Article: Saving the Honeybee
Author: Diana Cox-Foster and Dennis vanEngelsdorp
Bees are an important factor for our planet's food production. One third of the world's agricultural production depends on the European honeybee. However, more and more bees have been either dropping dead or disappearing. This is because of CCD, which stands for Colony Collapse Disorder. Many people have different thoughts as to how bees developed CCD. some blame it on cell phone radiation, others blame it on poison from genetically modified crops. In addition, poor nutrition and pesticide exposure can weaken colonies and make them more likely to collapse. After an experiment, some researchers concluded that IAPV, or Israeli acute paralysis virus, can cause CCD or contribute to it.
After reading this article, I realized how vital honeybees were. Most of our agricultural production depends on them for pollination. If they were to disappear, we would still have foods like corn, wheat, potatoes, and rice, but many fruits and vegetables we depend on, like apples and broccoli, would be extremely rare. There's a lot of things we can do to stop the honeybees from disappearing. For example, sterilizing old beehive frames with gamma rays before using them can cut down the risk of colony collapse. Also, breaking up monoculture with hedgerows could help restore balance in honeybees' diets. There's a lot of simple ways we can fix the CCD problem. We can do anything if we work together.
Author: Diana Cox-Foster and Dennis vanEngelsdorp
- CCD stands for Colony Collapse Disorder
- One third of the world's agricultural production depends on the European honeybee
- Many people have different thoughts about how CCD is caused, some blame it on radiation from cell phones
- One theory states that the bees have poisoned from genetically modified crops
- Neonicotinoids decrease bees ability to remember how to get back to their hive
- IAPV, or Israeli acute paralysis virus, can cause CCD or contribute to it
- Poor nutrition and exposure to pesticides can interact to weaken colonies and make them susceptible to a virus-mediated collapse
- Sterilizing old beehive frames with gamma rays before reusing them cuts down the risk of colony collapse
- Breaking up monocultures with hedgerows could help restore balance in honeybees' diets
Bees are an important factor for our planet's food production. One third of the world's agricultural production depends on the European honeybee. However, more and more bees have been either dropping dead or disappearing. This is because of CCD, which stands for Colony Collapse Disorder. Many people have different thoughts as to how bees developed CCD. some blame it on cell phone radiation, others blame it on poison from genetically modified crops. In addition, poor nutrition and pesticide exposure can weaken colonies and make them more likely to collapse. After an experiment, some researchers concluded that IAPV, or Israeli acute paralysis virus, can cause CCD or contribute to it.
After reading this article, I realized how vital honeybees were. Most of our agricultural production depends on them for pollination. If they were to disappear, we would still have foods like corn, wheat, potatoes, and rice, but many fruits and vegetables we depend on, like apples and broccoli, would be extremely rare. There's a lot of things we can do to stop the honeybees from disappearing. For example, sterilizing old beehive frames with gamma rays before using them can cut down the risk of colony collapse. Also, breaking up monoculture with hedgerows could help restore balance in honeybees' diets. There's a lot of simple ways we can fix the CCD problem. We can do anything if we work together.