[Pil-pc-oceania] IPC8 Donation

[penny pyett]

Hi Steve, Permaculture North from Sydney is the group and we sent our 
contribution direct to IPC8 last week. PN's fundraising team raised $1500 to 
support a community worker to attend the conference - one of the wonderful 
outcomes from fundraising.

Penny Pyett President 2007
Permaculture North Inc.
(02) 9888 2575 or 1300 887 145
"mail to: president at permaculturenorth.org.au"

Sharing sustainable solutions with communities.




>From: stevehart <stevehart at raglan.co.nz>
>Reply-To: permacultue discussion 
>list<pil-pc-oceania at lists.permacultureinternational.org>
>To: pil-pc-oceania at lists.permacultureinternational.org
>Subject: [Pil-pc-oceania] IPC8 Donation
>Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2007 20:15:43 +1200
>
>I put out a request recently for help to get some delegats to IPC8  there 
>has been some good support but Pat Dare says there was another  donation 
>that has not got through....can anyone help with  this....copy of Pats 
>email here...thanks Steve Hart
>
>Ali said "There was also a lady from a Sydney pc group who emailed  saying 
>she wanted information on where to send USD $1500 that had  been collected 
>for an Asian. They had contacted PIL previously. I  gave her the info and 
>never heard back".
>
>I cannot follow up on this because  I dont have her name, but if this  
>money was on hand for Ali he would then have enough for the 2 Asian  
>delegates.  I have sent 1000USD and so have 2 others from WA.  There  has 
>been $200 from PIL and another $400 sent I think.  Please let me  know if 
>you have any idea who might have made this offer.
>
>Pat........email: bpdare at iinet.net.au
>
>
>On 23/04/2007, at 2:00 PM, pil-pc-oceania- 
>request at lists.permacultureinternational.org wrote:
>
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>>
>>Today's Topics:
>>
>>    1. seen many bees around lately? (Adrian Wedd)
>>    2. Re: seen many bees around lately?  (permaculture at apollobay.org.au)
>>
>>
>>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>Message: 1
>>Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2007 07:28:17 +1000
>>From: "Adrian Wedd" <adrian at adrianwedd.com>
>>Subject: [Pil-pc-oceania] seen many bees around lately?
>>To: pil-pc-oceania at lists.permacultureinternational.org
>>Message-ID:
>>	<c9cb47460704221428h4be54912wd14a47f28937b119 at mail.gmail.com>
>>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>>
>>hi folks,
>>
>>having noticed less bees around i've been keeping a keen eye on the  news 
>>on
>>'colony collapse disorder'.
>>
>>i'm wondering if anyone else in australia has noticed less bees  buzzing
>>around this year?
>>
>>A.
>>
>>
>>--
>>Adrian Wedd
>>http://adrianwedd.com
>>adrian at adrianwedd.com
>>0407081084
>>-------------- next part --------------
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>>
>>Message: 2
>>Date: Sun, 22 Apr 2007 19:53:25 -0400
>>From: "permaculture at apollobay.org.au" <permaculture at apollobay.org.au>
>>Subject: Re: [Pil-pc-oceania] seen many bees around lately?
>>To: pil-pc-oceania at lists.permacultureinternational.org
>>Message-ID: <380-220074022235325343 at M2W004.mail2web.com>
>>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>>
>>Below is from GeneEthics regarding bees in the USA... I haven't  noticed
>>many bees around either... plenty of wasps though, especially european
>>wasps.
>>
>>Fern
>>
>>
>>
>>Thursday 12/4 The Age has a piece on sending bees to the USA  because US 
>>bees
>>are dying like flies and pollination of trees and crops is  suffering. No
>>pollination, no fruit. The cause of the bee die
>>off is still unexplained but some
>>people speculate that GE crops may be implicated. See items below FYI.
>>
>>Drop a note please to:
>>
>>letters at theage.com.au
>>
>>Peace and joy,
>>
>>Bob
>>--
>>
>>ooooOOOOoooo
>>
>>Bob Phelps
>>Executive Director
>>Gene Ethics
>>Level 2, 60 Leicester St, Carlton 3053 Australia
>>Tel: 03 9347 4500 {Int Code +613} or 1300 133 868
>>Fax: 03 9345 1166
>>Email: info at geneethics.org
>>WWW: http://www.geneethics.org
>>
>>THINK, CARE, ACT!
>>
>>Wild Bees Reject Genetically Engineered Crop -
>>Potential Major Impact on Pollination
>>Ecological Society of America, Dec 23, 2006
>>By Ecological Society of America, Dec 23, 2006
>>
>>>From Ecological Society of America Referring to a
>>Sept. 2004 peer-reviewed article
>>
>>Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser
>>University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby,
>>British Columbia, V5A 1S6, Canada
>>
>>Abstract. The ecological impacts of agriculture
>>are of concern, especially with genetically
>>modified and other intensive, modern cropping
>>systems, yet little is known about effects on
>>wild bee populations and subsequent implications
>>for pollination. Pollination deficit (the
>>difference between potential and actual
>>pollination) and bee abundance were measured in
>>organic, conventional, and herbicide-resistant,
>>genetically modified (GM) canola fields (Brassica
>>napus and B. rapa) in northern Alberta, Canada,
>>in the summer of 2002.
>>
>>Bee abundance data were collected using pan traps
>>and standardized sweep netting, and pollination
>>deficit was assessed by comparing the number of
>>seeds per fruit from open-pollinated and
>>supplementally pollinated flowers. There was no
>>pollination deficit in organic fields, a moderate
>>pollination deficit in conventional fields, and
>>the greatest pollination deficit in GM fields.
>>Bee abundance was greatest in organic fields,
>>followed by conventional fields, and lowest in GM
>>fields. Overall, there was a strong, positive
>>relationship between bee abundance at sampling
>>locations and reduced pollination deficits. Seed
>>set in B. napus increased with greater bee
>>abundance. Because B. rapa is an obligate
>>outcrossing species, the lack of pollination
>>deficit in the organic (B. rapa) fields likely
>>was due to the high bee abundance rather than a
>>lower dependence of B. rapa on pollinators than
>>B. napus canola. Our study illustrates the
>>importance of wild bees to agricultural
>>production and suggests that some agroecosystems
>>may better sustain wild bee abundance, resulting
>>in greater seed production.
>>
>>Further research on why some cropping systems,
>>such as genetically modified, herbicide-resistant
>>canola, have low wild bee abundance would be
>>useful for management of agroecosystems to
>>promote sustainability of food production. Key
>>words: agriculture; bees; Brassica rapa; Brassica
>>napus; canola; conventional; genetically
>>modified; organic; pollination; sustainable
>>development.
>>
>>Manuscript received 3 September 2003; revised 3
>>September 2004; accepted 8 September 2004.
>>Corresponding Editor: C. R. Linder ? Copyright by
>>Ecological Society of America 2005
>>..............................
>>
>>Honeybees Are Dying Out In 24 American States
>>By: Press Release
>>Source:<http://www.enjoyfrance.com/ > http://www.enjoyfrance.com
>>
>>March 7, 2007
>>
>>As many as 24 American states are experiencing an
>>alarming loss of honeybees, which are dying out
>>and this poses a serious threat to many crops.
>>
>>American beekeepers have experienced regional
>>problems before but there has never been a
>>national cause for concern as there is now,
>>because bees pollinate more than $14bn (?7bn)
>>worth of American-grown crops each year.
>>
>>There has been no definite cause for the bees
>>dying but viruses, mites, fungi and pesticides
>>could all be to blame it is claimed. The
>>researchers investigation the threat to bees and
>>farming have found that the bees are dying away
>>from the hives and think that pesticides banned
>>in some European countries may be causing the
>>bees to be unable to find their way home.
>>
>>Crops such as avocados, kiwis and California
>>almonds are amongst those hit by the crisis and
>>it is feared the problem could prove the breaking
>>point for even large beekeepers.
>>
>>In the UK honeybees have also been seriously
>>declining due to the varroa mite and some species
>>of bumblebee are now seriously endangered as well.
>>
>>The investigators are exploring a range of
>>possibilities to explain the losses, which they
>>are calling "colony collapse disorder". These
>>include viruses, a fungus and poor bee nutrition.
>>.............................
>>
>>Are GM Crops Killing Honeybees?
>>
>>The honeybee population may be in grave decline
>>around the United States. This is a serious
>>problem, as almost 100 crops need honeybees to
>>transport pollen between flowers, prompting
>>fertilization and jump-starting the production of
>>seed and fruit.
>>However, there may soon not be enough bees to
>>transport a sufficient amount of pollen, as a
>>result of colony collapse disorder; this is the
>>catch-all name that encompasses a myriad of
>>possible reasons why the honeybees are
>>disappearing, ranging from a new infection to a
>>compromised immune system.
>>Some economists have estimated this single
>>species is worth as much as $14 billion to the
>>U.S. economy. Moreover, pollinated plants may
>>account for as much as one-third of the average
>>American diet, and possibly the healthiest
>>portion of it.
>>A German study may have identified a simple
>>answer to the problem: The ongoing blight of
>>genetically modified (GM) crops. When bees were
>>released in a GM rapeseed crop, then fed the
>>pollen to younger bees, scientists discovered the
>>bacteria in the guts of the young ones mirrored
>>the same genetic traits as ones found in the GM
>>crop.
>>...........................
>>
>>Disappearing honeybees imperil crops, keepers
>>Harvesters in 24 states report hive population
>>rates have mysteriously fallen 30% to 70%.
>>Alexei Barrionuevo / New York Times
>>
>>VISALIA, Calif. -- David Bradshaw has endured
>>countless stings during his life as a beekeeper,
>>but he got the shock of his career when he opened
>>his boxes last month and found half of his 100
>>million bees missing.
>>In 24 states, including Michigan, beekeepers have
>>gone through similar shocks as their bees have
>>been disappearing inexplicably at an alarming
>>rate, threatening not only their livelihoods but
>>also the production of numerous crops.
>>"I have never seen anything like it," Bradshaw,
>>50, said. "Box after box after box are just
>>empty. There's nobody home."
>>The sudden mysterious losses are highlighting the
>>critical link that honeybees play in the long
>>chain that gets fruit and vegetables to
>>supermarkets and dinner tables across the
>>country. Beekeepers have fought regional bee
>>crises before, but this is the first national
>>affliction.
>>In a mystery worthy of Agatha Christie, bees are
>>flying off in search of pollen and nectar and
>>never returning to their colonies. Nobody knows
>>why. Researchers say the bees are presumably
>>dying in the fields, perhaps becoming exhausted
>>or disoriented and falling victim to the cold.
>>As researchers scramble to find answers to the
>>syndrome they call "colony collapse disorder,"
>>growers are becoming openly nervous about the
>>capability of the commercial bee industry to meet
>>the growing demand for bees to pollinate dozens
>>of crops, from almonds to avocados to kiwis.
>>A Cornell University study has estimated that
>>honeybees annually pollinate more than $14
>>billion worth of seeds and crops in the United
>>States, mostly fruits, vegetables and nuts.
>>"Every third bite we consume in our diet is
>>dependent on a honeybee to pollinate that food,"
>>said Zac Browning of the American Beekeeping
>>Federation.
>>The bee losses are ranging from 30 percent to 60
>>percent on the West Coast, with some beekeepers
>>on the East Coast and in Texas reporting losses
>>of more than 70 percent; beekeepers consider a
>>loss of up to 20 percent in the off-season to be
>>normal.
>>Over the past two decades, the number of
>>beehives, estimated by the Agriculture Department
>>to be 2.4 million, has dropped by a quarter and
>>the number of beekeepers by half.
>>It could just be that the bees are stressed out.
>>Bees are being raised to survive a shorter
>>off-season, to be ready to pollinate once the
>>almond bloom begins in February. That likely
>>lowered their immunity to viruses.
>>Mites have also damaged bee colonies, and the
>>insecticides used to try to kill mites are
>>harming the ability of queen bees to spawn as
>>many worker bees. The queens are living half as
>>long as they did just a few years ago.
>>Researchers are also concerned that the
>>willingness of beekeepers to truck their colonies
>>from coast to coast could be adding to bees'
>>stress.
>>........................................
>>
>>GM WATCH daily
>>http://www.gmwatch.org
>>---
>>Der Spiegel is Europe's biggest and Germany's
>>most influential news magazine with a circulation
>>of around one million.
>>
>>EXTRACT: The researchers examined the effects of
>>pollen from a genetically modified maize variant
>>called "Bt corn" on bees... According to
>>Hans-Hinrich Kaatz, a professor at the University
>>of Halle in eastern Germany and the director of
>>the study, the bacterial toxin in the genetically
>>modified corn may have "altered the surface of
>>the bee's intestines, sufficiently weakening the
>>bees to allow the parasites to gain entry -- or
>>perhaps it was the other way around. We don't
>>know."
>>---
>>
>>COLLAPSING COLONIES
>>Are GM Crops Killing Bees?
>>By Gunther Latsch
>>Der Spiegel (edited)
>>http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,473166,00.html
>>
>>A mysterious decimation of bee populations has
>>German beekeepers worried, while a similar
>>phenomenon in the United States is gradually
>>assuming catastrophic proportions. The
>>consequences for agriculture and the economy
>>could be enormous.
>>
>>Is the mysterous decimation of bee populations in
>>the US and Germany a result of GM crops? Walter
>>Haefeker is a man who is used to painting grim
>>scenarios. He sits on the board of directors of
>>the German Beekeepers Association (DBIB) and is
>>vice president of the European Professional
>>Beekeepers Association. And because griping is
>>part of a lobbyist's trade, it is practically his
>>professional duty to warn that "the very
>>existence of beekeeping is at stake."
>>
>>The problem, says Haefeker, has a number of
>>causes, one being the varroa mite, introduced
>>from Asia, and another is the widespread practice
>>in agriculture of spraying wildflowers with
>>herbicides and practicing monoculture. Another
>>possible cause, according to Haefeker, is the
>>controversial and growing use of genetic
>>engineering in agriculture.
>>
>>As far back as 2005, Haefeker ended an article he
>>contributed to the journal Der Kritischer
>>Agrarbericht (Critical Agricultural Report) with
>>an Albert Einstein quote: "If the bee disappeared
>>off the surface of the globe then man would only
>>have four years of life left. No more bees, no
>>more pollination, no more plants, no more
>>animals, no more man."
>>
>>Mysterious events in recent months have suddenly
>>made Einstein's apocalyptic vision seem all the
>>more topical. For unknown reasons, bee
>>populations throughout Germany are disappearing
>>-- something that is so far only harming
>>beekeepers. But the situation is different in the
>>United States, where bees are dying in such
>>dramatic numbers that the economic consequences
>>could soon be dire. No one knows what is causing
>>the bees to perish, but some experts believe that
>>the large-scale use of genetically modified
>>plants in the US could be a factor.
>>
>>FROM THE MAGAZINE
>>
>>The scientists are also surprised that bees and
>>other insects usually leave the abandoned hives
>>untouched. Nearby bee populations or parasites
>>would normally raid the honey and pollen stores
>>of colonies that have died for other reasons,
>>such as excessive winter cold. "This suggests
>>that there is something toxic in the colony
>>itself which is repelling them," says Cox-Foster.
>>
>>Walter Haefeker, the German beekeeping official,
>>speculates that "besides a number of other
>>factors," the fact that genetically modified,
>>insect-resistant plants are now used in 40
>>percent of cornfields in the United States could
>>be playing a role. The figure is much lower in
>>Germany -- only 0.06 percent -- and most of that
>>occurs in the eastern states of
>>Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg.
>>Haefeker recently sent a researcher at the CCD
>>Working Group some data from a bee study that he
>>has long felt shows a possible connection between
>>genetic engineering and diseases in bees.
>>
>>The study in question is a small research project
>>conducted at the University of Jena from 2001 to
>>2004. The researchers examined the effects of
>>pollen from a genetically modified maize variant
>>called "Bt corn" on bees. A gene from a soil
>>bacterium had been inserted into the corn that
>>enabled the plant to produce an agent that is
>>toxic to insect pests. The study concluded that
>>there was no evidence of a "toxic effect of Bt
>>corn on healthy honeybee populations." But when,
>>by sheer chance, the bees used in the experiments
>>were infested with a parasite, something eerie
>>happened. According to the Jena study, a
>>"significantly stronger decline in the number of
>>bees" occurred among the insects that had been
>>fed a highly concentrated Bt poison feed.
>>
>>According to Hans-Hinrich Kaatz, a professor at
>>the University of Halle in eastern Germany and
>>the director of the study, the bacterial toxin in
>>the genetically modified corn may have "altered
>>the surface of the bee's intestines, sufficiently
>>weakening the bees to allow the parasites to gain
>>entry -- or perhaps it was the other way around.
>>We don't know."
>>
>>Of course, the concentration of the toxin was ten
>>times higher in the experiments than in normal Bt
>>corn pollen. In addition, the bee feed was
>>administered over a relatively lengthy six-week
>>period. Kaatz would have preferred to continue
>>studying the phenomenon but lacked the necessary
>>funding. "Those who have the money are not
>>interested in this sort of research," says the
>>professor, "and those who are interested don't
>>have the money."
>>.......................................
>>
>>Breaking News
>>Dr Michael Ellis
>>*Collapsing Colonies
>>Are GM Crops Killing Bees?*
>>
>>Albert Einstein quote: "If the bee disappeared off the surface of the
>>globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more  bees, no
>>more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man."
>>
>>The problem, says Haefeker, has a number of causes, one being the  varroa
>>mite, introduced from Asia, and another is the widespread practice in
>>agriculture of spraying wildflowers with herbicides and practicing
>>monoculture. Another possible cause, according to Haefeker, is the
>>controversial and growing use of genetic engineering in agriculture.
>>*by Gunther Latsch; Spiegel Online
>>
>><<http://www.spiegel. >http://www.spiegel.
>>de/international /spiegel/ 0,1518,473166, 00.html
>><<http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,473166,00.html
>>>http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,473166,00.html>>;
>>March 28, 2007*
>>
>>A mysterious decimation of bee populations has German beekeepers
>>worried, while a similar phenomenon in the United States is gradually
>>assuming catastrophic proportions. The consequences for agriculture  and
>>the economy could be enormous.
>>
>>Is the mysterous decimation of bee populations in the US and Germany a
>>result of GM crops?
>>
>>Walter Haefeker is a man who is used to painting grim scenarios. He  sits
>>on the board of directors of the German Beekeepers Association (DBIB)
>>and is vice president of the European Professional Beekeepers
>>Association. And because griping is part of a lobbyist's trade, it is
>>practically his professional duty to warn that "the very existence of
>>beekeeping is at stake."
>>
>>The problem, says Haefeker, has a number of causes, one being the  varroa
>>mite, introduced from Asia, and another is the widespread practice in
>>agriculture of spraying wildflowers with herbicides and practicing
>>monoculture. Another possible cause, according to Haefeker, is the
>>controversial and growing use of genetic engineering in agriculture.
>>
>>As far back as 2005, Haefeker ended an article he contributed to the
>>journal Der Kritischer Agrarbericht (Critical Agricultural Report)  with
>>an Albert Einstein quote: "If the bee disappeared off the surface  of the
>>globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more  bees, no
>>more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man."
>>
>>Mysterious events in recent months have suddenly made Einstein's
>>apocalyptic vision seem all the more topical. For unknown reasons, bee
>>populations throughout Germany are disappearing -- something that  is so
>>far only harming beekeepers. But the situation is different in the
>>United States, where bees are dying in such dramatic numbers that the
>>economic consequences could soon be dire. No one knows what is causing
>>the bees to perish, but some experts believe that the large-scale  use of
>>genetically modified plants in the US could be a factor.
>>
>>Felix Kriechbaum, an official with a regional beekeepers'  association in
>>Bavaria, recently reported a decline of almost 12 percent in local bee
>>populations. When "bee populations disappear without a trace," says
>>Kriechbaum, it is difficult to investigate the causes, because "most
>>bees don't die in the beehive." There are many diseases that can cause
>>bees to lose their sense of orientation so they can no longer find  their
>>way back to their hives.
>>
>>Manfred Hederer, the president of the German Beekeepers Association,
>>almost simultaneously reported a 25 percent drop in bee populations
>>throughout Germany. In isolated cases, says Hederer, declines of up to
>>80 percent have been reported. He speculates that "a particular toxin,
>>some agent with which we are not familiar," is killing the bees.
>>
>>Politicians, until now, have shown little concern for such warnings or
>>the woes of beekeepers. Although apiarists have been given a chance to
>>make their case -- for example in the run-up to the German cabinet's
>>approval of a genetic engineering policy document by Minister of
>>Agriculture Horst Seehofer in February -- their complaints are still
>>largely ignored.
>>
>>Even when beekeepers actually go to court, as they recently did in a
>>joint effort with the German chapter of the organic farming  organization
>>Demeter International and other groups to oppose the use of  genetically
>>modified corn plants, they can only dream of the sort of media  attention
>>environmental organizations like Greenpeace attract with their  protests
>>at test sites.
>>
>>But that could soon change. Since last November, the US has seen a
>>decline in bee populations so dramatic that it eclipses all previous
>>incidences of mass mortality. Beekeepers on the east coast of the  United
>>States complain that they have lost more than 70 percent of their  stock
>>since late last year, while the west coast has seen a decline of up to
>>60 percent.
>>
>>In an article in its business section in late February, the New York
>>Times calculated the damage US agriculture would suffer if bees died
>>out. Experts at Cornell University in upstate New York have estimated
>>the value bees generate -- by pollinating fruit and vegetable plants,
>>almond trees and animal feed like clover -- at more than $14 billion.
>>
>>Scientists call the mysterious phenomenon "Colony Collapse Disorder"
>>(CCD), and it is fast turning into a national catastrophe of sorts. A
>>number of universities and government agencies have formed a "CCD
>>Working Group" to search for the causes of the calamity, but have  so far
>>come up empty-handed. But, like Dennis vanEngelsdorp, an apiarist with
>>the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, they are already referring
>>to the problem as a potential "AIDS for the bee industry."
>>
>>One thing is certain: Millions of bees have simply vanished. In most
>>cases, all that's left in the hives are the doomed offspring. But dead
>>bees are nowhere to be found -- neither in nor anywhere close to the
>>hives. Diana Cox-Foster, a member of the CCD Working Group, told The
>>Independent that researchers were "extremely alarmed," adding that the
>>crisis "has the potential to devastate the US beekeeping industry."
>>
>>It is particularly worrisome, she said, that the bees' death is
>>accompanied by a set of symptoms "which does not seem to match  anything
>>in the literature."
>>
>>In many cases, scientists have found evidence of almost all known bee
>>viruses in the few surviving bees found in the hives after most have
>>disappeared. Some had five or six infections at the same time and were
>>infested with fungi -- a sign, experts say, that the insects' immune
>>system may have collapsed.
>>
>>The scientists are also surprised that bees and other insects usually
>>leave the abandoned hives untouched. Nearby bee populations or  parasites
>>would normally raid the honey and pollen stores of colonies that have
>>died for other reasons, such as excessive winter cold. "This suggests
>>that there is something toxic in the colony itself which is repelling
>>them," says Cox-Foster.
>>
>>Walter Haefeker, the German beekeeping official, speculates that
>>"besides a number of other factors," the fact that genetically  modified,
>>insect-resistant plants are now used in 40 percent of cornfields in  the
>>United States could be playing a role. The figure is much lower in
>>Germany -- only 0.06 percent -- and most of that occurs in the eastern
>>states of Mecklenburg- Western Pomerania and Brandenburg. Haefeker
>>recently sent a researcher at the CCD Working Group some data from  a bee
>>study that he has long felt shows a possible connection between  genetic
>>engineering and diseases in bees.
>>
>>The study in question is a small research project conducted at the
>>University of Jena from 2001 to 2004. The researchers examined the
>>effects of pollen from a genetically modified maize variant called "Bt
>>corn" on bees. A gene from a soil bacterium had been inserted into the
>>corn that enabled the plant to produce an agent that is toxic to  insect
>>pests. The study concluded that there was no evidence of a "toxic  effect
>>of Bt corn on healthy honeybee populations. " But when, by sheer  chance,
>>the bees used in the experiments were infested with a parasite,
>>something eerie happened. According to the Jena study, a  "significantly
>>stronger decline in the number of bees" occurred among the insects  that
>>had been fed a highly concentrated Bt poison feed.
>>
>>According to Hans-Hinrich Kaatz, a professor at the University of  Halle
>>in eastern Germany and the director of the study, the bacterial  toxin in
>>the genetically modified corn may have "altered the surface of the  bee's
>>intestines, sufficiently weakening the bees to allow the parasites to
>>gain entry -- or perhaps it was the other way around. We don't know."
>>
>>Of course, the concentration of the toxin was ten times higher in the
>>experiments than in normal Bt corn pollen. In addition, the bee  feed was
>>administered over a relatively lengthy six-week period. Kaatz would  have
>>preferred to continue studying the phenomenon but lacked the necessary
>>funding. "Those who have the money are not interested in this sort of
>>research," says the professor, "and those who are interested don't  have
>>the money."
>>
>>Original Message:
>>-----------------
>>From: Adrian Wedd adrian at adrianwedd.com
>>Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2007 07:28:17 +1000
>>To: pil-pc-oceania at lists.permacultureinternational.org
>>Subject: [Pil-pc-oceania] seen many bees around lately?
>>
>>
>>hi folks,
>>
>>having noticed less bees around i've been keeping a keen eye on the  news 
>>on
>>'colony collapse disorder'.
>>
>>i'm wondering if anyone else in australia has noticed less bees  buzzing
>>around this year?
>>
>>A.
>>
>>
>>--
>>Adrian Wedd
>>http://adrianwedd.com
>>adrian at adrianwedd.com
>>0407081084
>>
>>
>>--------------------------------------------------------------------
>>mail2web.com ? Enhanced email for the mobile individual based on  
>>Microsoft?
>>Exchange - http://link.mail2web.com/Personal/EnhancedEmail
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>------------------------------
>>
>>_______________________________________________
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>>Pil-pc-oceania at lists.permacultureinternational.org
>>http://jasper.cmsarchitects.com/mailman/listinfo/pil-pc-oceania
>>
>>
>>End of Pil-pc-oceania Digest, Vol 6, Issue 16
>>*********************************************
>


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