Danger to Bees Is Danger to Us - Research Paper Example

Danger to Bees is danger to us One in at least three foods taken on earth relies on pollination and especially bee pollinators in order to have a successful harvest. However, the past decade beekeepers in US and their counterparts in Europe reported considerable losses that are more than what is normally considered normal or even sustainable. UN suggests that world bees face many threats and if nothing is done to change the rate with which they are declining, this could result in serious consequences regarding food supplies. The last few years experienced colonies of bees being hit hard by the “colony collapse disorder”, which resulted in scientists’ struggle to establish the cause of the fatalities. Besides, when bees feel threatened, depending on their strain they can sting once and in some cases respond to threats in great numbers and even can pursue intruders with more persistence. Bees remain the significant commercial pollinators of crops that rely on animal pollination which account for 35% of world food production (Genersch 87). Therefore, bees are vital for economic and sustainable agriculture as well as food security; hence, their threat translates to human threat. For instance, honeybees and their health has been a major topic in the recent past considering their significant role in pollination and food production. Although some exaggerated suggestions claim that humankind would not survive long if bees disappear, production of many fruits and crops that contribute to healthy diet rely on animal pollination. Therefore, a consideration that goes beyond caloric to consider a balanced and nationally valuable diet animal pollinators remain to be essential, which signifies the importance of honey bees in crop production. Independent crop pollination that never rely on animal pollination account for about 65% and 90% of the remaining 35% is carried out by honeybees. Hence, although demise of bees may not spell the end of human kind, the human diet if honeybees become extinct will be greatly impoverished with the decline of bees. Therefore, the decrease of honeybees and their connection to worldwide food security make the decrease of bees an increasing concern for people because of the declining numbers of bees. Since pollination of crops in North America as well as Europe heavily relies on honeybees, the prevailing development of loss of honeybees is alarming though different nations are affected differently. The decline in number of honeybees in the 1990s within Europe attributed to political as well as economic upheaval caused by the collapse of the Soviet Union. Several countries in the soviet used honey as form of currency, which motivated people to keep bees but after the economic system changed, honey lost its economic relevance, which forced people to give up beekeeping. These economic links imply sustainable economic benefits for beekeepers in nations with declining bees and beehive management can contribute to stabilization or increase of bees or increase of managed beehives (Genersch 88). The prevailing bee losses are not sustainable and the trend is down as is the case with the quality of bees, which if not handled would lead to lose of many bees. The gravity of the threat to bees was acknowledged when the European commission signified its intention of imposing a ban on class of pesticides often referred to as neonicotinoids, which are widely used in the world (Grossman). This class of pesticides is considered a leading cause of colony collapse in bees; hence, the European commission had to announce the controversial decision following the conclusion by the European Food Safety Agency that pesticides represent acute risk to bees. The action by the European commission came as scientists and regulators showed their increased concern regarding the impact of colony collapse on the world’s food supply since many of the planet’s significant food crops rely on insect pollination. According to Grossman, a study regarding crop systems in 6 continents indicated that strong populations of bees are essential in crop production in crops such as grapefruit and pumpkin. Moreover, scientists indicate that depending on domesticated honeybees could put some crops at risk and show that wild bees have also been declining in various parts on the world. Other studies into the collapse of bee colony indicate that there are various causes apart from the neonicotinoids. The studies show that colony collapse in bees is likely to be a result of several factors that include indiscriminate use of pesticides and fungicides together with spread of viral pathogens and mites in beehives. Although, mites together with diseases have been known to result in significant decline of domesticated bees, there is no single pathogen that seems to sufficiently explain prevailing rate in hive collapse (Grossman). Many fruits, vegetable, legumes and seed crops rely on pollination a service provide by both wild and domesticated organisms mainly bees and commercially managed bee species because bees remain the predominant and economically significant group of agents of pollination in many geographical areas (UNEP 1). According to UNEP (1), FAO approximates that out of 100 crop species that offer 90% of the global food, 71 are bee- pollinated. For instance, in Europe where 84% of 264 different crops are pollinated by animals and over 4000 assortments of vegetables exist because of bee pollination. In addition, production value of crops that rely on pollinators is roughly five times more compared to crops that never rely on insects (UNEP 1). Pollination remains to be essential in fruit and seed production, is usually performed by insects and animals looking for pollen benefits, and remains vital to ecosystems as well as the human societies. Bee-mediated pollination encourages reproduction of wild crops that support other services or even support other service-providing organisms. Many commercial plants such as blueberries never produce fruits without pollination; moreover, a well-pollinated flower contains many seeds and enhances capacity to germinate resulting in big and better-shaped fruit. Moreover, pollination reduces the risk exposing fruits to diseases, pests, bad weather and saves on water; therefore, since mutually beneficial relationship exist between pollinators and plants the loss of one specie threatens the existence of another, which raise a troubling concern on the consequences of declining diversity in pollination networks. Among the many species of bees across the globe, the common one is the domesticated bees or the honeybees that originate from Asia, Europe and Africa. Honeybees remain economically valuable pollinators in crop monocultures across the globe because production in some fruits, seeds and nut crops decreases significantly without highly efficient pollinators (UNEP 2). Significant decline in domestic honeybee has been prevalent in North America and the loss of honeybee colonies left the region with few managed pollinators compared to any other time in a period of 50 years. For instance in North America, honeybees pollinate close to 95 different forms of fruits like avocados, almond, cranberries, soybeans and apples. Moreover, in 2000, crop value of bee-pollinated plants was estimated to be close to $14.6 billion in US; however, since their introduction there have been several mites associated with drastic loss of colonies; which is causing a lot of concern in scientists (UNEP 4-5). Various factors that drive instabilities in bee population include habitat deterioration, agricultural practices, beekeeping activities and climate change. Degradation through human activities that affect the landscape results in destruction of natural habitats, which in return affect pollinator populations. Air pollution prevents symbiotic relation between bees and flowers because pollutants affect chemical produced by flowers in order to attract insects; hence, destroying vital scent trail, which complicates bee’s ability to find sources of food. Moreover, electric and magnetic field can affect behavior o bees because they are sensitive to electric and magnetic fields because their abdomen is made of crystals that have lead (UNEP 6). Bees are essential in pollinating crops that humans feed on are remain a significant factor in the large agriculture business; hence, they are economically and environmentally significant (UNEP 7). Bees face a significant threat from fertilizers and genetically modified crops because these crops are developed using biotechnology in companies and they often have in-built pesticides; hence, bees may carry toxins with the pollens they collect. Moreover, many bees face the threat of starvation following the destruction of their natural habitat as well as monocropping, which inhibits bees ability to sustain themselves. Development as well as personal habits can cause problems to bees because individuals usually destroy weeds such as clover and milkweed, which are staple foods of bees (Hand 3). Therefore, the way UNEP indicates that the way in which people manage or even mismanage nature-based assets like bees will partly define the collective future for the 21st century (UNEP 4-6). Although in the 21st century humans have fabricated an illusion that the technological advancement is enough to be independent of nature, bees indicate the reality that humans are more dependent on nature services and specifically bees because of their significance. The problems associated with the decline of bees could be a tip of the iceberg although there is no immediate disaster regarding pollination the writing is clearly on the wall; hence, the need to ensure pollination for future generations (Haines). Climate change consequences like changes in green seasons and aging periods as well as the general shortening of seasons could be hampering the livelihood of bees. The changes affect distribution of floral resources and time influences the composition of bee colonies because they closely follow floral composition and rewards. In the wild various pathogens cross from commercially managed species of bees, which contributes to the decline of the native bees. Moreover, unhealthy ecosystems facilitate development of parasites that affect wild bees as well as domesticated bees. Moreover, chemicals that drift during spraying can poison bees or even impair their reproduction, eradicate nectar sources and even deplete bees’ nesting materials (Kleinman & Suryanarayanan). Chemical devastation of bee habitat has long-term consequences especially regarding the circulation of bees. Systematic insecticides coated on seeds migrate from the root to the flowers that potentially expose bees to toxic substances. Moreover, beekeeping introduced parasites that have contributed to decrease of domesticated bees; moreover, chemicals used in beekeeping to kill mites are commonly used in beehive management. When farmers who grow pollinator-dependent crops but lack managed bees, the farmers are prone to declined yield in cases where wild bees as well as domesticated are insufficient (UNEP 8-9). The fact that honeybees are useful to human beings and the people’s well-being in a world that is dominated by human is not in doubt considering their contribution in pollinating food crops. Threats that both domesticated and wild bees face in the 21st century are the same and mainly include absence of wild forage and diseases although the differences between domesticated honey bees and wild bees is that honey bees are taken care of by people who prop up their populations while no one is taking care of the wild bees. The predicament of bees can be considered in term either of how people have outsized their influence on the planet as they reshape it consciously or unconsciously in order to meet their needs (“The problem of bee decline”). However, regardless of this power people sometimes never fully understand their influence in the world; hence, people increasingly have improved performance although they lack a better understanding, which is dangerous combination for bees and plants and eventually to the people themselves (Walsh). In conclusion, it clear bees suffer from various threats that include parasites, pathogens as well as mites because infection from agents proofs to be fatal to the bee colonies as well as the human diet since they are useful in pollinating many food crops. Colony collapse following an attack of a colony by an infection is worrying although people have contributed to the threat of bees through creation of a world that seems to be increasingly inhospitable to the crucial insects through increased development. This has the potential of affecting flowering activity in many plants, which is a threat to the way people are used having their balanced diet since without bees some flowers would not be able to pollinate hence no fruits that support healthy living and generate income for farmers that consequently threatens people. Works cited Genersch, Elke. "Honey Bee Pathology: Current Threats To Honey Bees And Beekeeping." Applied Microbiology & Biotechnology 87.1 (2010): 87-97. “The problem of bee decline”. Green peace. 2013. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. Grossman, Elizabeth “Declining Bee Populations Pose A threat to Global Agriculture”. Biodiversity Policy & Politics Policy & Politics Science & Technology Asia Europe North America. 2013. Web. 20 Nov.2013. Haines, Lester. World’s bees face multiple threats: Time to get busy, the register. 2011. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. Hand, Bill. “Honey bees face variety of threats as numbers decline.” New bernsj. 2013. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. Kleinman, Daniel L. & Suryanarayanan, Sainath “Honey bees under threat: a political pollinator crisis”. The guardian. 2013. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. UNEP. UNEP Emerging Issues: Global Honey Bee Colony Disorder and Other Threats to Insect Pollinators. 2010. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. Walsh, Bryan. “The trouble with Beekeeping in the Anthropocene”. time.com 2013. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. http://science.time.com/2013/08/09/the-trouble-with-beekeeping-in-the-anthropocene/ Read More