Colony Collapse Disorder
The Causes for Colony Collapse Disorder
Bees play an integral part in daily human life. Bees pollinate $14 billion in US crops per year, which includes apples, coffee, and almonds (Danforth, 2007). Unfortunately, they have gone through a rapid decline in population in recent years; managed honey bee population has decreased by one-fourth in Europe between 1985 and 2005, and by more than one-half in North America between 1947 and 2005 (Christen, Fent, & Mittner, 2016). The economic value behind bees is enormous, because of it, scientists were quick to find the culprit: Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). It consists of a myriad of obstacles facing the bees population; from pesticides, parasites, climate change, to the monoculturalism of crops. With these barriers, scientists are also researching ways to combat CCD in order to save the bees and agriculture.
Colony Collapse Disorder …show more content…
There appears to be no carcasses near the colony and usually in the hive there is still honey, the queen bee, and immature bees alongside with the nursing bees (Oldroyd, 2007). Oldroyd also clarifies the difference in terms such as disappearing disease and spring dwindling. These terms are applicable in the springtime when the populations declines due to a lack of adult bees; as in the case in 1995 in which Pennsylvania beekeepers lost 53% of their population; yet, the numbers associated with these terms were nowhere close to the 80-100% loss of bees in 2007 (2007). CCD was first reported in October 2006 when beekeepers noted 30-90% loss of their bee populations, as noted above, there are times when the bee population naturally dips, but with numbers this high, scientists went out to find the reason behind CCD; their studies led them to see CCD as a multifactorial problem (Kaplan,
Bees play an integral part in daily human life. Bees pollinate $14 billion in US crops per year, which includes apples, coffee, and almonds (Danforth, 2007). Unfortunately, they have gone through a rapid decline in population in recent years; managed honey bee population has decreased by one-fourth in Europe between 1985 and 2005, and by more than one-half in North America between 1947 and 2005 (Christen, Fent, & Mittner, 2016). The economic value behind bees is enormous, because of it, scientists were quick to find the culprit: Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). It consists of a myriad of obstacles facing the bees population; from pesticides, parasites, climate change, to the monoculturalism of crops. With these barriers, scientists are also researching ways to combat CCD in order to save the bees and agriculture.
Colony Collapse Disorder …show more content…
There appears to be no carcasses near the colony and usually in the hive there is still honey, the queen bee, and immature bees alongside with the nursing bees (Oldroyd, 2007). Oldroyd also clarifies the difference in terms such as disappearing disease and spring dwindling. These terms are applicable in the springtime when the populations declines due to a lack of adult bees; as in the case in 1995 in which Pennsylvania beekeepers lost 53% of their population; yet, the numbers associated with these terms were nowhere close to the 80-100% loss of bees in 2007 (2007). CCD was first reported in October 2006 when beekeepers noted 30-90% loss of their bee populations, as noted above, there are times when the bee population naturally dips, but with numbers this high, scientists went out to find the reason behind CCD; their studies led them to see CCD as a multifactorial problem (Kaplan,