Two weeks ago our honey bees were thriving and producing brood (eggs) for this year’s generation. We had lost our previous hives over the winter of 2019 and replaced them last year. We were looking forward to bumper honey for the bees and more to share with our friends.
Yesterday we opened the hives and found two colonies had completely collapsed and the third was very small, with no brood. Thousands of dead bees. This is devastating and incredibly sad.
For four years we had thriving bees, and then something happened about three years ago. The bees seemed disoriented and some were aggressive for the first time. We became concerned that they had been exposed to pesticides or natural predators that weaken the colonies. As they died out, we replaced them with a different lineage, hoping they would be stronger.
Now it is clear that there has been a catastrophic event from toxins.
This experience has made me so aware of the amount of toxins and chemicals that we take for granted and use. We humans are using too many poisonous pesticides! It gets into the water table and then bees drink it, and bring it back to the hive.
If you spray to kill bugs, then you are spraying to kill bees. If you spray to keep mosquitos away, then you are spraying to kill bees.
If you play golf on a manicured golf course, and there are no insects bothering you, then the bees and other pollinators are dead.
I can’t say “Not in my Back Yard!” because it has already happened. Alas, we will not put ourselves through the cost, hard work and heartache of having bees in this back yard again.
May we all wake up to the fact that we as a race, in small ways and in monumental commercial ways, are devastating our planet and bringing it to the brink of distinction.
Friends of the Earth is a charity with a bold voice for justice and saving the planet. I have increased my donation today.
I am sorry to hear about your bees. I remember how good your honey was!
It’s sad to think about the harm we are doing to out planet, and in many ways, it is something we have direct control over, like eliminating or reducing our use of pesticides and other harmful products.
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Thank you for your kind and uplifting words Jim 🙏
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👍
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At my last house, a neighbor had three hives like you. Over the years, some died but mostly they survived. Sadly they moved before we did and gave the hives to another beekeeper. I’ve never been a fan of treating lawns with chemicals. It’s bad for all animals. Animals and kids walk through it.
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Thank you Kate 💕
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My heart is saddened hearing this news Val. Bee’s provide for more than we can imagine,
as you probably know. News like this has been heard in other areas for too many years now.
What can done to save them? If everyone stopped using pesticides and insecticides they
might have a chance. People would be healthier too!
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Thank you for your kind words and message 💕🙏🏼💕
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I’m afraid the earth and what’s left to populate it will suffer for eons because of what we have done. So many still don’t understand or care about the correlation between the chemicals and our sustainable life.
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Thank you Marlene for this perspective. There is a lesson for us all here. 💛💕💛
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Val…I’m saddened to read this. It’s such a challenging time on our planet, and sometimes I feel as if those who are consciously taking actions on behalf of all sentient beings and our Mother Earth home and are still negatively affected…seemingly disproportionately. 😔 And yet, if we don’t continue to make the best choices, it will become even more dire…even more quickly. I’m sending love to you all. 🙏🏻💜
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.Thank you dear Carrie 💖 our bee Master has introduced some of his healthy bees and brood, so see if he can save one of our hives.
We are emotional wrecks … and he is steadfast in saving what he can. There’s a lesson here.
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I agree with you on the lesson. 🙏🏻💖
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I pray we find peace ☮️
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It is only because we can get up close and see the devastation in bee’s, most other animals it is only when we suddenly realize we haven’t seen them for some time that it clicks that something is wrong. By then it is too late. Time to ban it all and force more research into eliminating pests another way, as in naturally. All pests, moulds etc have something that attacks them, they just don’t want to spend the money. But in the long run it will cost them, and us, so much more 😀 ❤️ 🙏🏽 🦋
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I feel your passion and love here Mark. 🕊💖✨🤍
Thank you for bringing your love and big heart to survival of the Earth’s treasures.
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We are forcing nature to protect herself…and somehow I don’t think it will be gentle 😀 ❤️ 🙏🏽 🦋
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Agreed Mark. This is tumultuous.🙃
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So sad to hear this. I was reading today that sugar beet is going to be sprayed in the UK with pesticides harmful to bees. There must be a better way to protect crops. Best wishes.
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Thank you Lyn. I feel your heart 💛🙏🏼💛
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The sad reality and repercussions of our choices are becoming evident more and more clearly.
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Thank you PD for stating the truth 🙏🏼
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_()_
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How sad, Val, I’m so sorry for the loss of your beloved bees. It is heartbreaking to see what the Anthropocene is doing to this planet. It’s like a runaway train that no one knows (or cares to know) how to stop. Mother Earth has been through 5 extinction events, she will survive, but I doubt that we will. 😦
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Thank you dear Eliza. I had to look up Anthropocene. I’m glad there is a word that captures this!
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❤
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Yes of course we will find peace
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Exactly.
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Good Morning. May your day be as bright and beautiful as your smile!
Today’s goals Coffee and kindness. Maybe two coffees, and then kindness.
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So sad.
Without bees . . . dinners will be bleak indeed.
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Thanks Nancy 💕🙏🏼💕
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Sorry for theloss, Val. It’s time for us humans to be responsible than ever.
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Thank you Rupali 🙏🏼
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That is so devastating and yes you are right we should not use insecticides at all. I’m waiting for the bees to inhabit a big tree in our garden. I love the sound of their humming. Hopefully, they will be here soon, I see buds just emerging.
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Thank you for caring Ally. May the buds blossom and the bees return 💕
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Yes, I watch and wait every day. xx
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Good Morning. May your day be as bright and beautiful as your smile!
Today’s goals Coffee and kindness. Maybe two coffees, and then kindness.
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This is heartbreaking to read about, especially after having such success prior ~ and I learned from Eliza as well regarding Anthropocene, and it is truly scary to know we are often doing such damage to the ecosystem without realizing it at the time… I hope you recover from this well. My older sister lost a hive last year, and is taking a masters bee-keeping course in Oregon to learn about the industry even more deeply. Beekeeping is a beautiful way appreciate the world. Best to you, Val.
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Thank you so much Randall. 🙏🏼 today our bee mentor came by with some of his own brood to see if it could stimulate one of the hives. He is amazing and so practical…. And will do everything to keep supporting those bees that survive …, and for us humans to move forward.
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My sister had said there is such a knowledgable community who are willing to help which makes beekeeping so special. Keep well 🙂
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So sorry, Val. This is just awful. I always know when wildlife or domestic cats are in my yard they are safe from pesticides, but all around me neighbors use them. When will the humans wake up? When it’s too late?
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Thank you for caring and sharing here Michele 💛🙏💛
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Your post is so important Val. I’m sorry to hear about your beautiful bees. Thank you for educating us and encouraging us to see the ripple affect of every action. 🙏🏻🧡
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Thank you Karen. Although we are devastated our bee mentor came by today and. brought some of his bee brood with him. He faces reality every day that there is constant threat … yet he is there none the less with hope for the survival of beers win his realm.
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I’m glad to hear this 🧡
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So sorry to read about your bee colony. This must be so upsetting for you and Don. It’s very concerning what is happening in the “atmosphere” over which we have little or no control. We need to be far more aware and mindful of our actions.
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Thank you for your kind words Liz 💛🙏🏼💛
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So sad. 😏
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Yup and sad. Poisons yes. Also funguses and viruses are killing many, often brought on by the ridiculous habit of transporting hives long distances. Stresses and sickens the bees and kills many. It might possibly be this is how your hives became contaminated, by a few of these rogue bees. Sorry to hear, Val. 😟
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Thank you Bela. Indeed – The fruit and almond industry allows for much cross contamination.
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Indeed. 🤨💓
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In the last few weeks there has been much activity. I said we can’t give up in them because they are not giving up! It looks like the new bees have created queens to build back two of the hives. Fingers crossed!
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Good Morning. May your day be as bright and beautiful as your smile!
Today’s goals Coffee and kindness. Maybe two coffees, and then kindness.
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Why, thank you! The more we practice kindness, the more it becomes, not an option, but a way of being. Blessings!
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If you start your day positively, you’re more likely to keep a positive mindset all day long. Choose some positive affirmations to repeat to yourself in the morning, and it will help you set a positive tone.
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I just came across this video. While it is geared to commercial production, it may one day be economical for hobby beekeepers. https://youtu.be/5lmx3WJmqXM
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Wow – that sort of monitoring is powerful. In the meantime our master bee keeper friend is being in brood and hoping for a warm spell for you bees to fly out of the hive and attract drones for mating. Next week is forecasted to be low 70’s. The perfect time for nature to come in to her fullest and bring about new hives.
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We see talk of food shortages. We have seen 32 food processing plants burn to the ground over the last year. We see issues with the supply chain. We see railroads refusing to deliver fertilizer to farmers. We see our government paying farmers not to grow crops. We see Bill Gates buying up all of the farmland. There is an ongoing effort by globalists pushing a great reset. Globalists think we have an overpopulation issue and would like to see a 90% reduction in worldwide populations. Its all about control.
Just like we see Fauci at the CDC/NIH paying biolabs for gain of function experiments in Ukraine/China to create viruses that create pandemics, is it out of the realm of possibility the colony collapse is the result of intentional poisoning on a grand scale? EPA and FDA refuse to provide any assistance with the colony collapse, it most likely means they are directly involved or paid to look the other way.
Chemtrails were called conspiracy theories a few years ago but I think today the conspiracy theorists have got it right 100% of the time. They call certain stories conspiracy theories to make people look like kooks and hope you look the other way. Chemtrails are real, they are spraying aluminum, strontium and barium. These 3 substances cause Alzheimers, immune system reduction and cancer. Rosiland Peterson has addressed the chemtrails at the United Nations on several occasions. She links the chemtrails to the death of or forests. If it is killing our forests, its killing us and our bees as well.
Another place to look is Monsanto. GMO plants are sprayed with glyphosate(Roundup). Glyphosate kills everything (weeds and bugs), it kills everything except the GMO crop that has been genetically modified to tolerate the glyphosate. Guess who owns a large quantity of stocks at Monsanto….Bill Gates. I hear he is also trying to control seed production as well. Putting all of our reliance on one company like Monsanto to provide all of our seeds is like letting the fox guard the chicken coup. Once they get all the farmers reliant on seed delivery from one globalist source, all they have to do is shut it down and they can kill us off through starvation. These people are evil.
We are fighting a war, good vs evil. They are trying to kill us on many different fronts. Killing bees would make sense, it plays right in to the grand scheme of things. Look at the messages carved in to the Georgia Guidestones, secret societies like the Freemasons, look up videos by Yuval Noah Harari, look up the Great Reset by Klaus Schwab, he says one day you will own nothing and you will like it. It is time we rise up against the United Nations, World Economic Forum and World Bank. I think there is progress being made but we need to speak out and tell other people. Thanks for listening, God Bless you and I hope you can keep your little bees happy, healthy and out of harms way.
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There’s nothing like a hug to get you through the day. So I’m sending a great big one your way. Good morning has a great day.
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Thanks so much for liking
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In the meantime our master bee keeper friend is being in brood and hoping for a warm spell for.
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