News: "Beeing There: The Search for Pesticides' Effect on Declining Bee Colonies Moves to the Fields" (Oct. 10, 2013) in Scientific American by Francie Diep
Hello everybody! I'm super excited about this news post because I am absolutely in love with bees (of all kinds). They are tied for first place with octopodes (plural of octopus for those who don't speak any Greek) on my list of favorite animals!
So, here's the deal. Colony collapse disorder (CCD) is a bee phenomenon that really began hitting the media in the past 10-ish years. There are multiple theories that explain why this issue with bee hives is becoming more and more prevalent. Some popular theories point to viruses (Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus), parasites (mites), fungi, and myriad of other causes. There really is no explanation for what causes CCD, but there are some common symptoms and signs that indicate that all of the above are somewhat responsible. But why are these causes (many of which have been around as long as the bee has) only now becoming an issue? Is it because of faulty bee-keeping practices (ie. overuse of antibiotics/chemical supplements)? Is it because of the destruction of the bees' natural habitat? Is it the massacre of bee swarms (an actually quite harmless hive colonization mechanism) by frightened humans? Or is it really because of the drastically increased use of pesticides in monoculture farming?
While the present article does not address all of these questions, I will be (hopefully) returning to many of these issues in future posts on journal articles, documentaries, and (if I can find any) books. The Scientific American article by Francie Diep, "Beeing There: The Search for Pesticides' Effect on Declining Bee Colonies Moves to the Fields" published on October 10, 2013 describes certain efforts that are in progress, which are attempting to explain the CCD phenomenon by testing how different bee species react to farming chemicals (pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, etc.) in different situations. In an attempt to curb my long-windedness, I will leave it at that. This article is extremely interesting and Diep does a fantastic job (I recommend you read it through, and then contact me so we can talk about it!). This post is the first of MANY that will be discussing the plight of the pollinators, so stay tuned!
Also, isn't the picture of the bumble bee (Bombus sp.) above so cute!
**Picture found at http://www.asknature.org/strategy/4c4069119506292fdd3fb0f96be4caa3
So, here's the deal. Colony collapse disorder (CCD) is a bee phenomenon that really began hitting the media in the past 10-ish years. There are multiple theories that explain why this issue with bee hives is becoming more and more prevalent. Some popular theories point to viruses (Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus), parasites (mites), fungi, and myriad of other causes. There really is no explanation for what causes CCD, but there are some common symptoms and signs that indicate that all of the above are somewhat responsible. But why are these causes (many of which have been around as long as the bee has) only now becoming an issue? Is it because of faulty bee-keeping practices (ie. overuse of antibiotics/chemical supplements)? Is it because of the destruction of the bees' natural habitat? Is it the massacre of bee swarms (an actually quite harmless hive colonization mechanism) by frightened humans? Or is it really because of the drastically increased use of pesticides in monoculture farming?
While the present article does not address all of these questions, I will be (hopefully) returning to many of these issues in future posts on journal articles, documentaries, and (if I can find any) books. The Scientific American article by Francie Diep, "Beeing There: The Search for Pesticides' Effect on Declining Bee Colonies Moves to the Fields" published on October 10, 2013 describes certain efforts that are in progress, which are attempting to explain the CCD phenomenon by testing how different bee species react to farming chemicals (pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, etc.) in different situations. In an attempt to curb my long-windedness, I will leave it at that. This article is extremely interesting and Diep does a fantastic job (I recommend you read it through, and then contact me so we can talk about it!). This post is the first of MANY that will be discussing the plight of the pollinators, so stay tuned!
Also, isn't the picture of the bumble bee (Bombus sp.) above so cute!
**Picture found at http://www.asknature.org/strategy/4c4069119506292fdd3fb0f96be4caa3