Colony Collapse Disorder What’s all the buzzzz about ? Opinion Editorial Written By Rachel Bammert I was unfamiliar of the importance of Bee’s roles in our ecosystem until recently when I watched the documentary “Vanishing Of The Bees” on Netflix. From this I learned that one in every three bites of food we eat, we have a bee to thank. I feel as though bees are often misunderstood because of their painful sting they can give you. They are seen as a threat, problem or nuisance. Often when a hive is found in your yard, your first thought is to get rid of it. Before you do so, stop and think about the impact bees have on you as an individual, along with their impact on our globe as whole. Bees are a miraculous creature. These tiny insect work extremely hard to pollinate fruits and vegetables that wind up on our dinner plates. Bees are pollinators which transfer pollen or seeds from one flower of a plant to the next, in order for it to grow and produce the food we eat or the flowers we enjoy to smell. It is estimated that 30 percent of the world’s crop is dependent on bees. Not only do these crops feed us they also feed the animals such as: cows, pigs and chickens which the majority of us also consume. With the increase of specialized monoculture farming in our country, there became a need to have managed pollination, commercial beekeeping. Bee keepers now have an even greater importance, in our food system. Bees are shipped across country during pollinating seasons so these massive crops can be pollinated. However, over the past decade bees have been disappearing or dying in mass amounts. Scientists are calling this decrease in bee population, Colony Collapse Disorder or CCD. It is estimated
Colony Collapse Disorder Whats all the buzzzz about ?Opinion
Editorial Written By Rachel BammertI was unfamiliar of the
importance of Bees roles in our ecosystem until recently when I
watched the documentary Vanishing Of The Bees on Netflix. From this
I learned that one in every three bites of food we eat, we have a
bee to thank. I feel as though bees are often misunderstood because
of their painful sting they can give you. They are seen as a
threat, problem or nuisance. Often when a hive is found in your
yard, your first thought is to get rid of it. Before you do so,
stop and think about the impact bees have on you as an individual,
along with their impact on our globe as whole. Bees are a
miraculous creature. These tiny insect work extremely hard to
pollinate fruits and vegetables that wind up on our dinner plates.
Bees are pollinators which transfer pollen or seeds from one flower
of a plant to the next, in order for it to grow and produce the
food we eat or the flowers we enjoy to smell. It is estimated that
30 percent of the worlds crop is dependent on bees. Not only do
these crops feed us they also feed the animals such as: cows, pigs
and chickens which the majority of us also consume. With the
increase of specialized monoculture farming in our country, there
became a need to have managed pollination, commercial beekeeping.
Bee keepers now have an even greater importance, in our food
system. Bees are shipped across country during pollinating seasons
so these massive crops can be pollinated. However, over the past
decade bees have been disappearing or dying in mass amounts.
Scientists are calling this decrease in bee population, Colony
Collapse Disorder or CCD. It is estimated that since 1990 over 25%
of the United States bee population has disappeared. Strangely, the
abandoned hives were left full of honey and pollen, leaving the
queen bee behind. Normally, the honey would have been stolen from
other bees or animals, what makes this so different is the hives
seemed to be untouched. What could be causing this disappearance
act? Pesticide Use: With the increase of large scale agriculture
around the world, there has been an increase in pesticide use on
the crops in order to increase product and profit. These pesticides
are harmful to bees. It is estimated that on average a hive may be
washed over with more than 100 different types of pesticides.
Lethal effects: cause death to the bee right away Sublethal effect:
Do not cause death to the bee, but does cause problems with
reproduction, olfactory learning, foraging, communication,
coordination all of which can be fatal to the survival of a hive.
Parasites: Such as mites are considered harmful to the hive.
Commercial beekeepers often douse the hives with mite-killing
pesticides. But these pesticides can actually be toxic to the bees.
Environment: deforestation etc. causes habit loss Monocultures:
Consists of a single nutrition source for example, almond orchard
only produce almonds, corn farms only produces corn etc. This can
lead to honey bee malnutrition. How would you like to eat only one
single type of food?Why Should You Care?Bees not only play a major
role in the food we eat but they also stimulate the financial
economy. In California alone, almond growers must import bees to
pollinate their $2.3 billion crop. This uses about half of all
honey bees in the United States. More than $15 billion in crops are
pollinated every year in the United States by honey bees. They also
produce $150 million in honey annually. The decrease of bee
population means that the global economy will be effect with less
crop output and higher costs to produce. In order to keep high
quality food on your table at lower cost it is extremely important
to take the necessary steps to save the bees.What Can You Do? Plant
Flowers or Garden: this gives bees a source of nutrition and
encourages their pollinations Choose Organic: not only are you
keeping pesticides out of your own diet, buying organic protects
pollinators (bees, birds, bats) because they were not exposed to
toxins during pollinations. Choosing organic also makes a statement
on the use and regulation of pesticides. I believe this is one of
the most important positive choices you can make in terms of doing
your part in the CCD crisis. Support CCD Research Spread the Word
Become a bee keeperBees health is a direct reflection of our own
health
