Bees native to Vancouver Island are ultra-efficient pollinators

ORCHARD MASON BEES AND THEIR CARE

from http://www.cvseeds.bc.ca/bees.htm

The Mason Bee can help pollinate our trees and crops

THE MASON BEE

Honeybee populations on Vancouver Island are rapidly being destroyed by mites. Blue Orchard Bees (Orchard Mason Bees ­ Osmia lignaria) are native to our area and are 17 times as efficient at pollination of fruit trees as honeybees. These bees are not available to fertilize later food crops as the parent bees die in early summer.

Mason bees may well be able to take over the fruit tree pollination if we give a little help.

The bees are about 7/16” long and look like blue bottle flies except for having 4 wings rather than two. The male is a little smaller and has two longer antennae. The female has long belly hairs to hold pollen.
Cells for laying eggs

ITS LIFE CYCLE

The bees emerge from their over-wintering nests in the spring after about three days of 14°C (57° F) maximum day time temperature. In nature, they generally have been in beetle-made holes or other similar narrow spaces. The males are the first to appear as they come from the outer portion of the “tube”. They feed briefly and await the females which come from the deeper part of the tube.

The natural emergence of these bees is generally around March locally, but this can vary artificially if the nests are man-made and are kept in cooler temperatures until the plum or early apple trees just begin to break into bloom. The nests are then moved to a warm location.

The females emerge 3-4 days later than the males, and fertilization occurs almost immediately. The males die soon afterwards without doing any pollination. The female gathers a little nectar and about 20 loads of pollen and builds a little pyramid inside a suitable nest site. Then a single egg is laid on its end in that mass of food. She then gathers about 10 loads of clayish soil and builds a wall which seals off the egg with its food supply. Hence the name, Mason Bee. This sequence is repeated until she has provisioned, laid, and walled-off about 30 eggs. The one female will fill two or three 6” holes with eggs.

It is useful to know that she will lay eggs into holes only to a maximum of about 6” deep. She will continue to lay eggs for only 5-6 weeks. Also, as the egg-laying process brings her to the last inch or two near the surface, she withholds sperm from the eggs she lays, thus the last eggs of one hole will develop into males, So males will begin to grow only in the area near the surface, while all the deeper laid eggs will produce females. For our purposes, it is important to understand that if we want a large majority of females to be born, shallow holes such as 3-4” deep, are almost useless—they will predominantly yield males which do not pollinate and are not needed in large quantities for population expansion. Thus, in our efforts to optimize the production of bees, it seems that 6” depth is ideal.

The newly laid eggs hatch into larvae in about three days and they devour their food for the next 25 days. Then they spin a cocoon inside of which they become adults before winter time. It is important that the nest not be moved or even vibrated much between March and the end of September (as the eggs and larvae will suffocate), at which time it can be moved to a garage or other unheated space until next spring.

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How to Raise Orchard Mason Bees in BC


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Geothermal Energy offering massive untapped potential

Story from TheStar.com:


Geothermal Power offers huge potential to replace oil and natural gas

Canada has significant `earth energy' potential, but critics say it's not doing much about it

By Tyler Hamilton, Toronto Star Energy Reporter

Canada's obsession with "clean coal" and carbon capture technologies has left it blind to the vast potential of its own geothermal resources, says the head of one of the country's few publicly traded developers of geothermal power.

Gary Thompson, chief executive of Sierra Geothermal Power Inc. of Vancouver, said the neglect has left Canada a laggard among peers who view emission-free geothermal power as a strategic part of their electricity mix.

"We're one of the few countries with significant geothermal potential that's not doing anything about it," said Thompson, adding that the federal government has shown little interest, despite calls for more study. "It's rather disconcerting. They've really been letting Canadians down."

Thompson recently became vice-chair of the Canadian Geothermal Energy Association in Calgary. He said he joined because geothermal "is not getting any love" in Canada and he wanted to create more public awareness of the potential.

It's a suggestion Natural Resources Canada disputes. "The Government of Canada supports increased supply of clean electricity from renewable sources, including geothermal," said department spokesperson Héloïse Perron, citing a government ecoENERGY program that supports up to 4,000 megawatts of electricity development from geothermal, wind, solar and other renewable power systems.

Critics, however, say the inclusion of geothermal power under a general program designed around renewables is not akin to specifically backing research and development of the resource.

"It's really a shotgun approach," said Michal Moore, former chief economist at the U.S. National Renewable Laboratory and a senior fellow at the University of Calgary's Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy.

Moore co-authored a study released last week, mostly focused on Alberta, that recommended geothermal be "subject to a co-ordinated and multi-faceted ongoing research program." It concluded that next-generation geothermal technologies could reduce or substitute for proposed clean coal or nuclear plants "at competitive prices."

But Thompson said more groundwork is needed. He said the association's first goal is to have Natural Resources Canada, through the Geological Survey of Canada, invest in a thorough assessment of the country's geothermal potential – something that hasn't been done in more than two decades. It's also preparing a policy white paper that will break down myths that have hindered development of the resource.

"A lot of politicians just don't understand it," Thompson said.

"In their view it has no potential."

Meanwhile, billions of dollars are being put into unproven technologies aimed at giving the oil sands and coal industry a greener image, he said.

Last week, Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach announced plans for a $2 billion fund that would accelerate development of carbon capture and storage technology.

The geothermal power plants tap hot temperatures kilometres below the surface to create steam that spin turbines that generate electricity.

Conventional geothermal, or earth energy, facilities tend to be located in countries, including Canada, that lie along the so-called Ring of Fire – a region with shallow heat.

Though out of date, estimates for potential in Canada range from 3,000 to 6,000 megawatts, much higher as drilling and engineering costs fall.

Thompson's company has focused its efforts on Nevada because of U.S. incentives that help fund early drilling costs.

The U.S. also offers a production tax credit of two cents per kilowatt-hour, while Canada offers one cent.

"I had done a lot of research in Canada and after several years ended up banging my head against the wall," said Thompson, recalling the difficulty of getting support.

"We ended up looking at projects stateside."

It's a similar story for Nevada Geothermal Power Inc., Polaris Geothermal Inc. and Western GeoPower Corp., all Canadian-based companies that have done most of their development outside of Canada.

The only commercial geothermal power initiative under development in Canada is Western Geo's South Meager project in B.C.

Germany, on the other hand, is forging ahead with next-generation "enhanced geothermal" that will make it possible to develop the technology in more locations around the world.

In the U.S., the Department of Energy last month pledged to invest up to $90 million (U.S.) over four years into research related to enhanced geothermal systems.


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Dengue Fever spreading; early detection and replacement of fluids crucial

Health: INFECTIOUS DISEASES: 'BREAK BONE FEVER'

Dengue fever: spreading and often undiagnosed
Travellers are sometimes unaware they have contracted the illness, leaving them vulnerable to more dangerous subsequent infections

HELEN BRANSWELL

The Canadian Press

July 1, 2008

It goes by the nickname "break bone fever." And after his brush with dengue fever, Phil Day knows why.

Mr. Day, an expatriate Canadian living in Singapore, contracted the mosquito-borne viral disease in 2007 after years of working in cities across Asia. He and his wife, Karen, were both afflicted, struggling through an illness that left them exhausted and in pain.

While they were sick, they needed to be monitored for signs they were developing the severest form of the disease, a life-threatening hemorrhagic fever (neither did). That monitoring required them to go to hospital for daily blood tests. On one of those trips, Mr. Day saw a sight that embodied how he was feeling.

"We were waiting at a traffic light and this old guy, probably 90 years old or so, crossed the street with a cane. He was moving very slowly and every step looked painful," he recounts via e-mail.

"And I turned to my wife and said: 'That's it. That's exactly how I feel.' "

Dengue fever is a disease of warm climes; Canada's cold winters deter the virus from setting up shop here.

But the thousands of Canadians who travel to the wide swaths of the world where the virus does spread are at some risk of becoming infected with a virus that can trigger symptoms ranging from flu-like fatigue and aching joints to a hemorrhagic fever that can kill.

A newly published study looking at trends in dengue infections in travellers notes that the past 20 years have seen a marked expansion of the virus's turf, from Southeast Asia to the islands of the South Pacific, the Caribbean and the Americas. There have even been domestically acquired infections in the United States.

Dengue fever has become a more common diagnosis than malaria for ill travellers returning from tropical regions other than Africa, notes the study, published in the July issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

An analysis of cases reported to the GeoSentinel Surveillance Network, an international collaboration of specialized travel and tropical medicine clinics, shows that from October, 1997, through February, 2006, 522 of nearly 25,000 ill travellers seen at network clinics were diagnosed with dengue or dengue hemorrhagic fever.

While that is only 2.1 per cent, it is also only a fraction of the cases that would have occurred during that period, says one of the study's authors, Kevin Kain. Not everyone who falls sick after a trip will end up at a travel clinic.

"Many people will have ... feverish illnesses that don't progress and they just stay at home," says Dr. Kain, director of the travel and tropical medicine clinic at Toronto's University Health Network.

"Or they present to their GP and no one ever does a confirmation test - no one ever does [blood testing]. So this is the tip of the iceberg, the cases we're seeing."

Anyone who has had dengue fever once faces a much higher risk of developing dengue hemorrhagic fever if they contract the disease again. Nine out of 10 cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever occur in people who have previously had dengue fever, Dr. Kain says.

"The first time you get it you feel like you're going to die, but you survive. But it's the subsequent infections [that are dangerous]. So people want to know if they've actually had dengue, because then they're a little more apprehensive about subsequent exposures."

Every year, an estimated 50 million to 100 million people worldwide contract dengue fever, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. And several hundred thousand people come down with dengue hemorrhagic fever.

In Canada, 40 to 50 laboratory-confirmed cases of dengue fever are reported every year, in travellers who have visited parts of the world where the type of mosquito that spreads the virus are found.

Protecting against infection poses real challenges for travellers in these areas. There is no vaccine and, unlike for malaria, no pills that block infection. So it comes down to DEET-based insect repellents and luck.

The disease cannot spread from person to person directly, though mosquitoes become infected by drawing blood from an infected person and then pass the virus along.

The disease typically manifests itself with a high fever, severe headache, backache, joint pains, nausea and vomiting, eye pain and rash. Younger children usually suffer milder disease than older children and adults.

In a portion of cases, though, the hemorrhagic syndrome develops. Blood begins to pool under the skin and there can be bleeding from the nose and gums and even internal bleeding. Blood vessels become leaky, which can lead to blood loss, circulatory system failure, shock and death.

There are no drugs to combat the virus. But with good care - which largely involves replacing fluids - most people will survive. The earlier treatment starts, however, the better.


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Toronto Zoo launches campaign to save frogs from chytrid fungus

article by Joanna Smith, TheStar.com

The Toronto Zoo chose "leap day" to raise awareness about an unprecedented crisis threatening amphibians around the world.

Cute gimmicks aside, zoo workers and local politicians gathered in front of frogs, toads and reporters yesterday to speak about the global amphibian problem and what they are trying to do about it.

"This is an extinction crisis that is unprecedented in the history of the world," said Bill Peters, national director of the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Frogs and other amphibians have managed just fine for the past 360 million years, but now up to half of the 6,000 known amphibian species face extinction within the next few decades. Pollution, loss of habitat and overharvesting continue to be problems. But the big killer around the world is actually an infection called chytrid fungus.

"That fungus attacks the skin of the frogs. It can no longer take in oxygen or water and they die," said Bob Johnson, curator of reptiles and amphibians at the zoo.

About 120 species have already gone extinct and many others are threatened around the world.

The killer infection originated in South Africa and spread quickly throughout Asia, Central and South America, and has arrived in the United States and Canada.

Johnson said the disease is especially difficult to deal with because even natural conservation parks and other wildlife havens provide no protection against it.

The zoo declared 2008 the Year of the Frog to celebrate the opening of its amphibian breeding centre to the public. The zoo launched a breeding program for Puerto Rican crested toads in 1986 and has since released 52,000 of the animals, once thought to be extinct, back into the wild.

The zoo will also open a frog rescue centre this summer to increase the number of animals they will be able to quarantine from the fungal disease. "There is a worldwide effort of scientists trying to fix the problems in the wild and we're holding the animals here in trust so that they can go back hopefully in the near future," Johnson said.

Natural Resources Minister Donna Cansfield said the province is ironing out legislation to protect 128 plant and animal species.



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Which trees produce the most oxygen?

An interesting question for sure, and though the answer is not yet known, in the excerpt below from an article / post by Anna Fraser, webmother of The-Tree.org.uk, she mentions that the contenders may include such diverse tree species as Monterey Pine, Hybrid Poplar, Eucalyptus and Fig:

Pick a tree that you are interested in and research the annual wood production for this species in the geographical location of your choice (the figures available are most probably given per hectare or per acre rather than per tree). Find out the energy value of the wood and the annual caloric intake of a human being. Using these figures, you can calculate what you would need to produce enough oxygen for one human being without even knowing how much oxygen they produce.

NASA does research on this using crops and they can produce enough oxygen for one human being with 20 square metres of land.

However we can of course speculate, keeping in mind that trees produce excess oxygen whilst growing and putting on wood (of course when they decay in old age the reverse will be true). Therefore the biggest oxygen producers will be the trees which have the fastest ability to convert the air and the soil they feed on into wood.

Opinions are divided which tree deserves this accolade and the reason for this disagreement is that the growth pattern of trees is inevitably affected by local conditions, such as poor or rich soil, sunshine wind and humidity, which side of the hill does it grow, what helpful fungi are there in the soil and various other factors. A Douglas Fir that can grow up to an amazing 300 ft in a given period in Oregon, may 'only' grow a 100 feet high in the south of California in that same period, because trees have their favourite spot, where conditions for their growth are optimal.

Presently the contenders for the fastest accumulation of square feet of timber in the trunk are Pinus radiata (Monterey Pine). This has shown amazing growth of 8 to 10 feet a year in favoured conditions. It originates from a small coastal area in California and is one of the most popular timber trees in the southern hemisphere, particularly South America.

Hybrid Poplar (cross between European Black Poplar and the North American Eastern Cottonwood). This can also grow of the rate of 8 ft a year in favourable circumstances. Other fast growing trees that deserve a mention are Chitalpa, Chinese Elm, Eucalyptus, Locust tree, and Fig tree, not necessarily in any particular order.

There are of course also genetically engineered trees in the making, which will be trying to break all records. An example is the "Supatree", which is experimentally grown in a remote place in Australia. Investors in the genetic engineerin industry are told that this tree aims to grow as much 30 to 35 feet in the first year and will accomplish in 10 years time what a regular forest plantation tree takes 75 years to do.

This sounds fantastic in a world with dwindling resources (due to growing populations and the silly consumer attitude we have towards the natural world), but please remember that this is a tree which has been engineered far more for business interests, rather than with the Good of the Whole World in mind.

In my opinion the world needs biodiversity and its inherent creativity for survival of the Earth on which we all depend and therefore food and resource security. This is far more important than identical clones, which depend on fertilizer and fossil fuel based growing practices.

Maybe we will be forced to grow Supatrees if we carry on the way we are and squander our precious heritage. If I were a judge with blinkers on, ignoring the real needs of the Earth and therefore people, Supatree would no doubt they would be the winner of your contest as oxygen producers during growth.

But will the world be a better, safer or richer place with Supatree plantations all over the world???

I really appreciate your genuine search for the highest oxygen producing tree, but please allow me to suggest also that oxygen is not the only gift the trees to the wellbeing of the patients of a tuberculosis hospital. Nor necessarily the most important: trees clean air pollution in many different ways and heal also by their presence.

Trees have always been our friends, healers and providers .There is of course infinite beauty in trees and woodland, but there is far more to it than that:
There is something about the aura of trees, that can make you feel as if you're in the presence of a being greater than ourselves. I don't mean greater in statue, but in a knowledge deeper and wiser than most people have.

Few people fail to be impressed by wonderful beings like the Dalai Lama and feel better for meeting him. But many trees are to me like Dalai Lama's and everyone can seek their healing friendship.

Trees seem to know that the Earth is all one. One giant interacting web of life. The divisions between us are artificial and temporary. As a separate identity I give my own contribution to the consciousness/vibes of the Earth, but since I exist only by the grace of inhaling air, drinking water, eating food, interacting in countless ways to make my consciousness grow: How can I think I am not intimately related to everything else?




Full article / post continues at: Which tree species produces the most oxygen?




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And, our good friend the Asian Elephant:

Penn State U researchers says virus causing honeybee deaths

Breakthrough on mystery of vanishing honey bees

by Am Johal

article from: http://nation.ittefaq.com/issues/2007/12/31/news0019.htm

Over the past year, honey bees have been dying across North America in unprecedented numbers and, until this month, no one seemed to be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt what the cause may have been.

What has been dubbed "colony collapse disorder" can work through a honey bee colony in a matter of weeks. Bees fly off to collect pollen, but never return -- or simply weaken and die in the hives. Beyond the larger effects on the food chain, the economic implications of these deaths are immediate because honey bees are integral to the pollination of tens of millions of dollars of cash crops in North America.

Scientists from Penn State University say they have found a connection between Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV) and colony collapse disorder. In a conference call last week, researchers argued that the virus, in conjunction with other stress factors, is likely the cause of the disorder, which has resulted in a loss of 50-90 percent of North American bee colonies. It was originally discovered in Israel in 2004, the same year that Australian bees were imported in to the United States.

Colony collapse disorder has also been observed in Poland, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain, and unverified reports have surfaced in Switzerland and Germany. Cases have also been reported in India and Brazil.

David Hackenburg, a beekeeper near Tampa Bay, Florida, lost nearly 2,000 of his 3,000 hives in a matter of weeks last winter. He has since been raising the issue with university researchers, bureaucrats at state agencies and elected politicians. He has told a number of media outlets that new synthetic nicotine-based pesticides known as neonicotinoids, or neonics, are the major contributing factor. Researchers told IPS that further studies will include these pesticides as possible contributing factors. Some large environmental groups, like the Sierra Club, also believe that genetically modified food production could be a contributing factor. A comprehensive British study found that genetically modified crops in conjunction with powerful chemicals were harmful to bees, butterflies and birds.

Researchers from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and other U.S. states have been conducting geographic database tests to understand the magnitude of the problem and whether linkages exist with colony collapse disorder.

But other scientists argue that there is scant evidence that the Bacillus thuringiensis toxin produced by genetically modified crops is a factor in the mass deaths of bees.

According to Science Daily, a team of scientists from Edgewood Chemical Biological Centre and the University of California at San Francisco have identified a virus and a parasite that are likely culprits in the recent deaths.

Penn State University's Colony Collapse Working Group had drawn no clear conclusions as to what the causative factors may be until this week. In July 2007, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released a "Colony Collapse Disorder Action Plan" which states, "The current strategy for addressing the CCD crisis involves four main components: 1) survey and data collection; 2) analysis of samples; 3) hypothesis-driven research; and, 4) mitigation and preventative action."

Dr. Mariano Higes, a scientist based in Guadalajara, Spain, has concluded that European honey bees suffering from colony collapse disorder fell victim to Nosema ceranae, a micro-sporidian fungus. The research team led by Higes has been investigating the issue since 2000 and ruled out any other causes. U.S. scientists have stated that although it may be a factor, it is not the only cause of the disorder.

Eric Mussen, a University of California Davis apiculture expert, believes that small variations in weather caused by climate change could affect the water, nectar and pollen the bees rely on. Mussen also argues that bees have many viruses, but it is their weakened immune systems that are making them susceptible to death. The first cases came to public view in late 2006. Since then, speculation has ranged about the causes from a diverse set of theories which range from new pesticides, genetically modified crops, agricultural products, climate change, viruses cell phones.

In the 1940s, there were an estimated 5 million managed bee colonies in North America. Now there are just over 2 million. Adverse weather conditions and hurricanes have also contributed to the heavy losses of bee colonies in recent years.

For example, the almond season begins in February for the bees, a cold season in North America which can affect their endurance. The economy of the almond season is particularly lucrative for those raising bee colonies. Migratory beekeeping is also widespread in the United States. Beekeepers earn more money renting bees out for pollination than they do from honey production. Bee keepers often truck their colonies to Florida, Texas, California and other states. Migratory beekeeping has been in practice in the United States since 1908. Climate change could also be a factor in weakening the bees and has affected the pollination of crops in many agricultural areas in North America. The value of crops for which honey bees are the prime pollinator is estimated to be in the 15-billion-dollar range in the United States. California's almond industry alone, which relies on pollination from honey bees, is worth 1.5 billion dollars.

Honey bees are not native to North America. Though indigenous plants can survive without them, the pollination from honey bees is instrumental for growing fruit and vegetables like apples, cherries, tomatoes, zucchinis, cantaloupes and many other crops. Dr. Leonard Foster, a University of British Columbia Assistant Professor of Biochemistry told IPS, "There is certainly something happening in the United States and it is difficult to say if it is due to a bacteria or fungus -- it is difficult to detect with the current methods."

"It could be various factors combined, but it is difficult to verify at this time -- climate change, antibiotics or the use of pesticides where bees may visit. We have various historical records that show that there are fluctuations with beehives every seven or eight years that are affected by weather conditions and crop yields. It is too early to draw conclusions yet."

Troy Fore, president of the American Beekeeping Federation, told IPS, "Lately, we haven't heard much since it is the summer season. The losses seem to be associated with the winter as it's the natural end of a colony's life cycle."

"I hear from beekeepers, but many have been damaged earlier in the year. The colonies that have been affected are not as productive," he added. "But we still have no smoking gun."

(This story is part of a series of features on sustainable development by IPS and IFEJ - International Federation of Environmental Journalists.)

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