Coldest UK Spring in 50 Years

[Mark]

May has also been wetter than average.

This spring is on track to be the coldest in more than 50 years, says the BBC.

If conditions continue through the last days of May, it will be the coldest spring since 1962, and the fifth coldest since records began in 1910.

With a mean temperature of 2.2C to 3.3C below the long-term average, the UK also endured the coldest March since 1962.

“Earlier this month, snow hit Shropshire and Devon and Cornwall, while Wales saw widespread snow in March.”
 How about mentioning the March snowstorm that buried 43,000 sheep and cattle in snowdrifts up to 18 feet deep?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22718944

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[Mark]

According to the Central England Temperature Series, England has just experienced its coldest Spring since 1891.
The average mean temperature of 6.87C ranks the 31st coldest on records starting in 1659, and is 2 degrees lower than the 1981-2010 average of 8.9C.

http://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2013/06/02/coldest-spring-in-england-since-1891/

[RobertHH]

Very true Mark, and after two days of summer weather, we are back to cloudy grey sky, but at least it's not snowing and there are no floods in the UK that I know about.

[Mark]

More than a third of honey bee hives did not survive this winter’s cold, wet conditions, according to the British Beekeepers Association.

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The hardest hit region was the South West where over half of the hives were lost.

All regions of England saw dramatic declines with the numbers lost more than double the previous 12 months.

With overall losses at 33.8%, this year’s figures are the worst yet recorded.

“It is desperate; it is a huge loss of bees,” Devon beekeeper Glyn Davies told BBC News.

Another factor that worked against the bees is what is called isolation starvation. Because of the cold, the bees cluster very closely together to maintain hive temperature and consume the stores of honey closest to them.

If the weather is so cold that they can’t actually move, the bees will starve – although there may be plenty of food sources nearby.

“It’s disastrous for honey production,” said Tim Lovett of the Btitish Beekeepers Association.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22861651

[JennyLeez]

Although this is not international but local, it follows along the same lines as above.

National "Bee Aware" month begins in New Zealand - are we seeing fewer bees?

 Today marks the bee-ginning of national Bee Aware Month, an initiative aimed at highlighting the decline in bee numbers worldwide.

CEO of the National Beekeepers' Association Daniel Paul says no one's entirely sure what's causing the decline in bee numbers, known as colony collapse disorder (CCD).

"It's a very good question, and I guess that no one's absolutely certain of all the causes," he said on Firstline this morning.

"There are a number of things that we're worried about – one, that bees have good access to nutrition sources… another is obviously the use of pesticides, which is causing scientists around the world concern; there are various pests and diseases which threaten our bees, so that mix is pretty toxic."

The problem is much worse overseas, where up to a third of hives are being emptied every year. In Switzerland last year, around half of the country's bees didn't survive the winter.

"CCD has been talked about in America and large losses have occurred quite often in Europe," says Dr Paul. "We are not in that situation yet by any manner of means."

But with New Zealand's heavily reliance on agricultural exports, a collapse here could spell economic – as well as ecological – disaster.

"It's not just the honey you put on your toast in the morning. New Zealand earns a lot of its money by exporting agricultural crops, and bees are responsible for the pollination of most of those crop – over $5 billion worth of agri-export crops leave New Zealand every year because of bee pollination."

Some pesticides commonly used by farmers – and home gardeners – are just as toxic to bees as they are unwanted bugs. Mr Paul says they should only be used in the evenings, after bees have "gone to bed", and never on flowers in full bloom.

"The more bees you've got in the garden, the better off you'll be."

The National Beekeepers' Association is urging the Government to reconsider allow more honey imports from various countries, which Mr Paul says could bring pests and diseases linked to CCD into New Zealand.