Pollinators on the Decline
In recent years North America has been faced with a sharp decline in bee populations. Beekeepers are used to a certain amount of bees and hives dying off but the winter and spring of 2006-2007 brought about the most precipitous decline in decades. The historical rate for overwintering losses is 10-15% but from 2007-2011 this rate has been 28-33% (The Situation, n.d.). This event from 2007 has been coined as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and affecting as many as 35 states and causing colony losses as high as 80-100% for some beekeepers the disorder is both widespread and severe (Kluser & Peduzzi, 2007). Unfortunately the cause of CCD is not known. Beekeepers are desperate for an answer to this problem to save …show more content…
In 2000 Cornell estimated the value of bees’ pollination to be at $14.6 billion in both crop quality and extra yield (Stokstad, 2007). Farmers have become more and more aware of the positive effects of bee pollination on their crops and often will pay beekeepers to bring their bees to pollinate their crops. These bee colonies are referred to as managed pollinators. Demand for managed pollinators has increased the global population of managed honey bee hives to increase 45% in the last fifty years according to the FAO. Increased demands for agricultural pollination services has also increased the fraction of agriculture that depends on pollination by animals such as bees by over 300% (Aizen & Harder, …show more content…
One particular parasite that has posed a rather large threat to bees is the Varroa Mite. These mites invade bee hives and feed on bee larva as well as transmit bee pathogens. Eventually these mites overwhelm the host colony and kill it (Pollinator Partnership, n.d.). But these infestations are obvious to professional beekeepers and so are thought not to be a leading cause of CCD (Oldroyd, 2007). However beekeepers fight these infestations with chemical treatments. Due to increased resistance to such sprays, beekeepers may be inclined to increase dosage used, exposing bees to increased levels of chemical residue that may be a factor in CCD (Kluser & Peduzzi, 2007). Bee colonies are known to be much stronger and healthier when they have access to pollen from various sources of flowering plants. But because of urbanization and intensive agriculture that involves single crops and few flowering weeds, floral diversity of landscapes has been reduced (Pollinator Partnership, n.d.). A lack of genetic diversity in bees is making them more susceptible to possible epidemics as well (Kluser & Peduzzi, 2007). So coupled together, lack of floral diversity and lack of genetic diversity can lead to weaker hives that are more vulnerable to epidemics which could be a possible cause for CCD.
In recent years North America has been faced with a sharp decline in bee populations. Beekeepers are used to a certain amount of bees and hives dying off but the winter and spring of 2006-2007 brought about the most precipitous decline in decades. The historical rate for overwintering losses is 10-15% but from 2007-2011 this rate has been 28-33% (The Situation, n.d.). This event from 2007 has been coined as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and affecting as many as 35 states and causing colony losses as high as 80-100% for some beekeepers the disorder is both widespread and severe (Kluser & Peduzzi, 2007). Unfortunately the cause of CCD is not known. Beekeepers are desperate for an answer to this problem to save …show more content…
In 2000 Cornell estimated the value of bees’ pollination to be at $14.6 billion in both crop quality and extra yield (Stokstad, 2007). Farmers have become more and more aware of the positive effects of bee pollination on their crops and often will pay beekeepers to bring their bees to pollinate their crops. These bee colonies are referred to as managed pollinators. Demand for managed pollinators has increased the global population of managed honey bee hives to increase 45% in the last fifty years according to the FAO. Increased demands for agricultural pollination services has also increased the fraction of agriculture that depends on pollination by animals such as bees by over 300% (Aizen & Harder, …show more content…
One particular parasite that has posed a rather large threat to bees is the Varroa Mite. These mites invade bee hives and feed on bee larva as well as transmit bee pathogens. Eventually these mites overwhelm the host colony and kill it (Pollinator Partnership, n.d.). But these infestations are obvious to professional beekeepers and so are thought not to be a leading cause of CCD (Oldroyd, 2007). However beekeepers fight these infestations with chemical treatments. Due to increased resistance to such sprays, beekeepers may be inclined to increase dosage used, exposing bees to increased levels of chemical residue that may be a factor in CCD (Kluser & Peduzzi, 2007). Bee colonies are known to be much stronger and healthier when they have access to pollen from various sources of flowering plants. But because of urbanization and intensive agriculture that involves single crops and few flowering weeds, floral diversity of landscapes has been reduced (Pollinator Partnership, n.d.). A lack of genetic diversity in bees is making them more susceptible to possible epidemics as well (Kluser & Peduzzi, 2007). So coupled together, lack of floral diversity and lack of genetic diversity can lead to weaker hives that are more vulnerable to epidemics which could be a possible cause for CCD.