If the bee disappears off the surface of the globe then man would only have
Years ago the UK’s Y Mail reported the chilling story that up to 12 million bees dropped dead from hundreds of apiaries in the Brevard County, Florida. Local beekeepers and authorities pinpointed pesticides (perhaps from spraying one night by a helicopter for mosquito control) as the culprit. These bees within a one-and-half-mile distance died at the same time and were found on the premises.
So,
while this chilling story is about the demise of honey bees and their
beekeepers, is the honeymoon over and how will the absence of this insect
affect our planet? Here are some questions and answers, straight from experts I
interviewed for my book The Healing Powers of Honey: A Complete Guide
to Nature’s Remarkable Nectar! And the problem has humans in
the U.S. and around the globe buzzing.
Q. Colony Collapse Disorder was
excluded as a cause of the dead bees in the Florida incident. So,
what exactly is this term?
A. Back in 2006, an apiary owner
in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, made the problem
known. Penn State researchers took note of the bee colony
decline, due to a condition now known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). This
condition causes honey bee colonies to simply vanish without a trace—go AWOL
leaving their hives in the dust—lending to eerie images of The
Happening and I Am Legend sci-fi films of human and
animal extinction.
Q. What are some of the theories
behind CCD?
A. Theories include climate
change, diet, mites, pesticides, and viruses. Also, the stress of traveling for
pollination of crops and the usage of cell phones (perhaps due to the
radiation) are in the mixed bag of possibilities for why the bees are vanishing
and leaving their beekeepers out of work and shocked by losing half or more of
their prized colonies to an unknown cause.
Q. How will the die-off of the honey
bee affect our food chain?
A. Millions of acres
of U.S. fruit, vegetable, oilseed, and legume crops depend on insect
pollination—and that includes the sacred honey bees. This little insect gives
human gifts from the hive but also helps pollinate our crops, home gardens, and
wildlife habitat. And don’t forget most beef and dairy products enjoyed in
the United States count on insect-pollinated legumes, such as alfalfa
and clover. Worse, if the bee disappears our food chain would decline in
diversity and quantity, and images of the futuristic doomsday films without
fresh food like Soylent Green and The Road could
become a grave reality.
Q. What are scientists doing about
CCD?
A. The U.S. Department of
Agriculture is trying to help get a handle on Colony Collapse Disorder. In 2010
it dished out $6 million in emergency assistance to beekeepers who had lost
their bees. And scientists are busy at work trying to discover what exactly is
causing the vanishing of honey bees.
California bee
expert Dr. Eric Mussen of UC Davis says, “None of us know why the bees are not
as vital as they used to be. In many cases this may be due to limited access to
a good varied supply of pollens.” He hopes in our lifetime scientists will
discover what is killing the honey bees. “But,” he adds, “even if we find the
cause, will we be able to overcome it?”
A. Devote a
portion of your property to growing annual and perennial plants the bloom
consecutively over the whole season that honey bees are collecting nectar and
pollens for food. Reduce the pesticides of all kinds to a minimum. In
areas with extended dry periods, supply fresh water in a way so that visiting
bees don’t become a nuisance.
Consider donating funds to bee researchers around the country who are trying to determine the cause of CCD and what can be done to bolster the bee populations.
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