Animals
S


Attention

US: "Major disaster" for bees may jeopardize Washington state's crops

Lynda V. Mapes
The Seattle Times
Fri, 11 Apr 2008 10:49 UTC
Bees are in trouble, and in Washington, that could mean agriculture is, too.

Last year, many Washington beekeepers were relieved that they avoided a mysterious Colony Collapse Disorder that silenced hives all over the country. But this year, some beekeepers are reporting a devastating new pathogen - with no reliable cure - is killing their bees in droves.

Some beekeepers are helping to pay for a crash research program at Washington State University to figure out what is going on.

"It's a major disaster in Western Washington. We are into a huge emergency situation," said Yakima beekeeper Eric Olson, who runs the state's largest commercial pollination business.

Image
©Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times
Yakima beekeeper Eric Olson holds a hive loaded with bees in Long Beach, Pacific County. A new pathogen is devastating the hives of some Washington beekeepers.
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Roses

World's oldest tree discovered in Sweden


RIA Novosti
Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:34 UTC
Scientists in northern Sweden believe they have discovered the world's oldest living tree, dating back nearly 8,000 years, local media said on Thursday.

A Norway spruce, which was found growing at a height of 950 meters above sea level, is more than two meters (6.5 feet) tall and about 20 centimeters (8 inches) in width.
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X

South Africa: Swallows dying by the thousands


SA
Wed, 09 Apr 2008 16:14 UTC
Tens of thousands of swallows have died in Limpopo province a week before they were due to migrate to Europe, said BirdLife SA on Wednesday.

Executive director Gerhard Verdoorn said the vast climate changes during March, from the extremely hot to the bitterly cold, played a major role in the death of the swallows.

About three weeks ago, cold air from Angola passed over Namibia and Botswana and entered the South African Lowveld. Temperatures plummeted from 21° to 9°.
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Health

Swarming Killer Bees Send 70 Mexican Police Officers to the Hospital


Associated Press
Tue, 08 Apr 2008 13:35 UTC
At least 70 police officers were hospitalized after so-called Africanized bees swarmed a police shooting range in southern Mexico, authorities said Tuesday.

The attacked occurred Monday in Tapachula, Chiapas, after one of the policemen hit the bees' hive with a bullet, local police officer Miguel Serrano said Tuesday. At least 10 of the 70 officers stung were in serious condition, he said.
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Frog

Scientists find bizarre lungless frog


msnbc/Live Science
Mon, 07 Apr 2008 08:45 UTC
The first lungless frog has been discovered lurking in the jungles of Borneo.

The enigmatic amphibian, dubbed Barbourula kalimantanensis, apparently gets all the oxygen it needs through its skin.

lungless frog
©David Bickford / LiveScience
The first lungless frog has been discovered lurking in the jungles of Borneo.
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Fish

Karachi: Fishermen concerned over mysterious death of fish


The International News
Mon, 07 Apr 2008 05:52 UTC
Fishermen have expressed concern over the large-scale death of fish at the Karachi coast. They demanded of the concerned authorities to conduct a survey to learn the actual reasons behind the death of the fish and to take effective steps to address the problem.

Hundreds of dead fish, including Mullet, Bohi and other species, have been seen at the seashore near Baba, Bhit, Shamspir and Salehabad islands, the premises of Karachi Fish Harbour (KFH) and other coastal villages for the last couple of days.
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Evil Rays

Navy sonar blamed for death of beaked whales found washed up in the Hebrides

Michael McCarthy
The Independent
Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:32 UTC
Anti-submarine sonar may have killed a group of whales found dead in the Hebrides in one of Britain's most unusual strandings, scientists believe.

Five Cuvier's beaked whales, a species rarely seen in British waters, were discovered on beaches in the Western Isles on succeeding days in February. Another animal from a related species was discovered at the same time.
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Health

Japan: Dozens in hospital after bee attack


Herald Sun
Sun, 06 Apr 2008 11:25 UTC
A awarm of bees attacked half-marathon runners in south-western Japan today, forcing 30 people to be rushed to hospital, rescuers said.

During the race in Saga city, athletes were set upon by the bees as they ran near a river bank, according to one of the local fire departments which dispatched five ambulances because of the incident.

"I have never experienced anything like this before,'' chief rescuer Tomomi Koyanag said.
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Butterfly

American Songbirds Are Being Wiped Out by Banned Pesticides and Loss of Habitat for Biofuel Corn Crops

Leonard Doyle
The Independent
Mon, 07 Apr 2008 06:34 UTC
The number of migratory songbirds returning to North America has gone into sharp decline due to the unregulated use of highly toxic pesticides and other chemicals across Latin America.
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Bizarro Earth

U.S. Forest Service: Colorado aspen trees are 'starving to death'

Bob Berwyn
Summit Daily News
Sun, 06 Apr 2008 12:35 UTC
Summit County, Colorado - Growing evidence shows drought conditions are killing Colorado's aspens at an unprecedented rate.

More than 56,000 acres of aspens have recently died in the state, according to a paper published by a group of Forest Service scientists last year.

aspen trees colorado
©Jim Stimson
Aerial view of a forest of Aspen trees, Aspen, Colorado, USA
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