Killer Bees: The American Invasion Essay

Within the last ten years we have noticed a great loss in honeybees around the United States. Between the years 2010 and 2015 the death of bees has skyrocketed. The decline of the honeybees has become a huge issue that should be taken very seriously because of the fact that they are one of the few reasons why and how our crops are grown. One reasons why our honey bees are going extinct is because of the products used in our home, daily. Another reason why our honey bees are becoming extinct is due to the climate change. Even though this seems irreversible, there are many ways we can make a change in the extinction of the honeybees. It may seem as if the need for bees is not as serious as people might make it, but in reality bees are here because they are needed to help us humans survive. With the support from a large percentage of the U.S as a country we will be able to change the outcome of a dying species of much needed animals.

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").

The European honey bee (or western honey bee, Apis Mellifera) is a species of bee that naturally occurs in Europe, but has been introduced by humans to a variety of foreign ecosystems, including Australia and New Zealand. It is of ecological importance because of the effect that this introduced species has on the biodiversity of native wildlife, in particular native bees, hollow-nesting native birds and mammals, honeyeater birds and native flora.

The bee population is on a rapid decline, we must do something to help prevent them from undergoing extinction. Bee populations aren't just decreasing in certain regions, the population is decreasing in majority of the world. Heavy losses have been reported by beekeepers from various different countries like; Britain, Spain, Poland, Greece, Croatia, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, and Portugal. (“Buzz Kill”) This shows that a decline in the bee populations are not only is it happening in the United States, but that it is also happening all over Europe because multiple countries are experiencing heavy bee losses. Although there are very detrimental losses in majority of the world, the US has also experienced huge losses. “Losses reached 60% in

Only 4 of these species are honeybees, and 250 species are bumblebees (IUCN, 2013) with up to 90% of the remaining species classified as solitary bees (Kindersley, 2016). Honeybees make honey, its their primary food, feeding up to 10,000 strong colonies (Benjamin, 2015). Bumblebees don’t make honey but they are important pollinators,their hairier coats can attract more pollen and they can fly at colder temperatures than honeybees most bumblebees are wild (Benjamin,2015),and are not often used commercially unlike honey bees.

Bees are important pollinators of many plants in the ecosystem (2). Recently, the decline in the number of bees in North America and Europe has shifted the research focus of many ecologists towards pesticide use (2). The impacts of pesticides on bees and other pollinators can have a major influence on honey production and biodiversity.

The objective of this research is to gain knowledge and disseminate information in regards to the cultural practices in honey bee husbandry and the management of small hive beetles. The small hive beetle is known to be an occasional pest species to African honey bees, but they are more of a threat to European honey bees. The aim of this study is to investigate the potential effects of commercial pollen dough substitutes on the survivability and reproductive success of the small hive beetle. This new information will aid beekeepers through the process of selecting diets that are impactful in stopping the spread of SHB in honey bee colonies.

The invasive European honeybees create a competitive environment for the native bumblebee as their ecological niches (species’ total use of abiotic and biotic resources) overlap; thus, creating a niche differentiation (the increase in species using resources causes a wider range of resources being used) between the two species. The invasive and native bees exemplify a symbiotic relationship in which interaction could possibly be detrimental to both species—competition (an interaction in which species use the same resources). Moreover, the invasive European honeybee (Apis mellifera) decreases the population of the native bumblebee (Bombus occidentalis) in northern California by creating a niche overlap and competition for available

Albert Einstein once said, “If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man” (“Einstein Once Said…”). After careful thought on this matter, this can be a scary concept to process. Millions of years have passed with the honey bee gracing the earth, and in fact, the honeybee is the only insect that aids in the production of food that is consumed by the human race (“20 Amazing Honey Bee Facts!”). Imagine going to a grocery store and there being no almonds to buy, a scarce supply of apples to choose from, and a very limited

Introduction of non-native species caused decline in native species’ population.Non-native species compete with native bees for nectars and pollens. (Great Pollinator Project, GPP)

While often only appreciated for their honey, honeybees are responsible for pollinating about one-third of the food that the human population consumes. Bees provide us with fruits, berries, nuts, vegetables, coffee, and so much more. This is why the depletion of the bee population beginning in 2006 was, and as it continues, so concerning. The term “Colony Collapse Disorder” refers to a phenomenon in which worker bees vanish from the hive, leaving the queen and larvae unattended, and thus the bee colony ceases to function and collapses. This is happening throughout the United States at an alarming rate, and while one distinct cause for CCD has yet to be found, scientists have narrowed it down to a few possible reasons.

In a study performed by Jose Macias, temperature sensitivity of three stingless bees were evaluated and information was gathered on changes in thoracic temperature, behavior, and mortality rate for working bees and pupae in low and high temperatures. In each colony, 100 workers were placed in a wooden box with two feeders: one with sugar syrup and one with water. Temperature records of the thorax of the bees and the number of times they consumed sugar and water were recorded every hour, while the bees were in hot and cold temperatures. The major findings of this study showed that workers of highland M. colimana increased sugar consumption and thoracic temperatures in cold environments, and regurgitated water and fanned their wings in high temperatures (Macias 2011).

The businesses of many beekeepers in Latin American countries have failed as a result of Africanization of the native hives. Africanized honey bees are not expected to have the same impact in the United States because of advanced beekeeping technology and climatic limitations on the spread of the species. Africanization of beehives can be prevented by the annual introduction of new European queens to each colony. Africanized honeybees have increased the number of human deaths due to bee stings in Mexico and Argentina and probably in other countries. In the United States, however, although more people have been stung by bees since 1990, no more bee-related deaths than usual have been recorded.

During the past decade the presence of bee diseases, droughts and other variable weather conditions has reduced the supply of bees worldwide. In the United States for example, the past few years have seen bush-fires, droughts, the killer mite (Varroa destructor) and the Colony Collapse Disorder wreck havoc with U.S. honey crops by destroying nearly two-thirds of their colonies. This has lead to a market opportunity for other countries to sell their honey to the U.S., which happens to be the largest consumer (and 3rd largest importer) of honey worldwide.

Thesis Statement: As methods for bee keeping have improved, keeping bees has become beneficial to the keeper as well as having an impression on the environment.