The following report is from Business Insider:
Millions of bees bound for Alaska died on a Delta Air Lines flight after the plane was left on the tarmac in Atlanta, Georgia, following a diversion.
Alaska Public Media (APM) reported on Wednesday that a Delta plane carrying a shipment of around 5 million bees bound for Anchorage, Alaska, was forced to reroute to Atlanta. Most of the bees died in the Georgia city.
The shipment of 200 crates, ordered by Sarah McElrea of Sarah’s Alaska Honey on behalf of 300 Alaskan beekeepers, carried 800 pounds of bees and was worth an estimated $48,000.
The crates had been due to travel from Sacramento, California, to Anchorage Airport via Seattle, Washington. But the bees did not fit on the Seattle-bound flight and were instead rerouted through the Delta hub in Atlanta.
Delta told McElrea the bees would have to wait in a cooler last Saturday but they were transferred to the tarmac the next day over fears the bees were escaping. McElrea told APM the temperature in Atlanta was 80 degrees Fahrenheit on the day they were left there.
I really panicked when they found they had moved them outside because the pheromones that those honeybees emit are attractive to other honeybees that are native to the area.
She told APM. Because the bees were outside, it made it harder to rescue those in the crates
MacElrea told APM that she connected on Facebook to “a page that is based in Georgia.” She got through to Edward Morgan, a beekeeper in Georgia, Atlanta, who told Atlanta radio station WABE he and more than 20 others from Metro Atlanta Beekeepers Association rushed to the airport to try and save the bees.
It’s devastating to see that many dead. Just clumps of dead bees that had no chance because they were left outside with no food and basically got lost in Delta’s machinery.
Julia Mahood, a Georgia master beekeeper, told WABE
In an emailed statement, a Delta spokesperson told Insider:
Delta was made aware of the shipment situation that occurred on DL2390 from Sacramento to Atlanta and quickly engaged the appropriate internal teams to assess the situation.
We have taken immediate action to implement new measures to ensure events of this nature do not occur in the future. We have been in contact with the customer directly to apologize for the unfortunate situation.
McElrea did not immediately respond to Insider’s requests for comment outside normal working hours.
McElrea told The New York Times in an interview that Alaskans increasingly rely on imports for bees to pollinate crops for spring and autumn harvests.
People don’t grasp just how dependent we as a species are on honeybees for pollination. And this is just a waste, an absolute tragedy.
MacElrea told the New York Times
AUTHOR COMMENTARY
Indeed it is “an absolute tragedy,” as even more bees dying – something America has been suffering from for decades year-over-year – which means less pollination, translating to the plants and crops dying, along with honey production to go down: resulting in famine.
These acts, deliberate or not, is the Lord causing famine to be brought into the land, as noted in The WP report about the fires breaking out at processing plants.
[17] Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil. [18] And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, and an astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven them: [19] Because they have not hearkened to my words, saith the LORD, which I sent unto them by my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but ye would not hear, saith the LORD.Jeremiah 29:17-19
[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).
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Soon we’ll be almost left with the pollinator birds, but then those will die out, too.
Sadly, I believe a lot of such things are purposeful, though incompetence & covetous folly in ‘just-in-time’ and short-staffing, over-scheduling etc figures in. The wicked only need a few embedded or easily extortable, recruitable to their ’cause’ through slander & flattery etc to wreak a lot of havoc.
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In the meantime & as we plant gardens in hope of the Lord’s mercy & sustenance for his people, we should be planting for the pollinators, too. Hyssop, bergamot, & such things as bees, butterflies, hummingbirds & other such love, which then draw them to pollinating our foodstuffs for us & the making of great honey full of b vitamins & enzymes, a great addition to any diet in moderation. Got my hands on some mallow this season, edible in a pinch, demulcent medically, & having blossoms like hollyhocks, a draw for the bugs & birds. Will grow on ditch edges, damp places so long as gets sun. Elderberry useful there, too.
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I confess that I’ve had a change of heart towards wildly invasive lemon balm over this, the bees love its modest blooms, & its usefulness for deterring feral cats who dislike any citrus- like scent is also a plus. Stopped fighting it so much & am just planting the ‘volunteers’ & runners its constantly putting out around all my large growbags & garden periphery. It’s also an antiviral, & useful as a mild blood thinner. In that capacity, it has helped many people who suffer from migraines, especially when used in tandem with feverfew.
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Don’t forget useful herbs as you garden. Not only are they medicinal, but they also preserve & can counter certain tainted foods as we go into these hard times. They also tend to not have showy blossoms, but such a type as bees love.
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Grow & use them liberally: rosemary, thyme, & oregano are particularly powerful & useful. Parsley & cilantro detoxify metals & cleanse: just be sure to grow them in clean soil. Like moringa, which is also useful for that, they will also draw & concentrate any heavy metals in the soil. Propagate & expand your patches or collection of pots this summer as you prepare.
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Just got in a few bales of clean straw, though I should have let the younger do most of the heavy lifting as I set myself back a day or two. My cancer isn’t terribly invasive, and I tire more than I used to, but I can still do quite a lot if I avoid certain reaching, tugging motions. It’s an odd thing & the Lord’s been good as I’ve avoided standard care since diagnosis & learned alot about herbals, nutrition, detoxification maintaining the tabernacle we all set aside sooner or later.
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We have a disinterested, distant landlord who’s haphazard with his lawn service etc. As with Brother Denlinger’s comments on the certain forms of freedom common to third world countries, that has proven a blessing to us. We paid our rent through covid, & keep difficult hillside across from us clear which lawn people balk at, & charge extra for which means we get certain leeway from the usual cookie-cutter, looks-only suburban deathstyle status quo. Still an individual, not mega-corporation, so he gets moly tracts, too, & we strive to have a good testimony w/o compromise.
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Anyways, that difficult hillside gets sun here & there, but doesn’t have the best soil: going to try some straw bale gardening there in a sort of modified terracing. Can also start some deep-rooted comfrey behind the bales to break up hard soil some, & draw up nutrients. It can be invasive, but I just count that a blessing and chop the extra down for mulch, compost additives etc because it’s such a rich plant, pretty in spring, early summer with blue blossoms, then not so much.
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As the straw breaks down, it will improve the soil, but for this year it will serve as raised garden beds with just a couple inches of soil added to the top & after saturating the bales with water, some compost tea etc. Already have as much cultivated in our little lot plot as I can & adding makeshift planters. The grandchildren & I will be cleaning up & readying the vermicomposter next week for homeschool ‘science’, & that’s useful, too. We may need to do some fishing this year, too, if we can find moderately clean ponds or streams back in the hills some. Our bait can work for us until we need it.
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I’ve wanted a few chickens, but given how things are shaping up, I’ve shifted to accumulating all that’s needed for quail hutches: faster production, quieter & can be done inside in a pinch & with attentive cleaning. Better protein profile than rabbit, though rabbit can serve to that end, too, in a pinch & with attention to any added legume & grain protein you can get. Rabbits are quiet, can be raised inside, & of course, multiply like…rabbits. If there’s time& availability, I plan on adding that to the quail…but given the sources for chicks etc are drying up & the ‘bird flu’ plan: quail are the priority. Chicken roosters are noisy & necessary to fertilize eggs if you’re looking for a continual egg & meat source: quail cockerals are much quieter.
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Researching & acquiring hard copy on alternative feed sources for such critters, too. And for other pets, we have one aging dog. Will not replace, though in some circumstances a good watchdog or noisy alarm dog might be worth the extra feed & effort….so consider your circumstances & pray about such decisions.
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Stay busy, productive & close to the Lord. It’s great for managing stress & occupying your mind with better than propaganda, & you can sing those old hymns, & let them & scripture & prayer occupy your mind. Keep learning productive & useful things. You also sleep better at night, truly tired & accomplishing real things. Sure no vitamin D & circadian rhythm troubles in it! and it seems to counter the emf effects some to be out & about, active in the sunlight. And be ye thankful, it says. Fight every potentially poisoning root of bitterness, & watch & pray for opportunities to witness. They may be fewer, but if they were totally gone: we would be, too. Keep the faith.
That’s wonderful. Seems like you are in a good situation and area to be able cultivate plants and have means to be closer to a natural way of living.