DISAPPEARING BEES

BY: TAYLOR HOLT

It is spring time. Hunters rave about gobbling turkeys, while April showers bring May flowers in full bloom. How is it that those beautiful flowers that so many people love come to be pollinated? Bees. Bees are stereotyped most times as “annoying flying insects that serve no purpose in the world.” When in all reality, bees play a major role in habitat management, food production, biodiversity and many other aspects throughout the world. There are almost 4,000 species of bees in North America. Often compared to other flying insects, bees are unique in the fact that they gather pollen and nectar as a food source for their young.

*DID YOU KNOW? Wasps and bees are closely related. They both collect nectar and pollen, but a wasp’s young are carnivorous and require a food source of protein during early development.*

(A)- Array of native bee species

Bees are facing quite a front that could lead to uncontrollable spiraling decline in populations. New diseases, pesticide use, changes in agriculture and urbanization that decreases flower covered landscapes are only some of the known causes of colonies collapsing. Only until most recently, 2006-2007, beekeepers derived the term “Colony Collapse Disorder” (CCD) to describe the phenomena of keepers reporting 30-90% loss in aviary hives. Although, many keepers say issues of hive loss began long before CCD; after World War II, agricultural farms became much larger and introduced the use of commercial pesticides.

(B)- Spraying DDT, a pesticide used after WWII that is now banned

Clint Otto, a United States Geological Survey ecologist at the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center in Bismarck, North Dakota, leads a study to understand habitat influence on bee health and honey production. So far in his findings, he has found that honeybees need to collect pollen from a variety of different plant species to compile essential sets of nutrients for optimal colony health. Colonies surrounded by undeveloped habitat produced higher quantity and higher quality of honey versus colonies surrounded by agriculture and development. However, loss of habitat and essential nutrition is not the sole solution to the honeybees’ challenges.

Dead bees do not always leave CCD as the culprit. Since pesticides became more popular after being more widely introduced following World War II, it is not a shock that these chemicals are harmful to not only humans but bees as well. Instructions and labels have now been placed on pesticides to ensure safe use. Overexposure to a pesticide can kill an entire hive, a mistake that could have been avoided by reading the safety label. Overexposure to a pesticide is called acute pesticide poisoning. Acute pesticide poisoning can be identified by large numbers of dead bees outside the entrance of the hive. CCD results in a very minimal number of dead bees found near the hive. Along with poisoning, disease is another theory as to the decline of bees in recent years. New diseases and parasites, such as varroa mite and Nosema gut parasites, are factors in researching the reasons behind CCD.

In efforts to respond to CCD and declining pollinator species, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) gathered a group of professionals from a variety of different agencies to collaborate on data and survey collection, testing of samples, research into theoretical factors and preventative management strategies to improve the health of the bees and their habitats.

(C)- Bees killed by acute pesticide poisoning. 

In conclusion, North America’s over 4,000 species of bees are in decline from a variety of factors. Colony Collapse Disorder was a term created to describe the 30-90% die-off’s beekeepers were observing in their aviaries, but research showed that loss of optimal habitat, food sources, use of pesticides leading to acute pesticide poisoning, and new diseases and parasites are only a few of the factors involved in the population numbers decline. Bees play a major role in not only small scale aesthetics in my own personal garden that I grow vegetables and flowers in, but on large scale agricultural farms that require pollination of the crops or trees in order to produce their products.

(D)- Bees tending to a honeycomb

Such a small insect can play a such major role in the environment; that being said, what can you do to do your part to impact the environment in a positive way? How will you leave your mark? Their numbers may be declining, but try not to be out-competed by the mighty bees. 

LITERATURE CITED

National Geographic. 2016. The last, best refuge for North America's bees. <http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/06/the-last-best-place-in-north-america-to-keep-bees/>. Accessed 27 Apr 2017.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America [PNAS]. Changes in the transcript abundance relating to colony collapse disorder in honey bees (Apis mellifera). <http://www.pnas.org/content/106/35/14790.abstract>. Accessed 26 Apr 2017. 

The Wildlife Society [TWS]. 2017. Surveying native bee species. <http://wildlife.org/surveying-native-bee-species/>. Accessed 26 Apr 2017. 

United States Environmental Protection Agency [EPA]. Pollinator protection- colony collapse disorder. <https://www.epa.gov/pollinator-protection/colony-collapse-disorder>. Accessed 26 Apr 2017. 

PICTURES

A-<http://www.beecityusa.org/resources.html>

B-<https://www.chem.info/news/2015/06/decades-after-being-banned-ddt-still-potential-health-risk>

C-<http://axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/Article_75794.shtml>

D-<http://coloradobeekeepers.org/>