Bee-wildering News
As a child one of the most painful experiences you can endure is being stung by a bee. There you are, swimming in the pool or running across the playground when all of a sudden, it hits you. Your skin swells and throbs because you have been stung. From that point on you detest bees because of the pain they wrought upon you in your formative days. You take refuge in the fact that in the future you can crush their tiny bee frames beneath the sole of your shoe. However, the world has seen a large decrease in the number of bees over the past several years, and although you have a personal vendetta against their species it might affect your daily life. This phenomenon is referred to as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). According to an article published in the Economist the arrival of CCD was first noticed in the 2005 harvesting seasons with a much more noticeable presence in the 2006 season (92). Beekeepers in the affected areas reported losses of between thirty and ninety percent of their bee populations (“Buzz Off” 92). It is uncertain if a single factor is the reason for this sudden onset, but a variety of factors are suspected as contributing to the problem. What is known, however, is the declining bee populations in the United States have caused an increase in the scarcity and cost of honey, an increase in cost for bee importation to stimulate pollination, and caused beekeepers to reevaluate how to keep their colonies healthy.
With bee populations declining at such a rapid rate, the production of honey naturally saw a tapering off as well. As reported by the National Agricultural Statistics Service, between 2000 and 2005 the average annual production of honey was just over one hundred eighty six million pounds.1 2 But in 2006 when CCD began to unfurl as a major issue, less than one hundred fifty five million pounds were produced, and by 2009 that number was down to just one hundred forty four million pounds. 3 4 Comparing the... [continues]
As a child one of the most painful experiences you can endure is being stung by a bee. There you are, swimming in the pool or running across the playground when all of a sudden, it hits you. Your skin swells and throbs because you have been stung. From that point on you detest bees because of the pain they wrought upon you in your formative days. You take refuge in the fact that in the future you can crush their tiny bee frames beneath the sole of your shoe. However, the world has seen a large decrease in the number of bees over the past several years, and although you have a personal vendetta against their species it might affect your daily life. This phenomenon is referred to as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). According to an article published in the Economist the arrival of CCD was first noticed in the 2005 harvesting seasons with a much more noticeable presence in the 2006 season (92). Beekeepers in the affected areas reported losses of between thirty and ninety percent of their bee populations (“Buzz Off” 92). It is uncertain if a single factor is the reason for this sudden onset, but a variety of factors are suspected as contributing to the problem. What is known, however, is the declining bee populations in the United States have caused an increase in the scarcity and cost of honey, an increase in cost for bee importation to stimulate pollination, and caused beekeepers to reevaluate how to keep their colonies healthy.
With bee populations declining at such a rapid rate, the production of honey naturally saw a tapering off as well. As reported by the National Agricultural Statistics Service, between 2000 and 2005 the average annual production of honey was just over one hundred eighty six million pounds.1 2 But in 2006 when CCD began to unfurl as a major issue, less than one hundred fifty five million pounds were produced, and by 2009 that number was down to just one hundred forty four million pounds. 3 4 Comparing the... [continues]
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