Honeybees' ability to find flowers could be hampered by a chemical in diesel exhaust

[dmccarty]

...
I guarantee you will die Dan if I put enough diesel fumes in your container long enough. A link to the original study would be interesting reading. What concentrations were used, what tests were made? You make it sound like they expected all the participants to die.

I don't think they finished the study. What was reported in Fortune magazine, and our local papers, was that people were being put into a box/container to which a hose was connected. The other end of the house was attached to the exhaust of the truck that sat outside the building. They started the truck and pumped the exhaust into the box. At least some of the people were not told they would be breathing diesel exhaust. Per the reports, the EPA has said that components in diesel exhaust are deadly, and the studies were supposedly done for the EPA, so why were humans put into a box to breath a known deadly substance? I certainly do not see the need to but humans in a box and have them breath diesel exhaust. The reports said that at least one person was taken to the hospital as a result of these experiments.

The research was done at UNC and maybe some other universities.

Later,
Dan

 

[Ken]

WOW comedy hour...

No clue, I'm a freedom of choice sorta fella. If ya don't want honeybees around set some buckets of diesel around and light em on fire, it really don't matter to me... If ya don't want scientists around, burn them too, tis A-Okay by me. I might loan ya some fuel for Algore or the UN!

An electric tractor could be a big hit; ya should invent one, give it some thought... I'd bet JD and Kubota have entire R&D teams devoted to making it happen, so act fast!

I just thought it was an interesting read and figured some others might have an interest as well. Enjoy!

The electric tractor is good idea. Only the blasted power cord keeps messing up the rows then having to rewind to return to starting point.

Also maybe the fluid now having to put in truck to be able to burn diesel.
ken

 

[jinman]

I went to a dentist once who used nitros oxide. I thought it was all pretty funny until I got his bill. That stunk! :laughing:

Yes, I know. Nitros oxide (laughing gas) and NOx are not the same, but they both eventually turn into gases that are more damaging than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas. I just don't know of anything powerful enough to replace diesel engines in freight trains, trucks, and ships. Diesel electric train technology proves that electric power can certainly perform, but we just don't have an efficient means of generation and delivery without being attached to a local diesel engine.

 

[toppop52]

The tests mean zero, bumble bees can't fly based on science in the 1950's yet there goes one now...
Unless you use normal bees, with real exhaust spread in the exact manner done in the open world using real plants, it means one thing. Someone got a grant.