Colony Collapse Disorder
The Causes for Colony Collapse Disorder
Bees play an integral part in daily human life. Bees pollinate $14 billion in US crops per year, which includes apples, coffee, and almonds (Danforth, 2007). Unfortunately, they have gone through a rapid decline in population in recent years; managed honey bee population has decreased by one-fourth in Europe between 1985 and 2005, and by more than one-half in North America between 1947 and 2005 (Christen, Fent, & Mittner, 2016). The economic value behind bees is enormous, because of it, scientists were quick to find the culprit: Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). It consists of a myriad of obstacles facing the bees population; from pesticides, parasites, climate change, to the monoculturalism of crops. With these barriers, scientists are also researching ways to combat CCD in order to save the bees and agriculture.
Colony Collapse Disorder …show more content…
Colony Collapse Disorder is described as having a once populated colony of bees to now consist of only a few adult bees.
There appears to be no carcasses near the colony and usually in the hive there is still honey, the queen bee, and immature bees alongside with the nursing bees (Oldroyd, 2007). Oldroyd also clarifies the difference in terms such as disappearing disease and spring dwindling. These terms are applicable in the springtime when the populations declines due to a lack of adult bees; as in the case in 1995 in which Pennsylvania beekeepers lost 53% of their population; yet, the numbers associated with these terms were nowhere close to the 80-100% loss of bees in 2007 (2007). CCD was first reported in October 2006 when beekeepers noted 30-90% loss of their bee populations, as noted above, there are times when the bee population naturally dips, but with numbers this high, scientists went out to find the reason behind CCD; their studies led them to see CCD as a multifactorial problem (Kaplan,
2016).
Possible Causes for CCD
Parasites and Diseases
CCD is associated with the presence of parasites in the hive. One that is tormenting the bee hives is named Varroa destructor. The mother mite enters the brood cell and lays her eggs in the bee larvae, after the bees cover the cell with wax the baby mites begin to feed on the developing bee. After weakening the bee, it finally grows out of the cell and spreads the mites across into other cells. This cycle repeats and the mite population increases exponentially. However, a Varroa destructor infestation is obvious to the beekeepers and is unlikely to be the cause behind CCD (Oldroyd, 2007). Yet there is another parasite that is threatening the bees: the Acarapis woodi. According to Oldroyd, this microscopic mite infects the trachea of the bees, feeding and weakening them from the inside out (2007). Furthermore, Oldroyd goes on the speculate on a new strain of Nosema protozoa, N. cerana, that has been linked to cause CCD. Although no single parasite or disease could explain CCD, these factors do contribute to the disappearance of bees.
Agriculture Pesticides
Neonicotinoids are believed by scientists to be a factor in CCD. According to Christen, Fent, and Mittner, neonicotinoids are applied as seed coatings to limit contact with insects and protect crops. They are neurotoxins that disrupt the central nervous system of insects by paralysis, they are efficient at dealing with pests (2016). The problem arises when the pollinator insects are exposed to the nectar and pollen of the treated crop. At lethal doses, bees lose control of their central nervous system, begin to seize, and later die. At sublethal doses there is evidence for an adverse effect on the locomotion and memory of bees, in essence they deteriorate the ability for bees to find their way back to the hive (Christen, Fent, & Mittner. 2016). Neonicotinoids now account for at least one quarter of the insecticide market, coupled with their persistency in soil and water, this results in the presence of neonicotinoids in many of the crops available today for pollination. The adverse effects hurt foraging success, larvae development, and increases the susceptibility to diseases (van der Sluijs et al., 2013). However, pesticides are only one of the factors contributing to the bee decline.
In-hive pesticides. Commercial beekeepers must protect their hives from parasites like the Varroa destructor mentioned above. To do so they concoct mixtures of chemicals to keep the bees healthy; apistan and coumophos were once used to control V. destructor, but it has evolved to grow resistant to the chemicals. Fluvalinates like apistan accumulate on the comb wax and hinder the longevity of the bee workers, and new chemicals being used like Amitraz have yet been studied for adverse effects on bees (Oldroyd, 2007). In efforts to keep their livestock healthy, beekeepers could be unintentionally hindering the lives of their bees.
Climate Change
As global temperature continue to rise, the bee population will be displaced. There is a dramatic shrinkage in the bee habitat because the species moves northward up to 300 km but their northern boundary does not move along with them (Cressey, 2015). Therefore, their colonies are being condensed into smaller areas as the bee population in southern areas begins to dwindle. Scientist Jeremy Kerr suggests that relocating the beehives will be answer to this issue, but Dave Goulson, a bee researcher, says the species will continue to move northward if their current habitat is not suitable for them (Cressey, 2015).
Agricultural Monocultures In agriculture, monoculture is the practice of producing one crop at a single time in a fields. Benefits to this practice would be reducing plant competition and need for additional machinery. As economically viable as this seems, the bees do not frage well under these circumstances. Bees rely on floral diversity, when there is only a single crop present bees have a weaker immune system than those who are exposed to a wide variety of crops (Black, 2010). The reason behind this is Bees create glucose oxidase to preserve honey and food for larvae against pathogens, Cedric ALaux with the French National Institute for Agricultural Research found in his studies that when bees were given a mix of five different pollens they had higher levels of glucose oxidase compared to the level in bees that were given a single pollen (Black, 2010). Honey bees are being exposed to monocultures more frequently, most beekeepers make most of their revenue through pollinating services. The most popular of which, is the 600,000 acre almond tree forest in California that are pollinated by a million beehives every February. This diet of only almond tree nectar leaves the honey bees in a malnourished state that has them prone to disease (Christensen 2015). With monocultures becoming ever so popular, bees are being forced to pollinate in undesirable locations, leading the CCD.
Conclusion
Colony collapse disorder is a vast web of issues, it includes: climate change, agricultural pesticides, monocultures of crops, and parasites. With observing the vast multitude of factors that are incorporated with CCD, it is important that humanity does what it can to prevent beehives from running low. Possible solutions include subsidizing farmers who apply bee-friendly practices to their agriculture. For examples, using less harmful pesticides and use a variety of crops for bees to pollinate. Finally, there should be more funding towards the Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Department of Agriculture to research effective ways to slow down the catastrophic effects of CCD.
Bees play an integral part in daily human life. Bees pollinate $14 billion in US crops per year, which includes apples, coffee, and almonds (Danforth, 2007). Unfortunately, they have gone through a rapid decline in population in recent years; managed honey bee population has decreased by one-fourth in Europe between 1985 and 2005, and by more than one-half in North America between 1947 and 2005 (Christen, Fent, & Mittner, 2016). The economic value behind bees is enormous, because of it, scientists were quick to find the culprit: Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). It consists of a myriad of obstacles facing the bees population; from pesticides, parasites, climate change, to the monoculturalism of crops. With these barriers, scientists are also researching ways to combat CCD in order to save the bees and agriculture.
Colony Collapse Disorder …show more content…
Colony Collapse Disorder is described as having a once populated colony of bees to now consist of only a few adult bees.
There appears to be no carcasses near the colony and usually in the hive there is still honey, the queen bee, and immature bees alongside with the nursing bees (Oldroyd, 2007). Oldroyd also clarifies the difference in terms such as disappearing disease and spring dwindling. These terms are applicable in the springtime when the populations declines due to a lack of adult bees; as in the case in 1995 in which Pennsylvania beekeepers lost 53% of their population; yet, the numbers associated with these terms were nowhere close to the 80-100% loss of bees in 2007 (2007). CCD was first reported in October 2006 when beekeepers noted 30-90% loss of their bee populations, as noted above, there are times when the bee population naturally dips, but with numbers this high, scientists went out to find the reason behind CCD; their studies led them to see CCD as a multifactorial problem (Kaplan,
2016).
Possible Causes for CCD
Parasites and Diseases
CCD is associated with the presence of parasites in the hive. One that is tormenting the bee hives is named Varroa destructor. The mother mite enters the brood cell and lays her eggs in the bee larvae, after the bees cover the cell with wax the baby mites begin to feed on the developing bee. After weakening the bee, it finally grows out of the cell and spreads the mites across into other cells. This cycle repeats and the mite population increases exponentially. However, a Varroa destructor infestation is obvious to the beekeepers and is unlikely to be the cause behind CCD (Oldroyd, 2007). Yet there is another parasite that is threatening the bees: the Acarapis woodi. According to Oldroyd, this microscopic mite infects the trachea of the bees, feeding and weakening them from the inside out (2007). Furthermore, Oldroyd goes on the speculate on a new strain of Nosema protozoa, N. cerana, that has been linked to cause CCD. Although no single parasite or disease could explain CCD, these factors do contribute to the disappearance of bees.
Agriculture Pesticides
Neonicotinoids are believed by scientists to be a factor in CCD. According to Christen, Fent, and Mittner, neonicotinoids are applied as seed coatings to limit contact with insects and protect crops. They are neurotoxins that disrupt the central nervous system of insects by paralysis, they are efficient at dealing with pests (2016). The problem arises when the pollinator insects are exposed to the nectar and pollen of the treated crop. At lethal doses, bees lose control of their central nervous system, begin to seize, and later die. At sublethal doses there is evidence for an adverse effect on the locomotion and memory of bees, in essence they deteriorate the ability for bees to find their way back to the hive (Christen, Fent, & Mittner. 2016). Neonicotinoids now account for at least one quarter of the insecticide market, coupled with their persistency in soil and water, this results in the presence of neonicotinoids in many of the crops available today for pollination. The adverse effects hurt foraging success, larvae development, and increases the susceptibility to diseases (van der Sluijs et al., 2013). However, pesticides are only one of the factors contributing to the bee decline.
In-hive pesticides. Commercial beekeepers must protect their hives from parasites like the Varroa destructor mentioned above. To do so they concoct mixtures of chemicals to keep the bees healthy; apistan and coumophos were once used to control V. destructor, but it has evolved to grow resistant to the chemicals. Fluvalinates like apistan accumulate on the comb wax and hinder the longevity of the bee workers, and new chemicals being used like Amitraz have yet been studied for adverse effects on bees (Oldroyd, 2007). In efforts to keep their livestock healthy, beekeepers could be unintentionally hindering the lives of their bees.
Climate Change
As global temperature continue to rise, the bee population will be displaced. There is a dramatic shrinkage in the bee habitat because the species moves northward up to 300 km but their northern boundary does not move along with them (Cressey, 2015). Therefore, their colonies are being condensed into smaller areas as the bee population in southern areas begins to dwindle. Scientist Jeremy Kerr suggests that relocating the beehives will be answer to this issue, but Dave Goulson, a bee researcher, says the species will continue to move northward if their current habitat is not suitable for them (Cressey, 2015).
Agricultural Monocultures In agriculture, monoculture is the practice of producing one crop at a single time in a fields. Benefits to this practice would be reducing plant competition and need for additional machinery. As economically viable as this seems, the bees do not frage well under these circumstances. Bees rely on floral diversity, when there is only a single crop present bees have a weaker immune system than those who are exposed to a wide variety of crops (Black, 2010). The reason behind this is Bees create glucose oxidase to preserve honey and food for larvae against pathogens, Cedric ALaux with the French National Institute for Agricultural Research found in his studies that when bees were given a mix of five different pollens they had higher levels of glucose oxidase compared to the level in bees that were given a single pollen (Black, 2010). Honey bees are being exposed to monocultures more frequently, most beekeepers make most of their revenue through pollinating services. The most popular of which, is the 600,000 acre almond tree forest in California that are pollinated by a million beehives every February. This diet of only almond tree nectar leaves the honey bees in a malnourished state that has them prone to disease (Christensen 2015). With monocultures becoming ever so popular, bees are being forced to pollinate in undesirable locations, leading the CCD.
Conclusion
Colony collapse disorder is a vast web of issues, it includes: climate change, agricultural pesticides, monocultures of crops, and parasites. With observing the vast multitude of factors that are incorporated with CCD, it is important that humanity does what it can to prevent beehives from running low. Possible solutions include subsidizing farmers who apply bee-friendly practices to their agriculture. For examples, using less harmful pesticides and use a variety of crops for bees to pollinate. Finally, there should be more funding towards the Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Department of Agriculture to research effective ways to slow down the catastrophic effects of CCD.