The TechMobility Podcast
Welcome to The TechMobility Podcast, your ultimate source for authentic insights, news, and perspectives at the nexus of mobility and technology. We're all about REAL FACTS, REAL OPINIONS, and REAL TALK! From personal privacy to space hotels, if it moves or moves you, we're discussing it! Our weekly episodes venture beyond the conventional, offering a unique, unfiltered take on the topics that matter. We're not afraid to color outside the lines, and we believe you'll appreciate our bold approach!
The TechMobility Podcast
Does Bollinger Motors Have a Future, 2025 Lexus TX SUV review, Knowing Wet Bulb Temperature, and Domestic Bees in Crisis
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The automotive industry has always been a battleground where dreams and capital collide - something startup EV manufacturer Bollinger Motors discovered firsthand. Beginning with prototype models B1 and B2, Bollinger's journey from ambitious newcomer to acquisition target illustrates the fundamental truth about automotive manufacturing: you need billions, not millions, and decades of commitment to make a meaningful impact.
After being acquired by Mullen Automotive, Bollinger's story took an unexpected turn. While most startups quickly burn through capital and disappear, Mullen boasts an extraordinary financial cushion - a mysterious benefactor investing $1.5 million weekly, allowing them to wait out current market challenges like Chinese tariff complications. This level of backing represents a rare exception in an industry that routinely crushes underfunded newcomers.
The Lexus TX SUV review reveals a vehicle that brilliantly solves the persistent three-row SUV dilemma - providing genuine cargo space (over 20 cubic feet) behind the third row when all seats are in use. No more choosing between passengers or luggage! Yet despite this impressive achievement, the TX surprisingly lacks the luxury touches and refinement expected from the Lexus brand, raising questions about whether it sufficiently distinguishes itself from its Toyota platform-mate.
Climate change brings increasing urgency to understanding wet bulb temperature - a crucial measurement combining heat, humidity, sun exposure, and wind factors. Unlike the heat index, which measures perceived temperature in shade, wet bulb temperature accurately reflects how heat affects the body during outdoor activities. Once it exceeds 90 degrees, safety guidelines recommend limiting outdoor work to just 15 minutes per hour - critical knowledge as we experience an additional 41 days of dangerous heat annually due to climate change.
The interconnected nature of our technological and ecological challenges becomes clear when considering the crisis facing both domestic honeybees and native wild bees. As pollinators of 80% of flowering plants worldwide, their decline threatens our food security and biodiversity. How are you adapting to these converging challenges of mobility, climate, and environmental sustainability? Join us on The TechMobility Podcast as we ponder these and many other questions!
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Welcome to the TechMobility Podcast.
Speaker 2:I'm Ken Chester On the docket my impressions and review of the all-new Lexus TX SUV. What is wet bulb temperature and domestic bees in crisis? From the Tech Mobility News Desk. This is kind of a throwback and a sort of a way and an update at the same time. We started this program back in about 2017.
Speaker 2:One of the first companies that we talked about developing electric vehicles, a new electric startup, was called Bollinger Motors. Bollinger Motors was started by a fellow who had sold a cosmetics company to a larger company, had capital and decided on his farm in upstate New York that he had a vision for an SUV, an electric SUV. That vision would become the running prototype known as the B1. While he was at it, he thought you know, we could also make this work for a pickup truck, and that became the B2. He worked on those projects, ended up moving the company to the greater Detroit, because that's where the engineers are, that's where everything is Kept, developing, kept developing. In the end, he decided to expand to what we would call medium duty trucks, what we would call medium-duty trucks, and that would become the B4, which is a basically electric truck and chassis what they call medium-duty or a class 4, class 5, class 6 truck that any business could put some sort of upfit equipment, box, dump truck, whatever on the back of it. Like most companies, capital is always an issue and in the case of Bollinger, he ended up selling the company to a guy by the name of David Mickery of Mullen Automotive. And Mullen is developing their own electric vehicles and was bringing money to pass. And that kind of brings us where we are right now. Long story short, you can never get two founders in the same room because when one founder sells his baby to another, they never can really totally let go. And usually what happens when you have a merger like that or a buyout, the fella getting bought or getting merged usually stays on in a capacity you know to help the transition. They say Well, in this case Mr Bollinger decided to sue Mr the CEO of Mullen Automotive for a variety of things. Long story short, they settled it. Bollinger's out, mickery now runs both companies and is trying to make a go of it.
Speaker 2:I've told you many, many, many, many times and I'm going to say it again on my broken record the automotive industry, regardless of where you are in it, is extremely capital intensive. It needs millions on the small side billions. If you're a player and you're looking at 15, 20 years minimum, if you're going to make a dent and if you can't play with the big boys, you will not survive. And the industry is littered with a lot of people who tried and failed and we've covered some of those companies here. In the case of Mullen Automotive, right about the time they were getting their act together, tariffs happened. And why does that matter for Mullen? That even though they have contracted for the B4 with a local American contract manufacturer, established one. Most of the parts that go into them guess where they come from? They come from China. So now he's in a world of hurt, kind of stop things as he waits for it to settle.
Speaker 2:But Mr Mickery believes that this stuff will get resolved and that he will be uniquely positioned as a commercial manufacturer to capitalize on the demand for electric medium-duty trucks. And in the midst of all of this, even though the B1 and the B2 had been put on hold for a while, he said in a recent Automotive News article he still believes in both of them and someday they will be built. Yeah, we've heard a lot of that. Right now I'm still mourning the loss of the Nikola Badger, which would have been a heck of a pickup truck. It was going to be built by Workhorse and all that in GM's old Lordstown Ohio plant. Well, all of that fell apart and in the end, nikola got sold and all their promises for their big trucks.
Speaker 2:Tesla's holding on to their semi truck there's a few out there, but not at the scale and companies are still waiting for them and they're over two years late, which is a miracle considering what they wanted for a deposit on each one and the fact that companies run cycles. They run replacement cycles, vehicle replacement cycles. So if they were planning to take these semis in the replacement cycle at a certain point in time and they can't get them, that throws their whole investment issue into the mix With the money that they've committed. If I can't get this truck, it's not like you can go down to the nearest lot and buy a truck. Most of these class eights, these heavy duty, these over the road trucks, are spec specific to a client. It takes months or years to build, to get an order. You just don't go down to the factory and go yo Mack or Freightliner or Daimler or Volvo. Hey, I need a Class A truck with the following attributes. So you got one sitting on the lot, don't you? I can come down and pick it up. No, no, don't work like that.
Speaker 2:But coming back to Mullen Automotive, he is adamant that this difficult market is temporary and his plan right now is to wait him out. Now, how can he do that in an industry that eats up and spits out folks financially? Can he do that in an industry that eats up and spits out folks financially? Because, according to this story, he has a very deep pocketed benefactor that he doesn't disclose. But picture this, if you will that benefactor, who believes in his company, is investing $1.5 million a week into the company. Did you hear me? I said a week. That's what? About six, seven million dollars a month every month while they wait this out. That's the reason why he can do this. That's why he can be smug. That's why he can wait. He has his words. An unnamed benefactor that cuts that check every week, he can cover payroll, he can continue to do development work and he can literally sit on the 40 Bollinger B4s that are built that he's not selling yet. Not everybody has. That. He's one of the lucky ones.
Speaker 2:I mean, we talked about Faraday Future and they were trying to build a luxury car. We talked about Karma Automotive. They tried and failed twice. We talked about Fisker, who at least got their cars into production but still ran out of money, couldn't find an investor. They went belly up and if you happen to see a Fisker Ocean running around, know that it's an orphan and know if it has any software glitches, you're kind of up a creek Because the company that built it doesn't exist anymore. So it's a big deal and this is not new. In case you're thinking well, this is just the EV industry. You know, they ain't prepared, they ain't going to stay.
Speaker 2:Look y'all when the auto industry started over 100 years ago. This is how it was. Companies started, boomed up, merged, went out of business, created roads from the ashes of other broken companies Came together, pulled apart, reorganized, reconstituted. It happened in automotive, it happened in railroads. It happens. It's American business. Will Mullen Automotive rise? Is his gamble the right one? Will we see Bollingers on the road at volume? Finally, the first company we ever talked about? I hope so. Will the B1 and B2 ever be produced? We'll see. It's not the number one and number two thing on his list right now, but he says he's committed to those he believes in them. For his sake, I hope so. I'd like to see him. They were a novel idea, plain Jane, very straightforward, but that was the point. But it should be interesting to see if there's a space for them. It's the all-new Lexus TX Luxury SUV. My impression and review are next. You are listening to the Tech Mobility Show.
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Speaker 2:I'm Ken Chester of the Tech Mobility Show. If you enjoy my program, then you will also enjoy my weekly Facebook videos, from my latest vehicle reviews to timely commentary of a variety of mobility and technology-related topics. These short features are designed to inform and delight you Be sure to watch, like and follow us on Facebook. You can find us by typing the Tech Mobility Show in the search bar. Be sure to subscribe to our Facebook page. Social media is the place to be these days, and we're no exception. I'm Ken Chester of the Tech Mobility Show. If you enjoy my program, then you will also enjoy my weekly Instagram videos, from the latest vehicle reviews to timely commentary on a variety of mobility and technology related topics. These short features are designed to inform and delight. You Be sure to watch, like and follow us on Instagram. You can find us by typing the Tech Mobility Show in the search bar.
Speaker 2:For those of you that listen to podcasts, we have just the one for you. Hi, I'm Ken Chester. Tech Mobility Topics is a podcast where I upload topic-specific videos each week. Shorter than a full show, these bite-sized programs are just the thing, particularly if you're interested in a particular topic covered on the weekly radio show From Apple Podcasts to iHeartRadio and many podcast platforms in between. We got you covered. Just enter Tech Mobility.
Speaker 1:Topics in the search bar. Wherever you listen to podcasts, the average driver spends a mere 1% of the time in reverse. Yet considering what's at stake, that's 1%. We didn't want to ignore the backup camera available in the Lexus RX 330. At your New York, New Jersey, Connecticut.
Speaker 2:Lexus dealer. That is a 2005 commercial 20 years ago about what everybody has now a backup camera, which was novel back then. And that TV commercial showed kids playing in a parking lot and this one kid who happened to be in the back of this car as she was backing up, which is why she saw him and that was the point they were making. Children are precious and you want to make sure you see them so they never get hurt, and that is why Lexus developed and installed in their vehicles back then the reverse-view camera, which at that time most vehicles did not have one. Not everybody does Thought you should know. Not everybody does Thought you should know. No-transcript year. The first-ever 2024 Lexus TX delivers, offering a comfortable yet dynamic way of moving up to seven people. The TX replaces the RX-L in the company's lineup. The TX is offered in four grades Standard, premium, luxury and F-Sport. Handling Providing the get-up-and-go for these trips is a mix of powertrain offerings, including two electrified options.
Speaker 2:For the purpose of this review, the focus is on the gasoline-powered TX models only. The Lexus TX rides on parent Toyota's GAK platform, dedicated to midsize and full-size vehicles with either a front or all-wheel drive layout. The new platform, shared with the Toyota Grand Highlander offers a slow center of gravity with optimal height weight distribution. The Lexus TS boasts a ground clearance of approximately eight inches. Power for the TX is produced by a 2.4 liter turbocharged gasoline four-cylinder engine that produces 275 horsepower and 317 foot-pounds of torque. Energy is communicated to the front drive wheels via an eight-speed direct automatic transmission with paddle shifters. All-wheel drive is an available option. Epa fuel economy numbers are 21 city 27 highway for front wheel drive, 20 city 26 highway for all wheel drive, both requiring the use of premium gasoline. Cargo capacity is 97 cubic feet. With all three rows folded flat, towing capacity is 5,000 pounds. Rows folded flat, towing capacity is 5,000 pounds.
Speaker 2:Here's what I liked about the SUV. The Lexus TX has a passenger cabin which is both spacious and airy. Second row passengers are treated to separate climate controls, as well as heated and cooled captain's chairs with four aft adjustments to optimize legroom for both the second and third row seats. Unlike many three-row SUVs, lexus extends the comfort and convenience of the third row as well, with 50-50 power folding seats and cup holders. Overall, the TX delivers on what motorists have come to expect from Lexus a large SUV with bulletproof quality that's easy to drive and maneuver. Despite its size, the driver enjoys a commanding outward view of the road, the optional head-up display and fog lights and I'm thrilled about the fog lights. I like fog lights, thank you. Add to the driving experience. The TX is also equipped with hill descent control, an off-road mode and manual shift mode for added driver control in various road conditions and situations.
Speaker 2:But the one major advantage I found with the TX has over the competition is real cargo space behind the third row seats when in use. I'm not talking about a little sliver, I'm talking about over 20 cubic feet of usable cargo space. Bear in mind, for comparison, feet of usable cargo space. Bear in mind, for comparison, a full-size Ford Crown Victoria has a trunk that's 21 cubic feet, which was huge. This kind of space the TX has. Without having to put down the third seat, you could still haul seven people and still only need that 20 cubic feet. Let that sink in, because every other vehicle that size that claims three row seating has what I call the compromise. You either get to haul folks or you haul stuff. You don't get to do both In the TX you get to do both and I think that's awesome. You don't have to choose.
Speaker 2:So what didn't I like about the SUV. First, let me start by saying this it is rare that I have a list this long for a Lexus, but unfortunately I do. And I'm going to sum it up when I get to the end of my little rant here. First of all, I found the TX to be plain to a fault. Now, plain's not necessarily bad unless you're a luxury brand. Now, most Lexus models that I have driven and evaluated down through the years exude luxury in presentation, materials and layout. I felt that the TX fails to rise above its humble beginnings as a rock-solid Toyota model, which also says something about how Toyota interiors have improved over the years. But I didn't feel the experience was at the level of sophistication that I have come to expect from Lexus. I'm missing that surprise and delight, that wow factor, and it starts with little stuff like I don't have retained accessory power, I don't have extended range, remote engine start, and guess what I mean? In both of those my inexpensive Chevy Equinox has both and it's seven years old. Just put that out there.
Speaker 2:While the first two rows of seating enjoy both heated and cooled seats, the third row doesn't. The interior door handles were another point of contention. They're just not friendly to use. No, I didn't like them at all. And here's the strange Although the TX has a sport mode, you have to actually dig down into the infotainment menu to find it, and that's not okay. The steering wheel mounted multi-function buttons were more of an aggravation than the convenience. I also thought the displays, controls and switch gear were a bit fussy, to use Toyota's driver monitoring system boo, poorly designed at best, completely annoying at worst. And if I could have plucked it out and threw it and put it in the side of the road, I would have Do not like that at all. Finally, there's no spare tire and I couldn't tell if the Continental Cross Contact LX20 tires were run flat, self-sealing or puncture resistant, and I kind of want to know. So here's the bottom line. Overall, the Princeton Indiana built TX is a rock-solid performer that will give a motorist years and many miles of trouble-free motoring.
Speaker 2:There are few of any SUVs its size that successfully resolved the three-row versus cargo space dilemma that befalls so many, but it's the lack of aspiration that's got me wondering if the Grand Highlander is a more cost-effective choice. So I ask has Lexus decided to play it safe these days? I just want to know the base. Manufacturer suggested retail price for the 2025 Lexus TX350 SUV starts from $56,490 for the standard model up to $65,760 for the F-Sport. Handling all-wheel drive. And please bear in mind these are the gasoline models, they are not the hybrid and not the plug-in hybrid. This is just the gas models. Destination charges add $1,350. The vehicle I drove was an all-wheel drive. An all-wheel drive. It had a total cost of options I won't read the list of $10,553 and totaled out MSRP including options and destination charges came to $73,793. What is meant by wet bulb temperature? Knowing what it means could save your life.
Speaker 2:This is the Tech Mobility podcast. Just about anywhere you can enjoy podcasts. Be sure to follow us from Apple Podcasts, iheart Radio and many platforms in between. We are there. Just enter the Tech Mobility podcast in the search bar. Wherever you listen to podcasts, social media, it's the place to be.
Speaker 2:We, no exception hi, I'm ken chester host the tech mobility show several times a week, I post to tiktok several of the topics that I cover on my weekly radio show. It's another way to keep up on mobility, technology news and information. I've built quite a library of short videos for your viewing pleasure, so be sure to watch, like and subscribe. That's the tech mobility show on tiktok. Check it out. Over the last few weeks, extreme levels of heat and humidity have spread across the midsection in the United States, blanketing the southwest, midwest and east coast, lasting several days. Climate change is making the deadly combination of high heat and high humidity more common, and that means you need to become familiar with a term you probably never heard before, and it's called the wet bulb globe temperature, and it's one way that meteorologists quantify heat. This is topic B. I know I know you're going to fuss at me, but we got to talk about this. I told you, and I'm going to say it again, that, while no climate change does not cause extreme weather, we've had extreme weather before, we always will but what it does is it makes extreme weather more extreme more often. It amplifies is what it does. I did not know prior to doing the research, and I found this in Fast Company magazine and it talked about the wet bulb temperature and let me read a little bit about what they're talking about here. And they said high heat alone is a risk to humans, but heat and humidity together make an especially dangerous combination. But heat and humidity together make an especially dangerous combination. Humidity has to do with the concentration of water vapor in the air, that cloying stickiness that separates it from dry heat. When the humidity is high, it affects how well our bodies can cool down via sweating. In other words, the more moisture in the air, the less able we are to dissipate heat from our bodies and cool down. When humidity is high, it affects how well our bodies can cool down via sweating. And when high humidity happens in conjunction with high temperatures and intense sun, it poses an even bigger threat. So let me explain how this works.
Speaker 2:The wet bulb globe temperature is one way meteorologists quantify heat. It includes not just the air's temperature, but also factors including humidity, wind and sunlight. This makes the wet bulb temperature a particularly important measurement for those who have to spend time outdoors, often without shade, like many construction workers or farm workers. The National Weather Service warns that, as a wet bulb globe temperature rises above 80 degrees, athletes should take increasing precautions, such as more rest and water breaks to help reduce the effects of heat, and they may even want to remove their pads, gear and other equipment To get the wet bulb measurement.
Speaker 2:Here we go. The bulb of the thermometer is wrapped in a wet cloth. As the water evaporates, it cools the thermometer, mimicking the way evaporation of our sweat cools our bodies. Meteorologists measure the rate of evaporation and the temperature difference between the wet bulb and the dry bulb, or air temperature. The wet bulb temperature is always lower than the dry bulb temperature, except for when humidity levels reach 100%, and then the measurements are the same.
Speaker 2:Something else you should bear in mind the heat index. You've heard that term. It's another way to show the risk from extreme temperatures, but unlike the wet bulb measurement, the heat index is measured in the shade. I didn't know that it takes into account the air temperature and relative humidity when someone's not in direct sunlight, to give a sense of how warm it really feels like, at least when standing in a shady spot. Step into the sun, though, and it's likely to feel hotter. The wet bulb temp is measured in direct sunlight and takes angle of the sun into account, along with humidity, wind, cloud cover and air temperature Both are important for figuring out the risk to our body and high temperatures and you got to look at both because they can be different measurements depending on conditions.
Speaker 2:When the heat index is at 80 to 90 degrees, for example, that's a caution warning, per the National Weather Service, meaning that fatigue is possible. Prolonged exposure or physical activity Between 90 and 103 degrees is an extreme caution classification, with a risk of heat stroke, heat cramps or heat exhaustion possible. A heat index of 103 to 124 degrees is a danger level, increasing one's risk from possible to likely. And should you be out in it and you get a heat index of 125 or higher and the National Weather Service says that is extreme danger. Now that's the heat index.
Speaker 2:Let's look the other way. Let's talk about the wet bulb temperature, what that means. When a wet bulb temperature is of 80 to 88, 85 to 88 degrees, experts warn that working or exercising in direct sunlight would stress your body in just 30 minutes. So in dry heat, 80 to 90. In wet bulb situations, where you've got high heat and high humidity, 30 minutes, as that wet bulb temp climbs to 88 to 89 degrees, that amount that you can be out there safely shrinks to 20. And here's something you need to know If the wet bulb temperature is above 90 degrees please hear me then only 15 minutes of work or exercise in the sun will stress your body and you should take at least 45 minutes to rest each hour. I'm going to read that again If the wet bulb temperature is above 90, then only 15 minutes of work or exercise in the sun will stress your body and you should take at least 45 minutes to rest each hour. That means in an extreme high heat, high humidity situation, you're only working 15 minutes in the hour safely. You didn't know that 15 minutes in the hour safely. You didn't know that Wet bulb temperatures don't always last all day, especially since they take into account the sun's angle. Usually you're looking at extreme wet bulb temperatures that show up for about 2 pm to about 8 in the afternoon usually, but still, heat can be dangerous even at a lower wet bulb temperature, and those high and extreme temperatures are worrisome and as the earth warms, extreme heat is more likely.
Speaker 2:Overall, last year 2024, bear in mind this was the hottest year on record, meaning it was the hottest year since they started taking measurements, meaning it was the hottest year since they started taking measurements and humans experienced it in general an extra 41 days of dangerous heat because of climate change. 41 days, that's over a month. It is a month and 11 days A year Extra. Those of us who have been around for a while and you go. Hey, I don't remember being this hot when I was a kid. I grew up in New England, shoot, in New England, the part of New England I grew up in, we didn't even have central air, didn't even know what central air was until I moved to the Midwest and the reason being it didn't get hot in New England and I lived in Massachusetts, in north central Massachusetts, it didn't get hot until two weeks in August. There were two weeks in August that got hot and even then it heist the window Because, again, we didn't have air. It cooled off at night, things were fine. Two weeks. Things were fine, two weeks, just two weeks. Now they're saying an extra 41 days.
Speaker 2:Something done, changed and in places like the tropics, especially along the monsoon belt, humidity is also increasing with the heat, meaning you can't cool off and if you can't cool your body, you can't get your body temperature down. That's heat stroke folks. That's bad stuff. Happens Because your body can't cool down, it will forcibly shut down and it will let you know Through cramps, fainting All sorts of nasty stuff and, honestly, in extreme cases it can kill you. High heat, high humidity. It's called the wet bulb temperature. You can Google it, look it up Something you need to know, particularly if you are working outside in this weather. You definitely want to be safe because we're going to have more hot days. That's what they're saying. Domestic bees are in crisis and you should care.
Speaker 2:We are the Tech Mobility Show. To learn more about the Tech Mobility Show, start by visiting our website. Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. Start by visiting our website. Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. The website is a treasure trove of information about me and the show, as well as where to find it on the radio across the country. Keep up with the happenings of the Tech Mobility Show by visiting techmobilityshow. That's techmobilityshow. You can also drop us a line at talk at techmobilityshow. Did you know that Tech Mobility has a YouTube channel? Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. Each week, I upload a few short videos of some of the hot topics that I cover during my weekly radio program. I've designed these videos to be informative and entertaining. It's another way to keep up on current mobility and technology news and information. Be sure to watch, like and subscribe to my channel. That's the Tech Mobility Show on YouTube Check it out.
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Speaker 2:Social media is the place to be these days, and we're no exception. I'm Ken Chester of the Tech Mobility Show. If you enjoy my program, then you will also enjoy my weekly Instagram videos, from the latest vehicle reviews to timely commentary on a variety of mobility and technology-related topics. These short features are designed to inform and delight you. Be sure to watch, like and follow us on Instagram. You can find us by typing the Tech Mobility Show in the search bar.
Speaker 2:You may not realize this, but domestic bees are in crisis and the top federal lab on native bees is set to close under the administration's new proposed budget. Native bees are different from honeybees in that they live in the wild and are not farmed and bred for profit like honeybees. However, both can be exposed to the same threats and there are signs that both are in trouble. But really bees right? Why should you care? We have answers and you should. This is topic C. Let me get to the point, because that really is something I want to even start with. I want you to know about this, so let me get to the point. Here you go. Let me tell you why you should care.
Speaker 2:Now the native bees, which are the wild bees. They pollinate an estimated 80% of flowering plants around the world, and understanding the pollinator's behavior helps us sustain the production of our food. Forests, prairies, grassland, deserts and wetlands rely on the bees to maintain the unique biodiversity. The more we track bees, the better we can understand the role different species play in the pollination of crops, such as pumpkins in the mid-Atlantic apples in Pennsylvania, tomatoes in California and blueberries in Oregon. Basically, what you eat is dependent on a bee's ability to cross-pollinate, and I don't want to take you back into science and the nature lesson, but here's the quickie version the nectar of the fruit of the plants Draw the bees. The bees, as they drink the nectar, rub up on the pollen by design God's beautiful design of how this works. Now, with the pollen on them, they go and as they go from plant to plant, they inadvertently fertilize and pollinate other plants with that pollen that they rubbed up on when they were drinking the nectar. They don't even realize they're doing it. And in the case of honeybees, something you didn't know Do you realize? Honeybees travel and I don't mean as a group, I mean honeybees which are developed, actually are transferred farm to farm, sometimes completely across the country, to pollinate, to pollinate crops, to pollinate different land and different species and different plants. If they did not do this, fruits and vegetables forget about it and then there's a whole chain reaction of things that don't happen if bees don't do what they do and that affects you and your ability to survive and your ability to have food to eat is dependent on little bees Pesticides, a particular mite that is a problem and common to bees.
Speaker 2:That's knocking them out and common to bees. That's knocking them out. Even commercial beekeepers said this past year they lost 60% of their colonies, the biggest losses ever. Now there's been pressure as our environment continues to change, as it gets more urban, as their habitat goes away, bees have less and less places to go and do what they do, and less land means fewer bees. Fewer bees starts to cause a problem.
Speaker 2:Put another way, what if there was a spring where there were no bees and nothing got pollinated? What would grow? What would develop? How would that affect your food supply? At any price? Because it affects it in weird ways, because you don't know all the ways that the bounty of the earth makes it into our food production system Ways that you know and a lot of ways that you don't know, far removed from fruits and vegetables, far removed, how it affects other animals, all sorts of things happen. We have a federal department that tracks all this stuff, that researches all this stuff, that is able to keep track of the bees. It's not that well funded I'm not even talking hundreds of thousands, it's not even that much money but they're getting caught up in one of these cost reduction plans and they're not going to be around at a critical time when we need to know more about bees, not less, to see how we can sustain them, get them to grow, keep things well.
Speaker 2:Because if you think that bees traveling on purpose is natural which it's not, for beekeepers to take their bees to another state halfway across the country to pollinate a farm. That's not okay and that's all by itself fraught with risk, let alone the natural habitat they're in. Our actions as human beings impact the planet in so many ways, including a lot of ways, you don't even realize the old saying for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. You can't turn that much land into cities and housing developments, everything without some kickback to the environment, the habitat that had been covered for ages and decades and centuries gone now, the ancient ways of the animals, fruits, plants and things that are going away. We're losing species, we're losing biodiversity. That's an important word. That is what keeps everything balanced, because when it gets out of balance, stuff gets weird, stuff gets bad and disease happens. And that's not by design. In the perfect design, there's balance. In a design where balance gets compromised, there's chaos.
Speaker 2:The bees are at a crossroads and we need them, both the native bees and the honeybees, and for more than just my honey, which I love in my coffee, by the way, it's more than that, way more than that. They're part of the ecosystem that makes our survival possible, and if you believe in divine invention, then, yeah, that's the way it was set up To be balanced, to make work. Everything, a place for everything. Bees are in danger of losing their place. Mm-hmm. Every road, building, home and lawn that gets built gets rid of bee habitats, gets rid of bee habitats. The more than 50% of native bee species that have enough data to track are in decline, and that's according to a 2017 report for the Center for Biological Diversity. Eight years ago, increasing temperatures have contributed to bumblebee populations decline in North America and Europe.
Speaker 2:When's the last time you've seen a bumblebee? Think about that. When is the last time you've seen a bumblebee? Populations decline in North America and Europe. When's the last time you've seen a bumblebee? Think about that. When is the last time you've seen a bumblebee? Every species has a place, has a job, has a role, has a purpose. There are tons of species of bees I didn't even know. I thought a bee was a bee was a bee. No, they're not, and each different species serves a different purpose and we need to protect them. That's called self-preservation for us, protecting the bees protects us Because we're kind of part of that biodiversity. By the way, bee habitat who knew? Who knew about the actions that we need to be aware of? I just wanted to share that with you because it's important that you know about little things like that.
