This is a worldwide problem, particularly bad in America, where honeybee colonies are dying off at an alarming rate.
Many things can kill off a hive of bees, but Colony collapse disorder appears to be a new phenomenon. At present the cause is unknown and there is much research looking into theories such as ‘misuse of pesticides’, ‘accumulated stress related to multiple diseases and parasites such as Varroa mites ’ , ‘suppressed immune systems’ and even 'mobile phone technology'. A clear statement of the problem can be found in the ‘Testimony of Diana Cox-Foster (Professor Department of Entomology at The Pennsylvania State University) before the U.S. House of Representatives (Committee on Agriculture)’ - Colony Collapse Disorder in Honey Bee Colonies in the United States -(March 29, 2007)
America
Whatever the cause(s) turn out to be, the decline of the honeybee in America is seriously worrying. They are not native to the USA, so their demise might have little impact on the native flora – BUT – they are extremely important for the pollination of most agricultural crops. If honeybees go then so does much American food production!
Europe
In Europe too the problem seems to be emerging, with initial reports coming from Switzerland and Germany. We tend to call it ‘Vanishing Bee Syndrome’ here, but it is the same thing. Maybe the sequence of reports will give additional clues? - Spain and Poland seem to have been affected somewhat later.
Wake-up call?
The situation is reminiscent of sudden discovery of the effects of DDT on the environment reported back in the 60’s by Rachel Carson in her book - ‘Silent Spring’. Maybe ‘Colony Collapse Disorder’ in bees is simply an early warning of a more general Pollinator decline ? My own article on Bumblebees (where I state ‘Many species of bumblebee are endangered, and since they are among the most important pollinators of many plants, this is a serious problem.’) points to the decline of just one of the many types of insect that should concern us. It could be said that honeybees are simply another ‘Endangered Arthropod’. Maybe this is a ‘Wake-up’ call?
Discussion and pooling of information
A discussion related to this article has been started, and maybe readers who are beekeepers will be able to exchange ideas through it. It might also be a good idea for someone to set up a sort of ‘clearing-house’ for these observations – so that information from beekeepers can be rapidly passed on to the relevant authorities and researchers? (There is also my blog on this topic.)
The copyright of the article Colony Collapse Disorder in Fish is owned by John Blatchford. Permission to republish Colony Collapse Disorder must be granted by the author in writing.
This might prove a useful forum where beekeepers (and other interested parties) can exchange information about the worrying problem of 'Colony Collapse Disorder'. I once kept bees - but do not claim to be an expert!
Apr 16, 2007 11:50 AM
Jill Florio
:
This is a very important topic, and likely one that will continue to get worse until our actual crops are threatened. Hopefully your article will spread some awareness!
Apr 17, 2007 7:50 AM
Rosemary Drisdelle
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Do you think that there's anything to the suggestion that genetically modified corn or other crops have something to do with the decline of honeybees?
Rosemary Drisdelle
Apr 17, 2007 8:16 AM
John Blatchford
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I personally can't see how GM crops could have this effect - but that doesn't mean that they don't! (The timescales would certainly fit.) My own hunch is that is some sort of systemic plant/crop product (recently brought onto the market) that is affecting insect behaviour. But the jury is out - or, rather - waiting for the evidence. Certainly GM crops is one avenue being actively researched, along with the pesticide issue and general stress levels in bees (disease, disease treatments etc.). I would like to hear a lot more of beekeepers' observations!
Apr 17, 2007 9:06 AM
Jennifer W. Miner
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This is so much more important than so many people think - bees are the primary pollinator of plants globally, plants are the bottom of the food chain, etc etc. I'm so glad you're helping raise public awareness, John. Some scientists now believe that - rather than Monsanto et al's modified crops - the alarming decline in bee populations is due to mobile technology (smart phones, etc), whose airwaves somehow inerferes with bees' ability to map their surroundings. What do <b>you</b> think about this, John?
Apr 17, 2007 10:25 AM
John Blatchford
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Jennifer, the 'mobile-technology' angle is a new one for me. But bees do have problems if their hives are placed under power-lines, so maybe? You are right to stress how important this is!
Apr 17, 2007 8:30 PM
Jill Browne
:
By coincidence, bee decline was featured in an article on our local radio today. They interviewed a government expert from northern Alberta, Canada (Peace River area) where honey has been produced commercially for a long time. Two points struck me in particular. 1. Our Canadian winters are cold, hence the bees have a season of limited activity, more or less confined to the hive. This differs from the year-round outside presence of bees in warmer places, and perhaps (I extrapolate but I think this was at least implied by the expert) this will give researchers a way to study the collapse phenomenon by comparing populations with distinctly different life patterns. I didn't hear the whole piece and missed finding out whether colony collapse is a problem in Canada. We don't import bees from the USA as a bee health measure; that's been going on for some time. 2. The expert said how much more difficult it is to be a beekeeper today than a generation ago. There are more threats, more introduced diseases, introduced competitors & predators, antibiotic-resistant diseases, and so on. It may be that this combination of many threats might in itself be a big part of the problem - and again I paraphrase and extrapolate a bit here - but rather than one coherent syndrome, maybe we are facing numerous cases of "the straw that broke the camel's back", i.e. a widespread decline in bee hardiness, leading to extreme vulnerability to opportunistic whatevers (viruses, bacteria, parasites, who knows what else). That sounds like the theory of accumulation you mentioned in your article, John. (You had a better name for it - sorry - it's just slipped my mind).
I personally don't have any expertise in this area but clearly it's an important problem and one that people beyond those who raise bees or use them as pollinators are starting to take note of. Last month I saw a feature on TV about it - it was absolutely shocking to hear of something so devastating. The farmer in question raises bees and does contract pollination for vast acreages of crops. Without the bees, no fruit, no seeds.
Today, John's piece and the radio item. Clearly an important issue.
Thanks John for writing about it.
Apr 19, 2007 2:45 PM
Dawn M. Smith
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There has been some recent information suggesting honey bees may be sensitive to cell phone transmissions. The GM food issue is a very likely culprit as well. Given the scope of the problem it is likely that several factors are involved. Let's hope we can get a handle on it before its too late.
Apr 20, 2007 4:14 AM
John Blatchford
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Here is an email I received: "Before all my bees died, I was a Beekeeper. All the Honeybees are losing their way. Something has to be done immediately! Is it possible for the Dept. of Agriculture or someone to set up a special website for this problem? In this way Beekeepers all over the world could respond with enough information to give us key answers to this problem. Questions like: how many hives have you lost? Do you treat your bees during wintering over? what type of anti-mite medicine do you use?
I believe that the latest bee problem has something to do with our environmental saturation with low-key herbicides combined with bee medication already in use for mite prevention, disturbing the bee's neurology and memory. I also feel that rr seeds may play a part in this, but if a web site was set up to gather info we could easily find out what areas are affected most. Maybe the Dept of Agriculture and the beekeeper's association should set up a site, but whomever does it, it should be done soon. P. Smith" I think this is the sort of information/ideas we need to gather!
Apr 24, 2007 10:24 AM
Chris Kamel
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Hi, I found these articles via a link you posted on our blog at http://bayblab.blogspot.com and find them (and the discussion)very interesting
In your article, you say that "[honeybees] are not native to the USA, so their demise might have little impact on the native flora - BUT - they are extremely important for the pollination of most agricultural crops." I'm not sure I understand why native flora might not be impacted but agricultural crops would be. Is it because the american agricultural capacity has far outgrown the ability of native pollinators to pollinate? Were honeybees "imported" with certain crops specifically to pollinate them? Are 'native pollinators' also in decline?
Also, regarding GM crops: I'm no expert, but it's my understanding that the majority of GM crops, at least in the US (such as corn or cotton), are self pollinating or not primarily bee pollinated. This, coupled with the fact that there have been bee disappearances even in areas without GM crops suggests that this is an unlikely culprit, though still an interesting investigation.
