Pacific Spirit Marine Institute
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Bats are dying by the thousands and as yet no one knows the reason why.
Bats in New York and Vermont are not surviving their hibernation period. As many as 11,000 bats were found dead last winter and this winter isn’t shaping up to be any better.
Scientists don’t know if what is killing the bats is contagious, or if can be spread to humans. For now they are asking people to stay out of caves and mines with bats until they can figure out how the disease is being spread and in fact what the disease may be.
The dead bats are found with a white fungus ring around their noses. Experts don’t at this time know if that white fungus is a cause or merely a symptom. People could unknowingly spread the disease from cave to cave since it is not yet known how the disease is spread.
The bats are using up stored fat reserves before they would normally wake up from hibernation. Essentially the bats are starving to death in their sleep.
Literally hundreds of thousands of bats hibernate in just 5 caves and mines in New York State. With as many as 300 little critters sleeping in just 1 square foot the spread of this unknown disease is especially troubling to scientists.
Nearly half of the entire population of Indiana bats migrates to hibernate in just one cave in New York. That cave is infected with the mystery disease. Indiana bats are on the state and federal endangered species list.
Photo Thanks: Scientific American
Labels: Bats die-off, Endangered species act, Honeybee
© 2009, Pacific Spirit Marine Institute.
Bat die-off eeriely similar to that of the honeybees?
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Firefighters called to rescue a 57 year old disabled man from a bee attack were also attacked. Elias Saldivar, Alton Texas fire chief said his men were stung repeatedly as they tried to rescue Paul Lee Campton who was covered from head to toe with bees.
Compton died Thursday at the Mission Regional Medical Center after having been stung more than 1,000 times the day before.
These bees were so viscious in their attack and so focused on Paul Campton that they followed after the man en route to the hospital. None of the rescuers sustained serious injuries, but fire and police departments are now begining to aquire sting proof clothing. Expecting a continued rise in these types of attacks rescue workers in many cities are also carrying bee suits for cases just such as this. These attacks are becoming more frequent.
The Alton Fire Department has responded to at least 5 more incidents involving bee attacks so far this year; fortunately these were less serious.
Bee Advised! Wear light-colored clothing when doing yard work; Bees are attracted to dark colors.
Search the yard for signs of bees before mowing; mower noise irritates bees.
Find out if you are allergic to bee stings; discuss antidotes with your doctor. If you are allergic, one sting can kill.
Don’t remove stingers with your fingers, use a credit card to scrape stingers off skin; removing them with finger can spread their poison.
Bee advise source: McAllen Fire Department, Lt. Rene Alaniz…Thank you.
There is no mention of what kind of bees attacked Campton. Searching other incidents of bee attacks and deaths also don’t identify the type of bees that have been involved.
Are the increasing attacks coming from the more aggressive Africanized Bees?
Are there attacks by European Honeybees?
Africanized honey bees, or killer bees will attack when unprovoked and respond en mass to disturbances. European Honeybees will not attack unprovoked and are more mellow when it comes to being disturbed. Both bees die after stinging and their venom seems to be virtually identical.
The Africanized bees are also highly adaptable to changing and unpredictable conditions. These bees swarm more often to areas richer in resources and collect more pollen. They ues resources quickly and efficiently and they reproduce rapidly.
These killer bees have killed more than 1,000 humans and will chase their victims a 1/4 mile or more!
Yikes!
Labels: Africanized, European Honey Bee, Honeybee, Killer Bee, Texas
© 2009, Pacific Spirit Marine Institute.
Bee Attacks Changing First Responders Attire!
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Do you know how ‘Killer Bee’s’ came into existance?
Killer Bee’s, came into being in 1957 as a result of an experiment to increase honey production in Brazil!
A swarm escaped from a lab in 1957 and traveled north. They mated with native strains of bees and their offspring were as aggressive as their African parents.
They have the same venom as honeybees, but they attack in groups and are very agressive.
The Africanized bees have been recently found in New Orleans, Louisiana. Poor New Orleans. One more item to add to the long list of New Orleans woes.
Africanized bees are actually smaller than the European honeybees. Experts recommend that anyone confronted by Africanized bees find cover quickly. Most times that would be easier said than done.
Labels: Honey Bee, Honeybee, Killer Bee
© 2009, Pacific Spirit Marine Institute.
Bee Sidebar…Killer Bees
