<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><HTML><FONT COLOR="#000000" FACE="Geneva" FAMILY="SANSSERIF" SIZE="2"><I>Thanks to Hilda Diaz Soltero for forwarding this fro Greenwire.</I></FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" FACE="Geneva" FAMILY="SANSSERIF" SIZE="2"><BR>
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AGRICULTURE: U.K. bee populations declining (Friday, April 25, <BR>
2008) <BR>
Wild bee populations across the United Kingdom are experiencing <BR>
"catastrophic declines," according to the Bumblebee Conservation <BR>
Trust. <BR>
Mary Celeste Syndrome -- which leaves honey bee hives almost <BR>
completely deserted -- has appeared in Scotland. The syndrome was <BR>
named for a ship discovered deserted in 1872. <BR>
The disappearance could have serious implications for food supply <BR>
and the price of goods, according to trust's Ben Darvill. <BR>
"Without pollination, flowering crops like beans, peas, <BR>
strawberries and raspberries won't produce anything to harvest, <BR>
and wildflowers won't produce any seeds," he said. "The loss of <BR>
the nation's pollinators is likely to affect your dinner plate, <BR>
and will change the wider countryside beyond recognition." <BR>
The United Kingdom has 18 bumblebee species and many are seriously<BR>
threatened due to habitat loss. <BR>
Researchers say the varroa mite -- parasites that leave bee larvae<BR>
deformed -- have hit bee populations recently. <BR>
The government is attempting to combat the decline by offering <BR>
payments to farmers to help them maintain flower-rich areas for <BR>
bees and other wildlife (BBC News, April 23). -- RB </FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" FACE="Geneva" FAMILY="SANSSERIF" SIZE="2"><BR>
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Laurie Davies Adams<BR>
Executive Director<BR>
Pollinator Partnership<BR>
425 Washington Street, 5th Floor<BR>
San Francisco, CA 94111<BR>
415 362 1137 (p)<BR>
415 362 3070 (f)<BR>
LDA@pollinator.org<BR>
www.pollinator.org<BR>
www.nappc.org<BR>
<BR>
</FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" FACE="Geneva" FAMILY="SANSSERIF" SIZE="2"><B>National Pollinator Week is June 22-28, 2008. Create or attend an event in your state. Visit www.pollinator.org National Pollinator Week for complete details.</B></FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" FACE="Geneva" FAMILY="SANSSERIF" SIZE="2"><BR>
<BR>
</FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" FACE="Geneva" FAMILY="SANSSERIF" SIZE="2"><I>Join the Pollinator Partnership working to protect agriculture and ecosystems - visit www.pollinator.org</I></FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" FACE="Geneva" FAMILY="SANSSERIF" SIZE="2"><BR>
</FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" FACE="Geneva" FAMILY="SANSSERIF" SIZE="2"></FONT><BR><BR><BR>**************<BR>Get trade secrets for amazing burgers. Watch "Cooking with Tyler Florence" on AOL Food.<BR> (http://food.aol.com/tyler-florence?video=4&?NCID=aolfod00030000000002)</HTML>