Colony collapse disorder is the term used to describe the large-scale deaths of adult worker honeybees in the U.S. and Europe which was established in 2006. These bees pollinate 200 billion dollars worth of vital crops every year. Due to the increasing loss of bees, beekeepers have lost 2 billion dollars worth of beehives. After 7 years, the cause of this phenomenon still remains unknown. The possible causes include:
- A parasitic mite called Varroa destructor.
- Several viruses.
- A bacterial disease called European foulbrood.
- Pesticides (especially neonicotinoids),
The cause may be any one or a combination of these factors. There is no evidence supporting any of these possible causes. However, in order to establish the role of pesticides in the loss of bees, the European Union has put a two year ban on neonicotinoids.
Quotes:
"I hope you don’t like cashews, beets, broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, chestnuts, watermelons, cucumber, fennel, strawberries, macadamia, mangoes, apricots, almonds or any of the other dozens of food crops pollinated by our hardworking, six-legged, unpaid farmworkers."
Personal Thoughts:
The thought that the loss of bees causing a crises in our agricultural economy seems ridiculous to most. Many people do not understand how fragile the balance of nature is and how small changes can cause great effects. I think ACE made a great analogy comparing nature to the human body. When our internal temperature rises or lowers by a couple of degrees, we will feel sick. If our body temperature is just six degrees higher than normal, then our bodies are in danger. It is the same with the environment. Little changes can endanger whole systems.
Citation:
Walsh, Bryan. "Beepocalypse Redux: Honeybees Are Still Dying — and We Still
Don’t Know Why." Colony-Collapse Disorder Is Killing Honeybees, and We
Don't Know How to Stop It. Time Magazine, 7 May 2013. Web. 22 Dec. 2013.
<http://science.time.com/2013/05/07/
beepocalypse-redux-honey-bees-are-still-dying-and-we-still-dont-know-why/>.
Wow, this is an awesome topic! I can't believe I would ever be sympathetic to a loss of the bee population but this is insane! I can't imagine what we would all do without flowers and crops that are pollinated by these bees.
ReplyDeleteBees do so much in our world that we don't realize. They begin the whole process of flowers and give us honey and only sting once in a while. The loss of a colony can be so tragic so hearing about this is devastating and people need to realize the full extent to which they provide for us.
ReplyDeleteI love ACE's human body analogy! I think that it really shows that changes that may seem small actually can have a huge impact especially when they affect one thing that affects another and so on.
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