked in tandem with N. ceranae to compromise nutrition uptake. From the NY Times:
"Dr. Bromenshenk's team at the University of Montana and Montana State University in Bozeman, working with the Army's Edgewood Chemical Biological Center northeast of Baltimore, said in their jointly written paper that the virus-fungus one-two punch was found in every killed colony the group studied. Neither agent alone seems able to devastate; together, the research suggests, they are 100 percent fatal. 'It's chicken and egg in a sense — we don't know which came first,' Dr. Bromenshenk said of the virus-fungus combo — nor is it clear, he added, whether one malady weakens the bees enough to be finished off by the second, or whether they somehow compound the other's destructive power. 'They're co-factors, that's all we can say at the moment,' he said. 'They're both present in all these collapsed colonies.'"
Wait, so it isn't God's vengeance for Bee homosexuality?
You know who else liked experiments?
Hitler!
"Sometimes, I think Trent just needs a cup of hot chocolate and a blankie." -Tori Amos on Nine Inch Nails
I'm also going to say, the whole "RF/Secretgovernment testing/out to destroy us all" conspiracy theories have once again proven to what they are. Bullshit.
Are you kidding? This so-called "paper" was "co-written" by some Army chemists. If anything, it PROVES the conspiracy theories!
*adds yet another layer of tinfoil to an already heavy hat*
Take off every 'sig' for great justice.
Granted, when you develop a drug for bees you are less worried about side-effects than you are with humans, but it's still not that easy.
Damned straight. I find that I get stung roughly once for every 12-15 bees I try to force feed medicine. Even when I explain how it's for their own good, they buzz and scream and kick up a fuss and somebody always ends up getting stung.
I hate my job.
If libertarians are so opposed to effective government, why don't they all move to Somalia?
> As a practical beekeeper I feel it is my duty to take this one step further and speculate on how to apply this finding to saving my bees.
You should leave the speculation to the theoretical beekeepers.
> it isn't like you go through a honey bottle a week or something.
Speak for yourself.
Signed,
The Bears.
What a magnificent example of both critical research failure and Godwin law, all rolled together in a single flamebait. Brilliant !
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]