The Bee Crisis

Camille Heck, Reporter

What many see as a simple summertime nuisance is actually an incredibly important creature: the bee.

However, people soon may not know bees as anything. Bee populations are falling fast, and scientists are concerned about the effects the loss of bees could have on both the environment and the economy.

 

Why bees are dying

The populations of managed honey bees have been steadily declining since 1990, and are now at their lowest in the past 50 years. According to the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC), one of the main reasons for this decline is something called Colony Collapse Disorder. Colony Collapse Disorder occurs when the majority of worker bees in a colony leave behind their hive and queen. The NRDC, as well as Time Magazine, cite pesticide use as a major cause for the disorder. A newly developed insecticide,  neonicotinoid, has been particularly investigated. Though the insecticides’

effects have not been explicitly linked to Colony Collapse Disorder, it is suspected to lead to diminished memories in bees, which may account for honeybees not returning back to their hives.

Pesticides and insecticides like neonicotinoids are reportedly one of the major causes for declining bee populations in general, not just relating to Colony Collapse Disorder. The chemicals used in common pesticides have been shown to decrease reproductive capacities in male honeybees, as well as decrease lifespans. Steve Repasky, president of the Pennsylvania Beekeepers’ Association, agrees in saying that pesticides are a big cause of the decline of bees.

“…Pesticides – there are several different types of pesticides that impact the health of the honey bee and other pollinators.” said Repasky.

However, as much as Repasky believes that pesticide and insecticide use harm bees, he is of the opinion that it is not so much the pesticides themselves, but how they are used

“Certain pesticides can and do affect honey bees, but the majority, when used correctly, have little to no affect on the bees,” Repasky explained.

Other causes for the recent issues in honeybee populations are pests, diseases, and habitat loss. The Varroa mite, originally from Asia, has spread worldwide. It is an external parasite that infests and destroys bee colonies and has been determined as one cause of Colony Collapse Disorder.

The mite also transmits disease, which can take out entire colonies of honeybees.

However, the Varroa mite is not the only thing that can destroy honeybee colonies. Urbanization and development of rural areas can harm or demolish the natural areas that honeybees generally live. Repasky believes that habitat destruction is something that big-industry companies in particular must be aware of when making decisions.

“Habitat is crucial – if we stop eliminating the habitat we solve a large portion of the problem,” said Repasky.

 

Why it’s important

The loss of bees is more important than just the extinction of another species. Honeybees are incredibly important to the economy as well as the environment. One third of the world’s food is pollination dependent, and bees are one of the largest pollinators. Over seventy different types of crops are pollinated by honeybees, and, although major crops such as wheat and corn are wind-pollinated, the presence of honeybees can produce an increased yield for crops like strawberries and chestnuts. Some crops, like almonds, are pollinated solely by honeybees, making the fall in bee populations detrimental to the US economy, since the United States produces about 80% of the world’s almonds.

According to Repasky, “if we had no honey bees we wouldn’t have almonds – right now 1.8 million colonies are in California for almond pollination – that’s about 85% of the colonies in the US!”
Separate from the economy, however, the loss of honeybees would harm the environment as well. A single bee colony can pollinate nearly 5,000 square yard of fruit trees, and the pollination of wild plants is highly dependent on bees as well. The loss of bees could lead to the extinction of plants and possibly animals that rely on bee pollinated plants for food.

Honeybees cluster on top of the frames of an opened hive in an almond orchard Tuesday, February 12, 2013, near Turlock, Calif. Bee brokers, beekeepers and almond growers around the state say there is a shortage of healthy bees for this year’s almond pollination, which starts mid-February. (AP Photo, Gosia Wozniacka)

 

Sideliner beekeeper Bill Troup, left, of Williamsport, Md., explains the inner workings of a honey bee colony to first-year beekeeper Jean Burger, of Avella, Pa., at the annual Beekeepers Convention at Seven Springs Resort in Champion, Pa., Friday, July 17, 1998. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)