Hundreds of members of the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA), dressed in beesuits and carrying smokers, swarmed to the U.K. Parliament to deliver a petition to increase research funding on bee health research today. This year, 2 billion bees, or the equivalent of one in three of Britain’s honeybee colonies, have been lost over the last 2 months, in the worst losses ever seen in the U.K. The losses have been blamed on colony collapse disorder (CCD).
With CCD, bees “vanish”, which is assumed to be the result of sudden early death in the field of large numbers of worker bees. A collapsed colony has a complete absences of adult bees in the colony, with little to no buildup of dead bees. A collapsing colony has an insufficient workforce, mostly made up of young adult bees.
If nothing is done about it, the British honey bee (Apis mellifera) could disappear completely within 10 years, according to the BBKA. “The increased funding we are asking for is a drop in the ocean compared to the billions of pounds the government has found for bank bailouts,” said Tim Lovett, the BBKA president. “Bees are probably one of the most economically useful creatures on earth, pollinating a third of all we eat. They provide more than 50 per cent of pollination of wild plants on which birds and mammals depend. We must identify what is killing them, and that means research.”
Even Albert Einstein shared the sentiment, with his quote, “No bees, no food for mankind. The bee is the basis for life on this earth.”
Honey bees and beekeeping have been portrayed quite a bit lately in popular culture. The beekeeper couple on The Amazing Race, Chuck’s beekeeping hobby on Pushing Daisies, and the film Bee Movie, which illustrates the important role bees play in ecology. I personally am looking forward to read A Spring without Bees: How Colony Collapse Disorder Has Endangered Our Food Supply by Michael Schacker and Bill McKibben. (Hint: good idea for a Christmas gift).
An article from the Daily Green talks about the efforts of 8 companies and organizations that are truly helping honey bees. Here’s the abbreviated form of the list (ie sans descriptions)
- Haagen Dazs (helpthehoneybees.com)
- Dundee Brewing (dundeeforthebees.com)
- Burt’s Bees (burtsbees.com)
- Project Apis m. (projectapism.org)
- California Almond Board
- California State Beekeepers Association
- American Beekeeping Federation
- Eastern Apiculture Society
Here are some pics from the march:
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
WOW! That’s a lot of dead bees. I knew CCD was bad, but DAMN!
What a vivid statement the beekeepers made. WOOT!!! The bee tragedy should be addressed. It’s been going on too long and isn’t self-correcting.
Super post and photos!!!
Blessings!JJ
Very interesting; I have never heard of this (CCD) before.
The design of domestic (artificial) bee hives make bees vulnerable to pests or Colony collapse disorder (for an illustration see http://vandermerwe.co.nz/?p=8 )
Bees are hygienic, and when they clean their hives, organic and in-organic material finds its way to the bottom of the beehive. In most beehives this dirt accumulate near the hive entrance. Bees walk in and out over accumulated dirt, providing an ideal opportunity for pests and disease to spread.
The hive can be seen as an ecosystem that include bees and bee pests. The introduction of the artificial hive has changed this ecosystem, allowing pests to evolve their behavior to gain a competitive advantage.
Many scientist say there is no single cause to “colony collapse disorder”. Unhygienic hives would create a breeding ground for many illnesses and would explain no single cause (just like damp, drafty houses cause many illnesses in humans)