There's a New Type of Bee and You're Not Going to Like It

Get an exclusive Black Friday deal! Enter promo code THOUGHTY2 to get up to 6 additional months for free at surfshark.deals/THOUGHTY2
Thoughty2 Patreon & Discord: / thoughty2
Thoughty2 Audiobook: geni.us/t2audio
Thoughty2 Book: geni.us/t2book
Follow Thoughty2
TikTok: / realthoughty2
Facebook: / thoughty2
Instagram: / thoughty2
Website: thoughty2.com
About Thoughty2
Thoughty2 (Arran) is a British KZbinr and gatekeeper of useless facts. Thoughty2 creates mind-blowing factual videos about science, tech, history, opinion and just about everything else.
#Thoughty2
Editing: Jack Stevens

[@fatfreddyscoat7564]

The fact that we are looking at bee alternatives rather than moderating our behaviour to allow bees to thrive shows that, as a species, we are horrific.

[@texasswade8453]

Kind of harsh. Considering that we are the only species that gives a damn at all and are at least trying. Have birds and spiders decided to eat fewer bees? If mites are what are killing them, aren’t they the “horrific” species? No, we are the only species who are even aware or even care that bee populations are falling. Even bees don’t care.

[@danielodom9305]

Nah we are the alpha species we can break what we want to!

[@catsupchutney]

Blame it on click bait. The fact that two dozen researcher wrote some papers and discussed how to do it, is not an indictment of the industry. Also, keep in mind that European honey bees are invasive species. They are adorable and useful, but not native to the US. Nobody knows if native species could return to their original role because there's no money to fund the research.

[@alexmipego]

People keep forgetting what capitalism means. It means profits. Profits win everything, everything is done for profits. From the second bees could not be enslaved in a way a select few could control the market, bees were doomed.

[@isopodslug6365]

The main issues are they move commercial hives too much so the bees get stressed by their environment changing too much (imagine falling asleep in Atlanta Georgia your hometown and waking up in Boise Idaho it would freak you out and imagine if it kept happening no explanation you'd either die from stress or go crazy eventually ),the mites,not enough flowers in people's yards (and I am talking natural flowers from weeds grasses and dandelions -dandelions are a very important flower for bees but everyone hates them or poisons them newsflash if you yard has only one plant type it's not healthy that plant type being only grass so if you Poison weeds and mow like crazy it's your fault the bees in your area die to some degree) ,all the hives people use bee or hornet spray on ,all the herbicides and pesticides ,and invasive bugs .if we want to save the planet we have to stop being so vain about our yards stop using poison stop cutting things so often and relocate bees instead of killing them

[@nicholascoroniti9575]

I feel like if bees disappeared we would have a MUCH bigger problem than a 150 billion dollars

[@terrikeentk]

Isn't it sad that nothing is a big deal until they put a dollar sign on it and fear they might lose that mighty dollar SMH

[@rustyshackleford5186]

No not really. Bees aren’t actually that important and this issues is way overblown. Fruit and flowers would probably have to be hand pollinated via slave labor in poor regions, price might increase marginally, but all in all it would not really affect any western nation, and certainly not endanger our food supply; almost everything we eat is wind pollinated and livestock also eats wind pollinated grain and grass. I like flowers and fruit so I would like a sustainable solution, but theres no reason to he SCARED over bees going extinct.

[@aaftiyoDkcdicurak]

​@@rustyshackleford5186your thinking is like someone who makes excuses to validate their drug use.

[@Mephitinae]

Yeah, let's just wait and see what happens when all flowering plants die in the wild. Surely this won't lead to any dramatic chain reaction in the whole biosphere or anything. @@rustyshackleford5186

[@granthopper4132]

That was just to the American economy, not the world.

[@chaosRonin]

One thing i love about this guy is that he can talk without a million jumpcuts. I have never noticed anyone point this out. 90% of KZbinrs cannot speak a full sentence without a jumpcut and this is what puts Thoughty2 heads and shoulders above the rest! :)

[@jamesdhanjal9626]

I hear you! Especially in KZbin shorts!

[@leovolont]

what is a jumpcut?

[@Kingcobra6699]

You are right. Didn't even notice it at first but once you mentioned it I noticed. And appreciated it.

[@eroscene3174]

​@@leovolont its basically an edit. Sometimes used when you mess up on something you said and need to cut it out so you can start over.

[@maxcapone3957]

And when he does jumpcut, he does it with a pan in or a pan out. Crafty and artistic!

[@Thestargazer56]

My family used to raise bees in the 1980s. We lost all of our hives due to colony collapse back then. I suspect that modern farming methods have had a huge impact on bee populations, due to excessive use of herbicides, pesticides, and genetically modified hybrid crops that cause less nectar production in the crops.

[@sootuckchoong7077]

I used to see lots of butterflies and some bees in a garden called the "Lake Garden" , but now, almost none, even though there's still alot of flowers there.

[@nitroagent6494]

One of the biggest factors is actually anti fungals. They collect it on pollen and put it in their brood chambers. Those chemicals actually kill the gut microbes and fungi that basically act as the bees Immune system.

[@elvaquero5554]

I think you're correct. Pesticides don't discriminate between pests and beneficial insects, and for every pest species, there are probably over 1000 beneficial species.

[@nitroagent6494]

@@elvaquero5554 Not to mention the fact a lot of these pesticides don't just affect insects but also soil microbes and fungi that are the back bone of plant health. Which is why all our crops are unhealthy and get attacked by bugs.

[@imakrewitatl]

Monsanto! ☝🏻

[@Jovian7]

100% with thoughty on this: let's save the bees first.

[@davidschill9166]

To bee or not to bee that is the question? Aaron I've seen every episode very educational and entertaining a hard mix to balance but you nailed it keep up the great work!!!!! huge fan Elfbrew

[@tiffles699]

I'm against "saving the bees" and robotics... Because the "bees" are invasive/mediocre livestock and not the natives... You see the "save the bees" plates and it's nothing but EUROPEAN honeybees and not bumblebees or wasps, yellow jackets solitary bees... Honeybees are destroying NATIVE pollinators killing off the best pollinators we have in the US through their diseases.

[@redbehemoth3392]

People responsible for making making robbobees are itchy to create something and they are funded by those who are hostile towards bees

[@EZ-D-FIANT]

And if that fails (like it is) we'll have no back up plan and die, we are trying to save the bees its not like we're doing nothing and just letting them die.....

[@justsomenobody889]

we can start by banning the insecticide that's killing them

[@clavo3352]

I started noticing bees activity at a roadside park garbage can. Some bees were dying inside the diet soda cans. They were okay in the non-diet soda cans. I don't know where bees might be getting so much of the diet soda poison that whole colonies are collapsing but it seems to be an agricultural chemistry problem.

[@fraskf6765]

Asphagan hits again

[@samuelwhitson2686]

Diet sodas usually have aspartame, which is confirmed to be a harmful chemical; sometimes even responsible for cancer.

[@mr.mclibtard5015]

Nope

[@FLPhotoCatcher]

I suspect that microplastics are harmful to bees. Microplastics have been discovered to be able to be absorbed by plant roots, and taken up to flowers and fruits.

[@leenonolee4629]

I noticed the same thing when we went on vaca with our son and his then wife.

[@JaynBea]

As a beekeeper, I truly appreciate the education of the public on the plight of the honey bees is important. Having experienced CCD in some of my hives, I can tell you that there is nothing more frustrating than to see my work in maintaining colonies in my hives quite dispiriting. Thanks for your time and attention to this very important, but little talked about problem.

[@candy6852]

I love bees and have helped with harvesting honey before. But arent honey bees an invasive species in many parts of the world?

[@nostalji75]

@@candy6852 I think you are asking the wrong question. Humans should be careful calling other species "invasive" or not. The question should be: How do bees impact native ecosystemes.

[@candy6852]

@@nostalji75 Honey bees push out local pollinators while also being less effective at pollinating. Nature has favoured a kind of lock and key system when it comes to pollination but honey bees are not that picky. This has a huge impact on bio diversity and thereby destabilizing local eco systems.

[@nostalji75]

@@candy6852 Do you have anything to support these assumptions? I dont really see why honey bees would be worse at polinating than other insects including native bees. Why is being less limited to spefic plants a problem? If we even are talking about a decrease in biodiversity its still nowhere near the destructive impact of modern homo sapiens. If evolution would be a person, hed be so fed up with our bs.^^

[@myronplatte8354]

@@candy6852 Instead of worrying that honeybees will drive out solitary bees by some mysterious mechanism, how about providing solitary bees what they need to multiply? There are lots of tutorials out there if you look them up.

[@dlschweppe]

One household at a time. That may be the ultimate solution. I live in a town/small city and only have a small backyard and a front yard. In 2022, I started a backyard garden which included your basic vegetables as well as a raspberry patch and a strawberry patch. This past spring I expanded the garden, added four blueberry bushes, and started an herb garden. Though I saw no honey bees, the bumble bees seemed to thrive. For 2024, I'm considering adding clover to the front yard grass and expanding the backyard garden. Perhaps, "if you build it, they will come." Perhaps not. But it's worth the time, effort, and cash.

[@myronplatte8354]

I agree. Try to work in some spring ephemerals if you can. those provide early nectar for bees, so they can stop draining their honey stores. The channel Canadian Permaculture Legacy has some good vids about optimizing for bees.

[@N3gativeR3FLUX]

Lavender. My wife has started gardening, is deathly allergic to bees and the bees won't leave her lavender alone. She's terrified every time she goes into the garden. But she still smiles when she sees them all over her lavender.

[@FrederickDunn]

If we're going to come to a point where robotic bees become what we depend upon for pollination, then it's my opinion that we've lost the battle for sustainability. Natural bees and pollinators need to be provided for through better environmental management. More agricultural diversity and reduction of mono-culture farming, partnered with responsible reduction of the pesticides you mention. You said it, neonics... we just need the populations of the world to care more about the environment and less about recreation-related pollution. All we need is for people to care about the environment overall, and act locally to preserve air, soil, and water quality. Thanks!

[@michaelmccarthy4077]

over harvesting of honey is another factor. Monoculture farming is a necessity for food production at scale, but interplanting of non-production crops (such as certain clovers) would benefit both the soils and the bees. As for neonics, the EU ban on their use has not shown a significant improvement in bee health and survival, meaning the problem is not single factor.

[@yulianaraven7851]

But what about muh capitalisms?

[@TheBreenGene]

Well said

[@ricardoebel6906]

An dieser stelle würden wir Menschen lokal leben, keine Autos nutzen um Distanzen zu überwinden, als privates Vergnügen würden wir die Welt garnicht so verseuchen. Motorsport ist auch ein schönes Beispiel dafür. Ebenso wie die massentierhaltung. Wir Menschen sind als Krone der Schöpfung unseres Planeten eine Tragödie, denn wir werden unsere Mutter Erde hinrichten zusammen mit uns selbst und allen anderen Arten die unseren Felsen im Universum beleben.

[@johndwolynetz6495]

wasps

[@knifekitten4230]

I think one of the problems we’re dealing with is that we are using bees imported from other countries in our hives. We want the best honey producers not what is best for the environment. This creates competition to the local be populations. If we’re gonna have hives, it should be of the same species in the area to not disrupt the balance of food.

[@VintageMemory]

What? I thought everyone who kept bees did that already. What the hell?

[@Pocketfarmer1]

The big business in bee keeping is custom pollination . There are firms in the US that have thousands of hives. The hives are moved by tractor trailers around the country to pollinate different crops in season. The will do laps around the continent. Honey is a byproduct secondary aspect . Many of the crops they work are not native either.

[@uptoolate2793]

Honey bees are not native to the America's......

[@SorbusAucubaria]

@@Pocketfarmer1 That seems like a good way to spread diseases from one areas bees to the next...

[@Pocketfarmer1]

@@SorbusAucubaria perhaps good is not the wright word. It is because of this big pollination business that the almond lobby ,which is something on the order of a $5 billion industry, it Monsanto ( a major Ag chemical company) to address colony collapse and the adverse effects of neonicotinoid insecticides.

[@paranoiarpincess]

In Toronto, building owners have bee-n allowing companies to put bee hives atop bee-ldings to help repopulate the colonies. We also have authorized sections of land specifically for wildflowers to grow to help both bed and butterflies. I've personally seen at least three places like this and they have placards explaining the project and boasting a multitude of other similar sites across the megacity!

[@kindredtoast3439]

As usual, your humor is spot on, even with the sad topic of this video. "...let alone convincingly shag a rose," is one of the funniest phrases I've heard in a long time.

[@greenmanjph]

I only have one hive at the moment and this one is my second one. By that, I mean that I lost my first hive after about 3 years over last winter. I don't know what happened, they had plenty of food stores and minimal mites. They thrived the first two years and even gave us about 26 pounds of honey one summer. After speaking with other keepers in the area who lost a lot more than my one little hive, I found out that there was a 45 - 50% hive loss across the US. The keeper I speak to every few months lost 9 out of 26 hives, and they been beekeeping for over 20 years. They, and not even Cornell University who has a special beekeeping section know what happened last winter. It could've been the crazy winter with the up and down temps. Hopefully my new hive will survive this winter. 🤞

[@clavo3352]

Wonder if the university mentioned anything about the chemistry of diet sodas?

[@treycopeland1368]

Question: Are you an Amarican? And are your bees honeybees?

[@TheDramacist]

Goodluck, Beeman. May your bees bring you much merryment and honey x

[@greenmanjph]

@@treycopeland1368 Yes and yes. The old hive and the new one were/are Italian honeybees.

[@alexmipego]

I know nothing about raising bees. But simply knowing you're the USA should be a big hint as to why and how to fix it. Move out. lol I'm joking a bit there, but I'm betting that if you simply filter their air… the problems will go away. I understand this isn't easy, but imagine finding a deep cave and raising them there.

[@user-vq2wr7fh7l]

I’m a backyard beekeeper. I was in Los Angeles but I am now living in a small rural community in the San Jacinto mountains. I’m in the process of teaching beekeeping to my neighbors and they are teaching me about goats and chickens. We’re planning on building a bee house real soon because I think if we want to keep nice bees like Italians we’re going to have to protect them from the wintering over. I’m really looking forward to this project. The good news is recently in the LA County beekeepers association club a woman from some University I can’t remember which gave us the good news that colony collapse is slowing down and possibly slightly reversing and that the research at the University has found it’s because of backyard beekeepers. Beekeeping is very cool and bees are the most amazing creature you can imagine. I think everybody should get into it and it used to be every small farm or gardener kept bees. The biggest thing is keeping up with the Berroa mic problem. If you do that and you learn that well you’ll be able to keep healthy bees. My biggest challenge up here is the fact that Africanized bees have actually made it up here on the mountain. If you’re not careful they will take over your hive kill your queen and then you have difficult bees. The solution is always to get a new queen but it’ll be an interesting adventure to see how that works up here. You don’t want to get rid of the Africanized bees though, they are much healthier and can defend pretty well against Verroa mites, and have somehow I don’t know how, adapted to this climate up here. You can keep them as a beekeeper but they’re kind of a pain in the rear and you need to have a lot of space so they don’t attack your kids or your other animals. Because if they get pissed off it’s a problem. Thanks for taking the sun it was very interesting

[@user-vq2wr7fh7l]

Verroa mite

[@truth2tell]

Taking the sun? Also, how is it possible that colony collapse is reversible thanks to beekeepers? Aren't bees highly territorial? They only return to their one hive with their one queen and outsiders are killed? How does that work?

[@ToudaHell]

The bees that our species evolved with hating us. That, for my high mind, is hilarious.

[@marvinwindsor5896]

My mother, an Iowa farm girl, has an amazing green thumb. She has the ability to pollinate flowers and plants in her garden with just her touch, or her technique of touching. Likely there are many in the world that can do this. Surviving a bee-pocolypse would be difficult except for small groups living around these green thumbs.

[@slewone4905]

We can go to hand pollination, but it requires a large amount of labor. My mother grows carambola, which require a specific beetle not in los Angeles but evidently we don't have the touch. The problem is the male flower bloom at different time as the female or something complicate like that.

[@MrGenimi]

The size of the bees was changed some centurys ago so they could carry more nectar and polen and that caused the mite problem. Before that time, only drones were affected by mites. Currently, there are some projects to reverse the be size

[@Black_Reflection]

Personally, I do everything I can to attract bees. Every year I plant flowers they love. We are so used to each other in the yard, that the bees don't see my family as a threat. Even if disturbed, they just find another flower and move on.

[@LibertarianGalt]

This is the key. More people that focus on helping the birds and the bees will create a positive change.

[@Totalchatter]

I have a lil over 8 acres..I live in the country..used to be grasshoppers were huge..bees made hives in the trees an honey would seep down them...people moved in on the lots around us an started keeping lawns short ...we left some overgrown for the wild..but then the county started complaining ..made us keep yard down eventho the only town near us is over 2 miles away...we have hills on the frontban back of us..we own the one behind us..for 20 years that went on..last 3 years I let some overgrown an just started seeing several hives in the ground in the trees...so I said to hell with the county I am more concerned with the wild than I am with the fines

[@mrsanity]

I think this is probably the primary reason for the decline of bees. Just as with humans, eating from only one food source is going to lack certain key nutrients that could help sustain the hive. A hive that only has corn, rape flower, or any other mono-culture crop as a source of food with no additional sources nearby is not going to be at tip-top level.

[@michelsealy3782]

​@mrsanity millions die each year because they are captured and shipped to California so they can produce avocados for vegans. I'm sure that doesn't help. It's crazy vegans gonna get mad you eat meat and yet they are a huge part of possibly collapsing the eco system just because they over empathize for animals.

[@moverseve]

HOAs.... yup. That makes complete sense. And mrsanity's addition also makes complete sense. Honestly, scientists should look into this.

[@bruceb5481]

We let wildflowers grow on our suburban lot and a hive started right away. The following spring we got a warning from the town for having weeds over 10 inches tall. Sorry bees 😢😢😢

[@Totalchatter]

@@bruceb5481 isn't that ridiculous when u have the space an trying to help nature? Humans especially government ones can be ignorant

[@Khanthiilas]

in my local council area in Australia we have adopted a less pesticide way of looking after plants by using bee hives as a natural pesticide, its less invasive and bees are happy to help

[@therealforestelf]

my gramps was a beekeeper when he became a pensioneer, and so was my aunts father-in-law and she took up the colonies and takes care of the bees now, incredible honey! it's quite a bit of work and maybe not the cheapest hobby to get into but selfmade honey is amazing and you can sell your quality product for a good price. ALSO you can tell everyone that you are literally saving the world by taking care of the bees and honey ;D I definitely have to get a couple colonies soon aswell! (you could even keep them on a balcony go and annoy your neighbours or landlord because cats & dogs are forbidden but nobody ever said anything about not being allowed to have bees as pets!)

[@stormryder9202]

As a beekeeper, I’ll stick to the real thing

[@itsNep_]

Bee all you can bee

[@MattsCrazyArt]

What do you think is causing colony collapse?

[@Sleepy4213]

I blame the almond. Bee keepers have to bring the bees from all over the country to CA for almond pollination. Leads to spread of colony collapse syndrome. Tell everyone you know to stop buying almonds.

[@stormryder9202]

@@Sleepy4213 your years behind the subject plus that term hasn’t been used at least 30 years so I don’t know what science-fiction books you people read

[@stormryder9202]

@@MattsCrazyArt I couldn’t tell you I’ve never had that problem I’ve been beekeeping for over 20 years plus the term colony collapse is an ancient term

[@VirtualTrucker74]

Three years ago in 2020 our local council relaxed their aggressive approach to gardens that are either overgrown or had too many weeds in them. The result was that in 2020-2022 I was seeing and hearing quite a few bees in our local neighbourhood. In 2023 the council returned to their stance that any property with a garden or lawn had to be well maintained, lawns had the mowed at least once every month and fines were issued if any gardens or lawns weren't correctly maintained (this included areas which weren't visible to the general public). This year (2023) I haven't seen or heard ONE bee in our neighbourhood, I'm not saying it's a direct result of what our local authority has done but it feels as though it's too much of a coincidence. Also the elderly lady at the end of my street was telling me that she had noticed the lack of bees this year and that she had to self polinate her flowers. Add that to the hundreds of tenants who are mowing their lawns to an inch of their lives, the tenants who are replacing their gardens and lawns for concrete driveways, patio's etc and it's easy to see why the bees decline is falling.

[@sourgummiez8872]

It actually is likely a direct result. I have 2 acres full of wildflowers. After 3 months, I watched everything within a 3 mile radius of me absolutely thriving. My bees enjoy it also 👍🏼 even a small strip of wildflowers will bring in thousands of pollinators!

[@d23bw]

Thank's for sharing your obversations. I live in a Dublin suberb and have noticed a significant drop in Bees but many different flies, beetles and other insects. Anectodal I know but not a single observation.

[@VirtualTrucker74]

@@d23bw Yep. Spiders, ants, fruit flies, blue bottles, woodlice, butterflies etc all down in numbers. You'd think that with the increased heat we had in the summer that their numbers would be up, oh yeah I haven't seen any moths either?

[@turdferguson7686]

i have no issues with bees and other bugs in my yard. as in there are plenty of them around. i have more clover than grass though, and plenty of "overgrown areas" that form a natural barrier around my property. even got stung by a bee this year, must have mowed over the poor gal. i do wish she wouldnt have stung me though as it was a honey bee who left her butt in the back of my damn earlobe where she stung me. worst sting ive ever had and ive been eaten by about 300 fire ants before. and she sacrificed herself for nothing because i want the bees around. just the clover in my yard is enough to get all sorts of bugs and wildlife though, doesnt have to be tall and overgrown either. people need to stop treating everything that isnt some fancy grass that isnt native to the area as weeds and spraying them until theyre gone. put clover in there, some ivy and other things and your yard looks green still but its better for nature and doesnt require as much or any fertilizer if you have the right mix of things. mother nature knows better than we do and we need to stop fighting her and learn to live with her better once again.

[@russelsellick316]

Your council is a real problem. Bunch of idiots.

[@hazelnutcase357]

As a person who likes food and has a garden I've noticed that 20 years ago I was too scared to pick raspberries during the daytime because there were too many (long hair and bees can spell tragedy for both) Now I can count the bees when I go picking. Raspberries have a long growing/picking season here so its more than just pollen availability. Concerned.

[@ddtshoots]

Thank you. I appreciate the many hours and tedious attention required to produce interesting and relevant science videos. This episode on bees and robot bees is super informative and the humor only adds to the viewing experience. So, again, thank you! Also, is the use of '42' a Douglas Adams reference? :)

[@N3gativeR3FLUX]

Heh the meaning of life.

[@foxdavani4091]

Your videos always bring a smile to my face. I’ve been stuck inside my house for nearly 5 months now because I got hit by a car and now have trouble walking. The most I can do is just walk around my street because any further and my legs give out. so when I come to your channel, it isn’t, just because you have such interesting things to talk about but it’s how you present the topics because you’re fun to watch but you’re also very formal and intelligent while still being funny and entertaining. You have a passion about creating content that Opens peoples eyes and for me in my current condition, where I am slowly going mad, I really need stuff like this because it gives me something to focus on other than the physical pain and the fact that I can’t do anything. You really are a lifesaver. One of the best channels for learning while getting a good giggle .

[@nichtangeklagter]

I hope you will recover. Being stuck is a mental torture. Just want to add that Arran has a very clear way of talking, that makes it easier to understand for non native english speakers

[@Thorzaney101]

Best channel out there. I broke my back last year and I'm paralyzed from waist down. I re watched all of the videos while I was in the hospital recovering. I feel you man. Be happy you can walk still man. It could always be worse.id give anything to be able to even stand up again.

[@jebkermen6087]

hope you get better

[@procactus9109]

What, there are good videos out there, much more accurate and informative than this.. Almost all of his videos have fake Information

[@dirkdisselpuff7938]

​@@procactus9109provide Proof or shut Up. Making these kind of Statements under a Main Post that Is basically a Self Therapy Session shows more about the Person making the Statment then the Person Sharing their current struggle with Life and a partial Solution in dealing with it. Have empathy.

[@seivernoname-tz9uh]

When you mentioned the dystopian aspect I thought you were going to point out that whoever makes these first will have unfettered control over food production and can set the price at whatever they want and we'll have no choice but to pay

[@kray9438]

The theory is that and much worse. The ‘whoever’ has already put the wheels in motion for this. But it’s not about creating robot bees, that’s the distraction. It’s about controlling gmo farming to the point where bees are not needed. Adapting the food source so it can be grown/manufactured in a different way that doesn’t require bees at all. Then ‘whoever’ controls the entire supply from creation to 🍽️

[@redline1916]

@@kray9438 Everyone called me a "trumper conspiracy theorist" when I pointed this shit out well before 2020 lmfao Crazy how the tables turn isn't it? When we're the ones who are actually right? lol The people who point out what will happen in the future are always the first to be labelled traitors and subhumans

[@alioshapopovicius3352]

@@kray9438sounds like another conspiracy, but if ever invented I don’t think it will be successful.

[@OsakaHibachi]

i'm a home bee keeper, and have a few colonies out in the back yard; I think it would be kinda neat to have a little robot hive next to my organic colonies. from what i know about honey bees (in my area) there likely would not be any conflicts at feeding areas...you only really see a "defense" response at the hive entrance, and most people would be extremely surprised how much you can mess with them before you'll even get stung. case in point, i don't wear any protection when i open my colony boxes up to do my bi-weekly inspections, i just keep the smoker rolling and the bees generally give you several warnings before you get to the point of stinging, and i've never been stung multiple times in the same day. I wouldn't mind talking with you on the subject, as there's a lot to consider on the topic, between bee behavior (bee-havior?) and technology. It's winter here in the states right now so I can't exactly take you to the back yard to have a look at my hives and whatnot, but I humbly leave the offer on the table for you to take or leave at your leisure. Love the content, always keeps me coming back for more :)

[@MrJefe]

The best thing about ALL of your videos is the fact that YOU narrate them all. I'm so sick of hearing the AI doing the job for the lazy creators.

[@mikeemaus617]

Another part of the problem is, and I've seen this happen, Beekeepers have started moving their hives during the day, when most of the bees are out seeking pollen, they used to move them at night when most bees are in the hive

[@n.a.nameless5435]

You are absolutely right. I've also noticed that even a few inches of movement in the hive's entrance will confuse the foragers. And that is if they were IN the hive during the movement. It really blows their minds if they were out foraging when the change happened. They come back and have to go off scent to make sure they got the correct front door. And if it is not, there is a chance they will be attacked by accidentally wrong hive. If they are heavily laden with pollen and nectar, they might escape execution. Always best practice to move them at night or predawn morning.

[@mr.mclibtard5015]

False

[@mr.mclibtard5015]

​@@n.a.nameless5435not true

[@n.a.nameless5435]

@@mr.mclibtard5015 I've been keeping bees for the past 45 years. I trust my observations far more than your word vomit. Have a nice day.

[@timohara7717]

​@@mr.mclibtard5015prove it

[@fatstogie]

honestly it's funny that all the big brains thought making new tech bees would be cheaper and more efficient than actually trying to fix the problem lmao

[@bas4903]

Yeah I know. Sounds like something a child would excitedly think of

[@Saulgoodman67677]

its pretty understandable imo. They think that humanity won't be able to save our bees because most of us just don't care enough about the planet. So they want to get ahead of the curve before we lose all our bees

[@rbr1170]

But if you consider the possibility that the Bee Problem is really about 'problem with humans', then this solution is actually our best bet. And what do I mean by "this is a problem with humans"? Well, exactly that, bees are dying because some subset of humans are doing something that is directly killing bee population. If you know anything about people, making them stop doing something with not enough incentive is extremely hard. Just take plastic pollution, you think we can make everyone drink from paper straws? Sure in some areas but with problems that crosses political boundaries and such geographical scope, well, just look at how consensus decision making has worked so far. Even with something like transition to renewable energy, something that has a much observable effect on regular people, we still can't push for a good enough result for halting coal and petroleum usage. It is always easier to say to scientist and engineers to "just fix the problem". Well, these people are engineers/scientist who are really good at working with things instead of people. If anything, this should be directed to our politicians but we seem to already know they can't do $hit.

[@DrSchredder]

NO it isnt, but its not part of the plan to stop intoxification and radiation of creation. And this is the reason for bees dying (also humans getting sick etc.).

[@aladvs]

@@DrSchredderwhat are you yapping about?

[@spinwitch]

Your idea to just save the bees is so outrageous, fantastic and simply crazy - it might just work.

[@Nee96Nee]

While there's no 1 solution to the bee issue, it has been documented that the way most agriculture practices are not good for bees long term. Monoculture farms and orchards play a huge part. Just by adding more diversity to farming practices, and allowing native flowers to border orchards and farms can aid in bee health and possibly attracting native bees. That being said I could see this technology being a great help to vanilla bean growers or other plants that have a short flower life or flower at night and pollinators not available.

[@paulvale2985]

'Save the F*****g Bees' needs to be a T shirt for a Bee charity.

[@kastlesinnwhetstoneSTARLOXZ]

Agreeeeeeeeee

[@Schearjaschub]

I think if we had the technology required for robobees, we wouldn't use it for pollination. We would use it for warfare (as always).

[@sweetcyanidetea]

I gotta say it brightens my day to hear your voice. How do you look even younger with every video? You make learning even more fun.

[@IonkoGueorguiev]

I'll tell you why we can't save the bees. I wanted to put a bee hive on my property, but I need to pay all kinds of fees, get a bunch of licenses and be subjected to constant government inspections..... If I did put a bee hive, my guess is that no one would ever be the wiser. My property is the last house on a dead end street surrounded by woods and fields, but knowing how much head aches I could have I just won't take the risk. In this day and age, no good deed goes unpunished.

[@DrRexie]

I'm a bit on the fence about that idea because robotic bees is part of an episode of Black Mirror and to have them literally work on a system that can be hacked is a severely Dangerous Thing

[@billycox475]

Came here looking for a Black Mirror comment!

[@DrRexie]

@@billycox475 glad to be of service

[@abdulsabri6551]

Time and time again people have failed in making the world a better place like when the machine gun was invented to show the dangers and horrors of world war but that did not stop people from building a nuke.

[@panspermiapancakes]

Yeah, and there is a large percentage of Americans that already think 5G is a mind control device being used to control the population and that vaccines are tracking devices that also alter your DNA. Imagine the paranoia that would exist with tiny robotic bees flying around. Even if they are only doing the exact thing they are advertised for, there is going to be millions of people intentionally destroying them. If we lose the real bees, we'll also be responsible for destroying it's replacement.

[@ressljs]

As long as they can be reprogrammed to sting my neighbor Jimmy, I'm A-OK with the robot bees.

[@kevinfoster1138]

We have no idea how bees talk to each other. This is a crazy true story, a hive of bees was brought onto a movie set when out of nowhere it seemed another hive flew in after the movie bees were released. The people asked the bee keeper, what do we do? He said stand back we have to let the bees talk it out or figure it out among themselves. Somehow the bees figured it out the other hive went on to do their thing the movie bees returned to their hive and the people were able to film. The people have no idea how this was able to work out but it did.

[@abdulsabri6551]

crazy

[@eddsworldlover]

You’ll be stunned when you find out about these things called pheromones

[@chrisprysok7634]

Its been translated. Watch a video on how a hive moves. The bees fly out and find a new location then return do a little dance, each gesture translates to the other bees and from each movement the other bees are able to locate the new prospective hive location.

[@bradleyboyer9979]

Bees are actually an advanced form of civilization. They are far more evolved than we are, and they make jokes about seeing things from a "human perspective," as though we are primitive creatures who cannot comprehend their existence.

[@YoutubeBorkedMyOldHandle_why]

After all the thousands of movies and TV shows I've watched over the years, I've come to the conclusion that there are quite a few things that the film industry think they understand, but actually don't. Why should bees be any different?

[@genesmalley3379]

There is no winter slumber. The bees constantly fly and look for sources of pollen ad nectar every day that is above 50 degrees. The bee issue is also much deeper than pollination. Bees carry formic acid which is the key component to plant life. Plants that don't have nectar exude other liquids such as sap etc. This is another form of plant communication with bees, so bees visit these plants also and this helps the plants to grow. A huge problem that plagues the honeybee population is pesticides as you mentioned. Particularly the nicotine based ones because nicotine gets bees high. However, there is also another more subtle issue. Beekeepers! That's right beekeepers beekeepers feeding, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, pollen substitutes, and treating the bees with antibiotics. At least this is what I have learned during my 10+ years of beekeeping and research. It's really sad how money can get in the way of the most simple of solutions!

[@CreatorProductionsOriginal]

Imagine you evolve to be small, be able to fly, create your own home, love absolutism, taste on the addictive drug in plants, and now you’re the most important thing in the world

[@sergent40]

When I was a young man I knew 20 to 25 people in my county who kept Bees. Today, I don't know anyone within 100 miles that does so. My grandfather told me that at one time everyone kept at least one bee hive for their gardens and for a sweet food source. I think that as a part of the farm bills we do here in the US they should require the keeping of Bees to increase the bee population.

[@cj.wijtmans]

Nonsense. Honey bees are not even native in the americas.

[@RissaFirecat]

Agreed!

[@bogdanpopa268]

I have a feeling when they'll finally make the robo-bees they'll include the stinger just for kicks and giggles :)

[@notyourbusiness5478]

So i actually wanted to actively help with that by having my own hive in my backyard. I even went on a course on how to keep them alive etc. But what i learned there was, that the big problem is not the typical honey bee (in fact the number of honey bees incresed in the last few years because the honey industry grew so large), the honey bee (and bumble bee), is the only social bee that exists (also the only bee that produces honey), so all the other bee species (and there are a lot) are not living in hives or with multiple bees. And thats the BIG problem because these are the ones declining in population. But because they cant be kept like honey bees its nearly impossible to increase their number. They need insect hotels (for example) to lay there eggs and reproduce. Another thing is that honey bees alone cant even pollinate every plant. There are some plants that can only be pollinated by a specific type of bee. So instead of focusing on honey bees, you can help by setting up an insect hotel to help not only bees but also other insects to keep their population stable. Great Video, thumbs up!

[@miradalmeida1390]

For the record, bumblebees aren't in any danger, it's the far more important many kinds of wild bees that are specific polinators of specific plants. The common bumblebees are very inefficient at polination since they'll go for any plant while wild bees have many types that just go for their kind of plant.

[@spiritualspinster4222]

I only buy local honey- it's the best! I agree. We should be doing more to help the real bees instead of trying to make mechanical ones. I remember as a child I'd see honeybees everywhere in the yard. Now I might look for days and see one or two. It's really sad. I grow fruit trees and have to do some hand pollinating just to get ample fruit on the 6 trees I have. It's a lot of work. I wish the bees would come back. At least here in America having Bumblebees helps.

[@remcovanvliet3018]

There are in deed beekeepers who rent out their hives to farmers, transporting them around to pollinate on an industrial scale. Of course, small scale local beekeepers and wild bees also play a vital role, and their importance can hardly be overstated, but industrial scale pollination is most definitely a thing.

[@stop736]

I know I’ve read that bees are even shipped by plane to California to pollinate the almond trees. Apparently it is a huge amount of bees needed for that alone. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@donmohave]

Do you we can clone a bee?

[@itarry4]

Yhea but they're a tiny part over all and very much just an American thing so globally the amount they do is even smaller. Basically the areas America farms are so large and so damaged environmentally bringing the bees to the plants is the only way to do it.

[@stop736]

@@itarry4 I’m so sorry if you weren’t speaking to me about the transporting of bees to California. I honestly do not know much more than anyone else. I just have read about the loss of a lot of colonies and they have to ship bees to farms just to pollinate the plants. As far as the percentage of people that need to do that though, I honestly don’t know. It could be a small amount of people that ship their bees places. I really don’t know. I apologize if I gave the impression that I’m some expert on this subject. I’m clearly not. I do love to learn things though, so I appreciate your comment as it gives me a different perspective on things I’ve only heard or read about. Thanks again, and apologies for any mistake I made in my comment. 🙏👍🙂

[@itarry4]

@@stop736 no problem. My comment was a general one to both you and the original commenter just filling in a bit of the missing details. I mean yhea in America it's a huge thing, not just California but in many other states as well. Huge flatbed trucks piled high with hives travel huge distances from farm to farm and pollinating all sorts of crops but as far as I know it's very much just in America. The style of farming there doesn't allow the space, natural processes of nature to take place due to the huge size of the fields and the fact it's basically crop after crop after crop to allow the farmers to use the huge machines they do to harvest and process the crops. Places like England where I live are both much smaller and have much smaller farms, fields etc which allow for areas between the crops and near to the crops for the bees to set up wild hives etc it's also become policy for quite a while to leave a decent margin at the edge of each field etc to go wild to allow wild flowers, the animals that live in those areas to thrive and give them both places to live but most importantly travel around from area to area so different populations can still interact and breed etc which also attracts bees to those areas. Our farmers get a subsidy for leaving these areas, so it makes sense for them to do it as its guaranteed money for doing nothing but leaving some areas alone to do what they would naturally do. Such schemes aren't really the American way as far as I know as I believe your country, sorry if you're not American but I assume you are, your country is all about keeping taxes low and refraining from the social help, schemes like this. Sorry if this seems like a long answer but you said you love to learn new stuff so thought I'd give a more complete answer.

[@kjaubrey4816]

About twelve years ago North Alabama was hit with tornadoes that left us without power for three weeks. I lived in the city that sent us to the moon but I grew up in the country. I worked at an office and my agents were complaining that their food was going to go bad. I told them to cook it. They asked me how. I told them to build a fire. They asked me how. I realized that most humans lack any basic survival skills because everything is provided for them. At some point our site director rented a van and brought provisions including charcoal and a grill. At this office of 3,000 people they sought me out by name because they were told I could assemble a grill and cook on it. I got paid $25/hr as a manager to drink beer, grill out and feed these people. Most of them had not eaten in days. It was not because they didn't have food but because they lacked the basic skills to build a fire and cook over it. Teach yourself how to survive without the things you take for granted.

[@Ozarkprepper643]

Been keeping bees over 40 years. Been in the ranching business since the '60s It is my belief it is our wireless Technologies. Primarily the ones that run on the same bandwidth as Wi-Fi. That's when things started going south for the bees. I have designed special beehives to screen out radio frequencies. Not much can be done when they're foraging, but at least they have quiet time. I rarely lose hives now and often wild hives will take up residence. So..... A mechanical bee seems like it should be one of the easiest of all robotics. With the exception of the queen all the bees themselves are pre-programmed. And they act as one hive mind. And Bee sex only happens with one drone and the Queen. All other bees are female and worker bees. The queen only mates once. And the Drone when mating with her loses his junk. It then dies. Collapse disorder is not when you find a bunch of dead bees. But when you find no Bees. the other element to The Disappearance is what's happening to many in the animal kingdom. Their navigation depended upon a fixed magnetic pole. but they started wandering about 150 years ago. Around 20 years ago it was picking up speed. today moving at an exponential rate the Earth's poles will likely flip within the next 10 to 30 years. there are a lot of science papers now backing it up but you will never hear it from media you'll have to research it. Anyway the wandering poles are causing many to be lost or confused. And observation says humans are as well. LOL

[@ryanscanlon8177]

So you’re saying there’s a 1 in 27 chance I’m watching this while sitting on the toilet reading the comments and eating ?

[@davidlancaster8152]

Thanks for bringing this to life and spreading the word. Everyone needs to know the benefits of bees and stop being afraid of them and save them. If you have a proper yard or area start an apiary. Great job Thoughty2.

[@aaftiyoDkcdicurak]

The first time I was stung by a bee i cried because I was sad it was going to die. If getting stung twice let it live i would have been on a mission.

[@abdulsabri6551]

Bees are not native to the Americas and they only pose problems for pollinators like butterflies and bumblebees.

[@Chonrad]

There’s quite a bit to learn about bees. It’s really fascinating to find out about them.

[@sirnutcase8745]

Could be a very nice idea, but 1st needs to be inside or at least contained. never release them in the wild. 2nd i think there are much better ways to produce food without screwin up nature. the support bees sound very good tho, instead of replacing it help it :)

[@Deadman7600.]

In my opinion the robotic bees would be better suited for farming environments that are indoors than outdoors. Not only does this reduce the threat of robotic reduction of normal bees but would also allow the bees to keep the tethers if they were fixed to a moving slider on the ceiling. There’s probably flaws with my idea but it does sound like it could be more useful for things like moon bases than anything else.

[@Wileyy123]

Seriously, thank you for all of the awesome content you have put out over the years. I have been an avid watcher and subscriber for two years or so and have watched pretty much everything you've made in the past six years. You have earned yourself a place in many people's lives as a purveyor of interesting facts and hilarious quips that keep us coming back for more. Keep up the good work!

[@JaneAxon123]

Its not just bees that are disappearing, when I was a kid there were loads more insects in generl that I rarely see any more and Il live in a fairly naturey place. Ladybirds, butterflies even house-flies aren't nearly as numerous as they were too. Part of the problem is that most people weren't taught to value insects, and look at their gardens as plant showcases rater than ecosystems.

[@CandideSchmyles]

I know why bees are in trouble. Glyphosphate. Last summer I sowed a half acre with wildflowers. The field adjacent to me was sprayed twice with glyphosphate during the growing season. Both times the bee, indeed all insects, population dramatically declined and the few left seem sick and disorientated. Additionally the crows were effected too, their reactions slowed so much that dozens were getting killed on the roads.

[@icusawme2]

Like all robotics, the power problem for un-tethered operation is insurmountable at this time.

[@skittersspider1704]

Not all, if it's large and slow enough it could have more batteries than a small one. Combined with lightweight materials, it could just be plugged in once in a (period of time).

[@nico3727]

Doesn't have to be untethered, can be like Roomba vacuums with 5g coverage

[@man_at_the_end_of_time]

Tesla powered bees? WEF bees? Remember the wild solitary bees!

[@Emeric62]

I think they're so minuscule that they can "feed" from an electric field (like you can light up a bulb with a Tesla coil)

[@darwinskeeper421]

As appealing as the RoboRoyale is, I see one problem. I have trouble imagining the worker bees allowing robot bees into their hives, let alone allowing them near their precious queens.

[@uptoolate2793]

I bet it's smart phone radiation. I've noticed if my phone rings while working the bees, they go nuts.

[@DarkDevi9]

I just wanted to thank you for this and for all your videos. My daughter and I watch them together. She loves bees and thinks we should all work hard to save them -- and I told her, perhaps that will be her calling in life. ❤

[@The_hot_blue_fire_guy]

Aww!!😊❤😊that’s so nice of you too encourage your daughter like that!

[@mcprt13]

Let's keep what we have. Not everything should be replaced by machines just to make things convenient for us. Ecosystem will fall when we remove or replace something that is a part of it. 👏kudos to this channel for always giving these eye opening contents❤

[@EZ-D-FIANT]

The bees ate dying, we can't just "keep what we have" because we dont know why they are dying and if we don't develop rebots and we fail to save the bees then we all die, its a back up plan, we are still trying to save bees its just not going well....

[@Recoil1808]

It's moronic to put all of our eggs in the same basket and just pray that nothing breaks. Even moreso when the cornerstone of how agriculture works in an entire hemisphere is centered around an invasive species, especially when the exact same people who cry about preservation of the status quo of the natural world unironically think that a species that's doing perfectly fine in its native habitat is actually in danger. I'm not saying, 'don't attempt to protect bees' (though I would still suggest focusing on protecting bees in environments their given species actually belongs, because honey bees ARE driving native species to extinction in places they don't belong despite struggling to survive in the wild and not being capable of pollinating everything -- let alone well. What makes them effective is the fact that we've partially domesticated them).

[@darkshadowrule2952]

If the whitetail deer population management system has taught me anything, its that any time you have to completely replace the role of a species, large plains predators in their case, it becomes a colossal pain in the ass. Wish our world would start paying more attention to preventing crisises like these instead of hamfistedly trying to fix them after they've already spiralled into serious problems

[@mr.mclibtard5015]

Everything in this video is wrong

[@timohara7717]

​@@mr.mclibtard5015source? I bet you were eating at least

[@Deruzejaku]

Another problem with robotic bees is sustainability, those require resources that are hard to recycle, and they would brake on field adding challange of finding them for any repairs. Some of us already point out shortages of materials that would then be needed to create billions of those. It's still a cool project and I'm happy with using those for other things, but for pollination we should save the bees, science is not only for workarounds but also for fixing problems, seems many people confuse the two😅

[@TestyCool]

Did you know that for a long time people didn't know how bees where able to fly. People didn't understand how bees could fly because their wings are to small to make the thrust to lift their weight. It was only after we learned how to make lift with a wing did people learn how bees are able to fly. Most of the thrust from their wings goes in to moving air across their backs. Making a low and high pressure difference above and below their bodies respectively. This makes their bodies act as the wing its self giving them lift.

[@ScottSteubing]

When I hear "robotic bees", I think "Bee Skynet unleashing Bee Terminators against Humanity".

[@carlcramer9269]

In one of his last robot stories, Isac Asimov wrote about tiny robots much like these. His robots were predators used to cull other insects, but the scale and technical specs was similar. In the story, this si the creation of now obsolete super-intelligent robots, and the purpose of making them was to make humans accept robots as a part of their everyday life. Reading this in a sinister way, the obsolete super-robots were creating a future - for robots.

[@klocity]

"1/3 chance you're eating" Me stoppin mid-bite eating the same sandwich as the animation is showing: Hah?

[@omegafalconoriginal]

1. Can we use Tesla's wireless energy transmission to power robo bees? 2. Can we create bio domes here on earth that are specifically temp control flower gardens for real bees? 3. Are there other bee or insect species we can use for honey creation?

[@patrickdurham8393]

I live out in the sticks and almost every yard has at least one hive. I get the best honey and local beekeepers love to use my property to find new swarms. Usually get a quart of liquid gold if they catch one. I've been planting bee friendly patches everywhere I can to keep my supply going!

[@Sgt.chickens]

Hope its the sticks somewhere not in america or you are just all contributing to the problem of bee extinction. Honeybees are not native to most of the world. They are just conpeting with better Native pollinators. Youd be better off with a bee hotel for solitary bees and wasps that are native. Honeybees are the cause of the bee extinction issue not the solution

[@Sumcant]

It’s not just bees that pollinate flowers, mosquitoes, flys and other insects, even some mammals and birds

[@caroljo420]

That doesn't make it ok for us to use pesticides like we do (by the ton)!

[@patrickday4206]

👍

[@JoshuaRWorkman]

No, not the only ones, just the most successful ones. Other creatures do, but we still need the bees.

[@sigmarunberogen5809]

Yeah but I don't want to rely on mosquitoes

[@Sumcant]

@@caroljo420 definitely not, big farmers need to be done away with, they are the problem

[@user-yb9ef8in8p]

All insects are in decline just ask the birds. Remember decades ago during the night car headlights covered with dead insects, street lights had bugs swarming around and you didn’t open your front door with the light on. All that is gone.

[@iwantyourcookiesnow]

Back when I was a little boy in San Diego, our favorite pastime was to catch honeybees in our bug catcher jars. 13 bees was our record. They we’d rip the top off fast and throw the jar into the grass to let them go.

[@taikai1119]

I do wonder if it wouldn't be possible to find another flying insect, that could take over the essential role of Bees, since some plants already rely on other insects to reproduce. And it's also not unheard of that a dying species suddenly makes room for another to take its place

[@slewone4905]

Most likely another bee. How many furry insect do we know. Moths usually like nights. and we will have a hard time domesticating them.

[@siyazulu-9877]

Greetings from SA fellow Thoughty2 binge watchers. I think I've actually gotten smarter since I started following this channel(few months back), after watching countless videos I can confirm Thoughty2 is single handedly creating a more well-informed people after the education system has done its absolute best to make us brain-dead zombies, I appreciate the time and effort over the years this man has taken in trying to make us knowledgeable about things that actually matter(😅and other stuff is of course edu-tainment or JUST entertainment but still we always learn something. The history, science, psychology, fun facts and real world matters.. delivered in the most intriguing way possible) ..exceptional.

[@igkslife]

If you want to save bees, plant flowers, and don't spray insect repellent. Allow hives to form in your yard, and around your house.

[@pazsion]

Bees can be trained… they only try what they know and if their lives are being lost faster than they can pass on their knowledge… it speeds up their demise… a tipping point… These should be used along side bees , inspired by bees… and help them choose flowers and pollen they make like.

[@MrHeroicDemon]

I loved you and your channel for years, and I tend to always like, comment and share your videos with friends. I hope I helped all these years, even if it wasn't donation of money, I donated my time, and I thank you so much for yours and your team.

[@cinemartin3530]

not many people deserve such loyal subscribers as you )

[@LorenzBaermann]

Common sense is the less common of senses. I totally agree with your point of view.

[@desireer6915]

Tbh I was thinking the EXACT SAME THING. We should just focus on saving the bees, not replacing them. Lol.

[@LibertarianGalt]

I got a salt shaker and a load of flower seeds mixed in it then just shake it anywhere there's grass/soil. I also put up insect hotels to help. 😊

[@ChessCat1500]

You make me sleep. I mean that in a good way. Been suffering from sleep deprivation and (almost) insomnia for a couple years and now I'm play your videos on totally random topic that I'm not even interested and listen to it. Your voice is very soothing.

[@finlaycollins9880]

Same tbf, most of the time tho I'm not that interested then it is interesting...

[@J.R.jr-pc7bo]

​@finlaycollins9880 that's how you know he is great at what he does. I usually have his videos playing in the background while I do things around the house or my various projects. The next thing I know I'm sitting intently watching. I've been following for a few years now and this is one of my favorites.

[@finlaycollins9880]

@@J.R.jr-pc7bo ye I discovered him a few years back, I'll be working and have it on in the background and for the next 30mins get nothing done

[@WhiteHillCZ]

Thank you Arran for all of your great content! I bought "Stick a Flag in it" yesterday, and so far the first few chapters have not disappointed. I loved the story about Matilda. Keep up the great work!

[@TracyTsVideos]

I know exactly what is effecting the bee population. It is a combination of things, but corporate greed always gets in the way, along with society needing its conveniences. Roundup/monosanto is probably the largest contributor to bee decline. Home owners growing lawns instead of flower beds and gardens. Lack of food gardens. Urbanization in general. I moved into the country to live off grid and with nature. It is a lot of work, but very rewarding. And, it can be much more affordable alternative to modern life styles most are experiencing now. Our future answers are be looking at what people did during the Great Depression. The time is now to recreate that life style. Nature will follow close behind.

[@martin-vv9lf]

If we assume that humanity is to blame for the bees decline, then the sensible approach is to create nature preserves where humanity may not modify the environment, whether it be through agriculture, or radio transmission towers, or simply exhaust from automobiles. However this requires multiple other species to graze the grass, predators for those species and so on, practically a whole zoo. There's a lot of talk lately from the EU about rewilding and I think the bees issue is pressing it.

[@_Brods_]

Bees are definitely very important and a huge contributor to pollination, but let’s not forget they aren’t the only ones! You have butterflies, wasps, mosquitoes, beetles, moths. Definitely don’t want bees gone though

[@mr.mclibtard5015]

False

[@pootzmagootz]

​@@mr.mclibtard5015what? What here is false?

[@CatLover-lk9gz]

@@mr.mclibtard5015 What is false. Bees are important. But so are native pollinators. Invasive species bad.

[@floydjohnson6020]

@@mr.mclibtard5015 The only thing that is false is your birth certificate

[@cheeseman5571]

@@mr.mclibtard5015 Practically anything that feeds on a flower is a pollinator.

[@abhiexplains]

❤ Let's save bees and not try mess up with the mother nature

[@jormungand72]

there are plenty of pollinators other than bees, and bees arent even in danger of going extinct. there was a relatively small die off of bees in Hawaii a decade ago. and the doomers in the media do what they do best and blow it out of proportions to sell their fake news through shock and fear.

[@morbidmanmusic]

Sadly, it's too late. What "they are not telling you is earth has about 150 more years left.

[@rierierie9180]

First thing I imagined with those artificial bees around was them being eaten by many insecteaters and killing them as well if they would/could be used outside. It’s just a terrible idea trying to replace pollinators. We should try to protect them at all costs but yet we’ve already given their unmeasurable value a price.Though these robots could be for a lot of use indoors or for those likeminded ideas of spending money for flying to the mars instead of trying to save first what we have.

[@akpokemon]

ever since ChatGPT I've been worried about A.I. bees flying around assassinating people on a super-dystopian mass scale...

[@vishva8kumara]

To serve a queen bee, the bot-bees have to be able to sense chemical signals. Otherwise it would probably be soon identified as a threat.

[@lucidhydra1343]

Think of it as a dildo for plants, unfortunately it wasn't made to serve the queen.

[@AmbionicsUK]

Paul Stammets found that bears assist bees by scratching trees. A fungus grows in the scratch marks that prevents many illnesses in bees.

[@kaylakay1241]

In the US we also have an environmental problem caused by non native European honeybees, they’re outcompeting native bees and thus causing said native species to decline

[@robertcabrera4760]

"Why don't we just save the f**king bees"💯❤️😆My brain was screaming that during the video til you said it. Haha

[@cathleenc6943]

I agree with you. We need to save the bees and should be funding R&D into figuring out how to increase the number of real bees, both wild and 'domesticated'. Thanks for the really extensive video on this, and including the info on the RoboRoyal project.

[@EZ-D-FIANT]

We are trying to save the bees, and if it fails like it has been then we'll have a back up plan!

[@walkingdeadman4208]

​@EZ-D-FIANT there are plenty of bees. This is just the story we are being told. These things are really little spy drones to keep a closer eye on the population

[@selay333]

It's mostly for butterflies but I've set a patch in by back yard for milkweed since they also help pollinate. If I had the knowhow, time, and money I'd probably look into setting up a little hive for bees as well.

[@soil-play]

Wild bees don't need a hive - most make their nests in the ground. I have a large patch of native wildflowers and some bees have definitely made some nests nearby!

[@toxicmale2264]

Just milkweed? Milkweed is predominantly for Monarchs. In many areas, by the time the monarchs start migrating south, your milkweed is already going dormant.

[@deanwall7163]

I’d personally say there’s a 1/3 chance someone is smoking a fat blunt right now too like me lol 🤣

[@freshbison2359]

Do remember that in the US at least honey bees are invasive and protection of native bee species and local pollinators are just as important as recovering honey bee numbers

[@SynomDroni]

Other insects are pollinators, too. Hover fly, butterflies, bumblebees and many others. They're just not as efficient as honeybees, simply numbers.

[@dutchik5107]

They also don't live in large groups and don't give us other benefits

[@SynomDroni]

@@dutchik5107 hence I wrote:"simbly numbers". However, do not underestimate the pollination done by those. The whole "if the bees die the world will starve" notion is hugely exaggerated.

[@proanimali]

Thank you. Yes, bees are wonderful creatures and the world would be a poorer place without them (apart from the pollination). And yes, it would be MUCH better to save them than to replace them.

[@BeardOfLiberty]

The world would be poorer only because the honey trade would suffer. Honey bees have driven many native American pollinators to near extinction. No one cares about these native pollinators because they do not produce honey and can't be monetized. Let 'em live in Europe and their other native areas but not here.

[@adambattersby8934]

"The world would be a poorer place without them." 99.9% of all species that have ever lived are extinct. Extinction is normal. Yet the world still goes on.

[@deathbreach3448]

What if we genetically modified crops to spread by wind and not require a mate to bare fruits ? Probably a cloudy with a chance of meatballs situation

[@stephengreen6338]

Always informative, always delivered with facts, and good humour, well done Thoughty2

[@LoneLupine]

I agree with everything you said in this video. I love bees, but also, don't forget about all the other pollinators out there who don't get enough credit {bats, moths, butterflies, various other insects). I think they should still work on robo bees for a worst case scenario but obviously everyone would still prefer the real thing

[@kitefan1]

As usual, an excellent video. Robo Bees are probably a great invention for the farming inside a building that's happening. As I understand it, there are two aspects to the bee problem: the agricultural bees(not native to the USA and used on farms) and the native bees. The native bees don't live in hive boxes and are in danger from loss of native plants, as far as I know.