The Disappearance of Bees

Bees and Their Disappearance

By: Priscilla Velez

Why are Bees Important?

Bees are insects that are crucial for their role in pollination. Coming in a variety of types, ranging from honeybees, bumblebees, and sweat bees, bees collect nectar and pollen from a plant’s flower. The nectar and pollen from a plant’s flower sticks onto the bees as they fly onto the next flower. When bees land on the next flower, the pollen is rubbed off onto the stigma of the flower. The end result is fertilization, which allows the development of a seed, nut, or fruit. All of which, in turn, serve as a source of food for a variety of other species, including humans.

Not only are bees important in the sense that they are pollinators, but the level at which they pollinate is crucial and imperative to sustenance. In fact, bees are responsible for 80 percent of pollination worldwide. Bees and their role in pollination are so important that their ever-growing disappearance threatens the existence of life as we know it.

What Crops do Bees Pollinate?

Bees are responsible for the pollination of many well-known crops. Here is a list of some, not all, crops in which bees pollinate:

• Onions                        
• Celery
• Beet
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Cabbage
• Tangerines
• Oranges
• Watermelon
• Coconut
• Mangos
• Plums
• Peaches
• Pears
• Strawberries
• Carrots
• Tomatoes
• Grapes

*Without bees, these crops will cease to exist.

Why are Bees Disappearing?

In 2006, it was observed that there was a staggering increase in the disappearance of bees. Countless bees vanished from their colonies. This phenomenon became known as Colony Collapse Disorder.  It is now estimated that one-third of all bee colonies in the United States have vanished.

But the disappearance of bees is not only reserved to the United States. Other parts of the world, including Europe and Asia, have too also experienced a large decline in bees and their colonies. In fact, in some parts of China, bees have ceased to exist altogether, causing laborers to pollinate plants by hand.

Scientists have not yet been able to determine one main reason regarding the disappearance of bees. They have, however, found a variety of factors that may be responsible for bee declination.

1. Pesticides/Insecticides: Pesticides and insecticides are commonly used chemical products in the crop and farm industry. Specifically, pesticides are used to kill unwanted vegetation, whereas insecticides are used to killing insects that may harm vegetation. The chemicals present in pesticides and insecticides pose a huge threat to insects and may either harm or kill them. Bees usually die off as a result of pesticides and insecticides. Research has shown that bees are twice as likely to die when exposed to such chemicals, and those exposed bees who survive are half as successful in gathering nectar. A commonly used pesticide known as neonicotinoids was found to affect the brains of bees by slowing their learning ability and causing them to forget floral scents.
2. Global Warming/Climate Change: Climate change disrupts the timing in which flowers bloom and bees pollinate. As a result of climate change, flowers bloom much earlier than when bees begin to pollinate (usually the two occurrences are synchronized). By the time bees begin to pollinate, nectar is limited, promoting not only competition between bees, but also the death of bees who are unsuccessful in acquiring nectar.
3. Habitat Loss/Habitat Fragmentation: Urbanization has led to the destruction of natural habitats for the purpose of architectural and industrial development. With a loss of habitat, bees die off. In addition, urbanized land makes it especially difficult for bees to travel their normal paths. Habitat loss makes it difficult for bees to find mates, nesting places, and food. Bees have been found to suffer from nutritional stress as a result of habitat loss.
4. Parasites: Certain parasites and pathogens infect bees and consequently cause the decline of bees. The Varroa mite has been found to strongly affect bees and is considered a large contributor in the declination of bees.