Causes Of Decline Of Bees

In “Why Bees Are Disappearing,” Marla Spivak, an American entomologist, sheds light on the importance of bees in the pollination process as well as the decline in bee population. Spivak claims that “bees are the most important pollinators” because over one third of crop production across the world depends on bee pollination. However, bee populations have decreased since the end of World War II due to “multiple, interacting causes of death.” These causes are monocultures, pesticides, diseases, and flowerless landscapes, and they all pose a threat to plant diversity and food production. In order to prevent significant consequences and reverse impacts already made, Spivak encourages the audience to plant bee-friendly flowers without pesticide contamination so that bees, and therefore people, have access to better nutrition.

The rapid decline in the population of bees cannot be derived from a single factor. Like many environmental problems, the summation of several factors give rise to the problem that is the possibility of the extinction of bees. Although there may be a number of popular ideas about why bees’ populations are on the decline, some stand out above others. Things like parasites, chemicals, habitat destruction and changes, and reproduction issues all contribute significantly to a decline in the population of bees across the globe.

Each year since 2006, bees have gradually been disappearing from their hives or dying off. Bees have died off before in the past. This is called colony collapse disorder or CCD. In the past CCD was cause by mites or infections, but now this is caused because of the commercial agricultural farmers. Bees play a key part in pollination. When the crops are pollinated by the bees, they are capable of producing the fruits or vegetables the human population eats. Farmers primarily depend upon the bees to pollinate their crops. The honeybees were the most adaptable bees out

Another event more recently was reported in Pennsylvania where Keepers reported a 53% loss of their hives. But what made this event most serious was the loss of 1/3rd of bee hives within the United States as a whole. This event appeared to have no particular rhyme or reason for this cause and no singular circumstance could be pointed to as an exact cause of such mass destruction of one species that is crucial to food production within the United States ("Honey Bees and Colony Collapse Disorder").

Concern in relation to global bee populations has become increasingly prevalent in recent years. The primary cause of this has been a large scale population decline of both wild and domestic varieties, this can be seen within the US (Fig.1) as honey bee population experienced a 59% reduction in colonies between 1945 and 2008 (van Englesdorp et al. 2008). These findings have been supported elsewhere with experts observing similar changes in the UK with 3 of 25 bumblebee species native to the UK having become extinct since 1950 (Goulson et al. 2008). The significance of these findings are great; partly due to the importance of bees in areas such as pollination and honey production, as well as other implications of the data such as ethical issues.

Bees are disappearing because people are using harmful fertilizers. 25% of the managed bee population has dropped since 1990. The use of these harmful pesticides can cause a hive of bees to collapse. This is known as colony collapse disorder (CCD).

Global Research of CA has found that just within the last five years, “30% of the national bee population has disappeared and nearly a third of all bee colonies in the U.S. have perished.” (Statistic, Global Research Of California)

Bee decline is an increasing issue in the United states of America. An article written by the University of Vermont reveals a map of over 139 troubled zones for the population of bees and why they might be endangered. The University of Vermont is a well-respected establishment when it comes to research and Agriculture.

Bees are the reason we have jelly, fruit, nuts, coffee and so many other vegetation (Lecture 09/27). Without these creatures we would lose so much more of our biodiversity, which is already suffering from other anthropogenic actions. Our society has a habit of finding the most cost efficient methods to produce goods that please the consumers without considering all the consequences of these actions. More importantly, we do not recognize the harm that we have caused until the damage is outrageous and requires a solution. But, this problem cannot follow those footsteps because it is essential for our ecosystem to thrive. These solution would not only save millions of dollars by being proactive, but would allow us to sustain food sources, biodiversity, and the survival of

There are many problems with bees currently. One of those problems includes the decline of the bee population and their hives. On the other hand there are many good things that are related to bees. An example of this is the pollination of plants by bees. If bees did not exist then there would be a drastic decrease in most of the food that people eat on a daily basis.

Bees have been around for about 100 million years, they have survived the dinosaurs and many other things so why are they dying right now? Albert Einstein once said “If the bee disappeared off the face of the Earth, man would only have four years left to live.” Now bees are doing what is called Colony Collapse disorder. This means that bees are disappearing more and more and it has been spreading across the US and Canada. But why?

Where did all the honey bees go? Honey Bees pollinate crops, and fruits and vegetables. Crops feed livestock, Humans eat both fruits and vegetables and livestock. Therefore humans along with all other living things need honey bees. But where have they all gone? Nationally honeybees are disappearing all over the United States for many reasons such as pesticides, Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), and other issues still being investigated but here in the Chicagoland area the colonies are dying off due to the freezing weather. “Head beekeeper for the Morton Arboretum and the rooftop hives at the Chicago Marriott, he doesn’t want a repeat of last winter’s massacre, when 80 percent of his colonies perished” (Lauren Williamson). Bee keepers here in

Colony Collapse Disorder not only affects honey bees, but they also affects wild bees. Richard Gerber quotes “Many people would be surprised to know that 90% of the feral (wild) bee population in the United States has died out” (Gerber). With 90 percent of wild bees extinct, this astounding number really makes you wonder if this goes above and beyond the issues researchers are looking into. Is there something else that researchers and scientist may be overlooking for there to be such a diminishing population of wild bees? Gerber says that since 2007, 22 states have reported tens of thousands of honey

The number of Honey Bees that are rapidly decreasing is something that is very important but highly under discussed. Honey Bees are essential to the food that we consume. About one third of all the food we eat in a day was pollinated by bees. Due to many factors, including pesticides and loss of habitat bees are disappearing at alarming rates every day. A pesticide that is used mainly in the U.S. called Neonicotinoids have alarming effects on bees. These pesticides are absorbed in all parts of the plants, making the pollen dangerous for bees. These pesticides affect the bee’s neurological system, making it harder for them to remember which plants to get pollen from and pollinate. Without bees, the cross pollination of plants would be very hard.

Honey bees, feared by the misinformed and admired by the intelligent, are dying. The interest in bees from many environmentalists is not for a sudden cause, as this issue is not new to the world. Honey bees as a population have been in decline for years but have yet to reach the endangered species list anywhere in the United States except for Hawaii. Many people kill bees that buzz around joyfully, simply because they are afraid of being stung by them; however, a vast majority of bees do not sting and the others do not care. This unfortunate commonality is not even one of the top causes of the worldwide epidemic of honey bees. Although bees are jokingly idolized on the internet in pictures and videos as a result of a popular children’s movie, their population decline is in fact quite serious. Honey bees and other pollinators like birds and insects ensure the pollination of flowering plants and crops all around the globe. Not only do honey bees pollinate plants that produce the foods that humans eat, but they also pollinate trees that produce clean oxygen for Earth. Without honey bees, the world as we know it could soon end, due to carbon dioxide pollution and lack of farmable foods. The population of honeybees and other important pollinator-bee species is dwindling due to a dilemma known to scientists as colony collapse disorder (CCD) because of the use of bee-killing pesticides, known as neonicotinoids, the decrease of flower meadows in the world, and the general increase