Honeybee Crisis
In Brief:
- The population of honeybees is at a steady decline due to a recent disorder in hives
- Scientist are desperately trying to find the cause of the phenomenon, and potential solutions to save these pollinators
- If nothing is done to help this situation, not only will many produce that humans consume daily may become unavailable, but over two-thirds of plants throughout the entire world
Think of all the produce you buy and consume on a daily basis. Now, imagine if over half of them became unavailable to you, having practically disappeared from agricultural fields. Fruits like strawberries and apples, vegetables such as cucumbers, peppers, and cabbage, and even seeds such as coffee, cashews, and almonds, would be scarce …show more content…
The Agricultural Research Service has identified several sources, including new pathogens, parasites, pests, a lack of availability of nectar and pollen sources, and the toxic effects of pesticides and insecticides. Some of the new pathogens are Deformed Wing Virus, which causes a virus that deforms honeybee wings and nosema fungi, new parasites such as Varroa mites, pests that destroy hives such as small hive beetles, a lack of availability of nectar and pollen sources, and the toxic effects of pesticides and insecticides. Campos agrees, but hypothesizes that the decline of pollinators is due to mostly cultivation of native lands. “Many studies have related the loss of pollinators to changes in the landscape, such as the conversion of native forests into cultivated areas, which causes loss of important elements for bees, such as sources of pollen, nectar and oil, as well as varied nesting sites”. These cultivated areas are then, in turn, modified into large homogeneous areas of crops, usually with a single species and very few natural forest near them. Studies quoted by Campos shows that this change in a large portion of the U.S. landscape over the past 140 years have affected honeybees negatively, causing a decline in the abundance and richness of …show more content…
There is a dispute in expertise between commercial beekeeper, and academic and agro-industry toxicologists over whether various pesticides are one of the factors contributing to colony collapse disorder. According to Sainath Suryanarayanan and Daniel Lee Kleiman in an issue of Social Studies of Science, the agrochemical industry and toxicologists take advantage of policies and regulations taken for granted to advance their own ideas over the perspectives of beekeepers, whose experiences and expertise is often devalued.
So what can we, as the public, do to help the CCD crisis? The ARS recommends to “not use pesticides indiscriminately”, especially during mid-day hours, when honeybees are usually out foraging. It is also recommended to plant pollinator-friendly plants-plants that are good sources of foraging materials for honeybees, such as red clover, foxglove, bee balm, and joe-pye weed. To protect the ecosystems and agriculture across the world, it is crucial to solve the problem of colony collapse disorder. Honeybees have such an impact for thousands of organisms, prompt change is a requirement for the conservation of the
In Brief:
- The population of honeybees is at a steady decline due to a recent disorder in hives
- Scientist are desperately trying to find the cause of the phenomenon, and potential solutions to save these pollinators
- If nothing is done to help this situation, not only will many produce that humans consume daily may become unavailable, but over two-thirds of plants throughout the entire world
Think of all the produce you buy and consume on a daily basis. Now, imagine if over half of them became unavailable to you, having practically disappeared from agricultural fields. Fruits like strawberries and apples, vegetables such as cucumbers, peppers, and cabbage, and even seeds such as coffee, cashews, and almonds, would be scarce …show more content…
The Agricultural Research Service has identified several sources, including new pathogens, parasites, pests, a lack of availability of nectar and pollen sources, and the toxic effects of pesticides and insecticides. Some of the new pathogens are Deformed Wing Virus, which causes a virus that deforms honeybee wings and nosema fungi, new parasites such as Varroa mites, pests that destroy hives such as small hive beetles, a lack of availability of nectar and pollen sources, and the toxic effects of pesticides and insecticides. Campos agrees, but hypothesizes that the decline of pollinators is due to mostly cultivation of native lands. “Many studies have related the loss of pollinators to changes in the landscape, such as the conversion of native forests into cultivated areas, which causes loss of important elements for bees, such as sources of pollen, nectar and oil, as well as varied nesting sites”. These cultivated areas are then, in turn, modified into large homogeneous areas of crops, usually with a single species and very few natural forest near them. Studies quoted by Campos shows that this change in a large portion of the U.S. landscape over the past 140 years have affected honeybees negatively, causing a decline in the abundance and richness of …show more content…
There is a dispute in expertise between commercial beekeeper, and academic and agro-industry toxicologists over whether various pesticides are one of the factors contributing to colony collapse disorder. According to Sainath Suryanarayanan and Daniel Lee Kleiman in an issue of Social Studies of Science, the agrochemical industry and toxicologists take advantage of policies and regulations taken for granted to advance their own ideas over the perspectives of beekeepers, whose experiences and expertise is often devalued.
So what can we, as the public, do to help the CCD crisis? The ARS recommends to “not use pesticides indiscriminately”, especially during mid-day hours, when honeybees are usually out foraging. It is also recommended to plant pollinator-friendly plants-plants that are good sources of foraging materials for honeybees, such as red clover, foxglove, bee balm, and joe-pye weed. To protect the ecosystems and agriculture across the world, it is crucial to solve the problem of colony collapse disorder. Honeybees have such an impact for thousands of organisms, prompt change is a requirement for the conservation of the