Einstein's famous words about bees. is he wrong!

[irishguy]

Was Einstein exaggerating when he made his famous quote about humans dying out within 4 years. I remember reading this and thinking he was defo onto something but the more I thought about it, I think he's wrong.

Reason being is that I know people living on nothing more than McDs, KFC and other processed food that we don't need bees to pollinate them. In fact I know one guy who lives on nothing but alcohol/drugs and takeaways and has been for more than 4 years.

So all in all, Einstein wasn't totally correct with his prediction or am I wrong.

 

[Hivemaker.]

So all in all, Einstein wasn't totally correct with his prediction or am I wrong.

Where and when did he say this, who did he say it to?

 

[midnight sun]

Was Einstein exaggerating when he made his famous quote about humans dying out within 4 years. I remember reading this and thinking he was defo onto something but the more I thought about it, I think he's wrong.

Reason being is that I know people living on nothing more than McDs, KFC and other processed food that we don't need bees to pollinate them. In fact I know one guy who lives on nothing but alcohol/drugs and takeaways and has been for more than 4 years.

So all in all, Einstein wasn't totally correct with his prediction or am I wrong.

I think you'll find that your mate has been living on stuff that originates mostly from raw materials that need bees to pollinate!

 

[irishguy]

I think you'll find that your mate has been living on stuff that originates mostly from raw materials that need bees to pollinate!

Bees don't pollinate grass for cows to feed or even wheat for bread. What about rice as well, do they pollinate this?

I could easily live on rice,oats,bread steak, chicken, milk, goats milk, eggs and whey powder. In fact I did when I was heavily into my training a few years ago and that was more than 4 years and I'm still here.

 

[midnight sun]

Bees don't pollinate grass for cows to feed or even wheat for bread. What about rice as well, do they pollinate this?

I could easily live on rice,oats,bread steak, chicken, milk, goats milk, eggs and whey powder. In fact I did when I was heavily into my training a few years ago and that was more than 4 years and I'm still here.

I was thinking more about the drugs?

 

[Skyhook]

I believe it's an urban myth that he said that- I think it was actually said by a beekeeper with a similar name.

 

[Hivemaker.]

I think it was actually said by a beekeeper with a similar name.

Like... Albert “N” Stein an American beekeeper.

 

[Canary Honey]

Reason being is that I know people living on nothing more than McDs, KFC

Are chips pollinated or the rape that is used to fry all this garbage?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Was Einstein exaggerating when he made his famous quote about humans dying out within 4 years.

He never said it - the pseudo quote didn't appear until the 1990's

I think it was actually said by a beekeeper with a similar name.

SPOT ON! it was Maurice Maeterlinck - easy mistake to make

 

[VEG]

SPOT ON! it was Maurice Maeterlinck - easy mistake to make [/QUOTE]

I got a signed book by him somewhere

 

[richardbees]

http://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/08/27/einstein-bees/

Martha kearney didn't help in the recent TV bee programme where she said bees pollinated grasses.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Probably meant the variety she smokes though

 

[Chiangmai member]

Rice is self-pollinating or pollinated from nearby plants through wind.

 

[Finman]

.
Biggest crop plants in the world: Rice, maize, wheat, potato

In USA: maize, soya

In tropical countries there are many tuber plants as food.

 

[Norton]

Quote of convenience - scare everyone and you get grants to do projects and pay the researchers a wage.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Quote of convenience - scare everyone and you get grants to do projects and pay the researchers a wage.

 

[alanf]

Not an Einstein quote as previous.

Accurate? Most of the major carbohydrate producing food groups, such as cereals, maize, potato even many peas and beans don't depend on pollination outside their breeding program, and that is tightly controlled. Likewise much vegetable oil production is self pollinated. In the fresh section of the supermarket pollination is important for many fruits, apples, pears, citrus, most berries. Many veg are propagated from pollinated seed - one US list includes asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, Chinese cabbage, collards, cucumbers, eggplant, gourds, kale, kohlrabi, muskmelons, mustard, okra, onions, parsley, parsnip, hot pepper, pumpkin, radish, rutabaga, spinach, squashes, turnips, and watermelon. Yield might be down on some that are also capable of self pollination such as tomato and some beans.

While there would be basic carbohydrates and vegetable fats available, it would be tedious. We would also have to seriously consider food balancing or supplements where we currently get a substantial proportion of some nutrients from pollinated food, vitamin C perhaps.

Plants in the environment would change, most flowering plants in the countryside and many in the garden start with pollinated seed. Much wildlife, other insects and birds are dependent directly or indirectly at least partly on pollinated plants. Expect a massive loss of diversity. With that and many plants relying on self pollinating, some genetic lines could dominate which opens whole populations to disease.

Humans die out in four years? No, but it doesn't have a lot to recommend it. In the West it's serious inconvenience and upheaval and major readjustments to lifestyle and leisure. Total food yield is down, so potential for rationing or riots. Less affluent areas would get serious food shortages a lot more frequently if food diversity is cut. Famine and wars could catastrophically limit population, but probably no more likely to wipe out all humans than they have up to the present.

 

[madasafish]

Eninstein's famous Equation E=M x C (squared)..

really meant:

The Energy lost in a hive in winter =

the number of Matchsticks
x
the area of the Crownboard

 

[richardbees]

Rice is self-pollinating or pollinated from nearby plants through wind.

Hi Chiangmai, welcome to the forum, I haven't seen your earlier posts but it's great to get input from beeks worldwide using standard hive designs

Richard

 

[BeeJayBee]

There are a lot of other pollinating insects. If honey bees were to disappear it's more than likely the others would fill the niche. We wouldn't starve because the majority of food crops are either self-fertile or are wind pollinated, but the sweet fruits preferred by our bees might be harder to get.

The downside of no honey bees would be no honey.