Human Factor in Disappearance of Honeybees - Research Paper Example

 Abstract The sudden disappearance of the honey bees all around the world is known as Colony Collapse Disorder. Scientists have called it collapse disorder because of the sudden decline of the bee population. The decline has not been gradual but sudden and there are number of reasons which are responsible for the collapse of the honey bee. Use of synthetic chemicals and their transportation from one place to another for commercial purposes are some of the reasons for CCD to occur. However researches are being carried out to understand the problem and to find out a solution. It is in the interest of the human beings that researches are properly funded as the decline could seriously impact the growth of our agricultural crops as honey bees are one of the most economical natural pollinators. Colony Collapse Disorder Humans have always depended upon the Mother Nature and its resources in order to survive and to become the dominating species on the planet. Over the time they have used these resources and experience to experiment things which have made them even more powerful. However all experiments does not turn out to be successful and some can even have fatal results like the collapse of the honey bee colonies. Men have been constantly trying to increase the productivity of their agricultural crops and have even used pesticides, fertilizers and other chemicals for this purpose. They have tried to use their methods without realizing the side effects on the natural way of enhancing the agricultural growth like pollination. Pollination has been an important source for the crop reproduction. It is one of the most economical methods and has been the primary source for reproduction in certain crops. Honey bees have been pollinating for centuries and have helped the mankind not only with their sweat honey but with pollination too. Honey bees are one of the major pollinators around the world. Honey bees are involved in increasing the crop productivity either directly or indirectly. There are lots of agricultural crops which depend completely on honey bee pollination. The falling population of the honey bees can considerably reduce the crop production and the loss could be worth billions of dollars in monetary terms (Rowan, Fruitless Fall). The bonding between the honey bees and the humans has been for centuries and they are best known for providing us with their honey but their contribution as pollinators is far more important. It is observed that over the years the population of the honey bees has been declining all over the world. This decline has not been gradual but has occurred suddenly and in a rapid manner. This sudden collapse of the honey bee colonies has made the researchers and scientist very concern and they have termed this phenomenon as Colony Collapse Disorder. This sudden collapse has been taken very seriously by the scientific community and there are currently lots of researches going on to understand the primary cause of this collapse. This sudden decline of the population of the honey bees can be fatal in all the aspects and therefore it should be given a top most priority by all the governments around the world. This decline has been quiet unique as their behavior is quiet opposite to their natural nature as bees are considered to be social insects and they prefer to live in organized colony. Currently there are lots of researches undergoing to understand the primary cause of CCD and to find out a remedy. With all the research done so far, scientists have come to a conclusion that there is no single cause for CCD to occur (Rowan, Fruitless Fall). There are number of factors which are affecting the disorder in the bees. Further research are still being done to understand all the factors and to find a quick remedy for this grave situation. Antibiotics, toxic chemicals like pesticides and human interference are some of the prime reasons for the sudden and rapid colony collapse. Although there are lots of reasons which are causing the colony collapse disorder in honeybees, we would be concentrating only on the affects caused by toxic elements. Toxic elements like insecticides, miticides and even some antibiotics are currently being researched for their role in CCD phenomenon. Antibiotics Antibiotics have been used by mankind for centuries to kill germs and bacteria which have caused loss to the human life and their resources like the agricultural crops. Many antibiotics have been used for protecting the crops but over time it has caused certain side affects which have made the scientists to research on the effects of antibiotics and their contribution towards the honey bee colony collapse disorder. One major area of concern is that the bacteria soon develop resistance towards a particular type of antibiotics and hence the beekeepers are forced to change their antibiotics from time to time in order to eliminate all bacteria and germs. Tylosin is one of the latest antibiotics currently being used for reducing the pathogens level in honey bees. However research is going on the possible side affects of this new antibiotics (Rowan, Fruitless Fall). Like any other living organisms bees too get infected to different kinds of bacteria and germs. The risk of getting infected raises in bees when they are exposed to different climatic conditions or when they are transported from one place to another for the purpose of commercial pollination. One of the other problems faced by the bee keepers is that the bacteria causing diesis to honey bee are fast developing resistance to the antibiotics given to the bee as medication against these bacteria. The bacteria’s have been constantly developing resistance to various kinds of antibiotics which force scientists to find an alternative. Some time the use of antibiotics can lead to an unintended result and can cause problems in the gut flora of the bees resulting in the increased infectivity of the pathogens like the Nosema. There is also research going on to check the chronic effects of antibiotics. Use of antibiotics should be used under guidance or only if the person is well trained. It can be fatal to use the antibiotics medicine to the entire hive as it can have side affects too and can even cause unwanted results on uninfected bees. It is always advisable to remove the infected bees or their frames from the hive in order to decontaminate the hive and prevent the spread of the diseases. Another risk of using antibiotic on the entire hive is that that there can be an error in putting the antibiotic medicine over the center of the hive which can spill over and kill the unsealed broods unintentionally. Use of antibiotics should be stopped at least four weeks before the planned harvesting of the honey bee hive. The antibiotic treatment must stopped in order to make it suitable for the human beings. In order to prevent contamination of the marketable honey it is necessary that all kinds of treatment should be stopped and they should only occur outside the honey producing season. Marketable honey goes under lots of tests and any traces of toxic substance can cause huge looses to the bee keeper. Miticides Miticides are also referred as pesticides and are primarily used to kill mites. They have both medical and agricultural use and are used rampantly across the globe. Although it is one of the most popular ways of killing mites, scientists are researching their side affects on the honey bees and a possible link to CCD. Bee mites are a serious threat for the growth of the bee population as they have a greater potential of dispersal as large number of bee hives are moved from one place to another for the purpose of commercial pollination and as a result dieses caused by mites can spread into areas which were earlier not infected. Preliminary researches have shown that miticides can cause harm to the honey bees as well (Rowan, Fruitless Fall). Although miticides have been successful in eliminating mites, they are also responsible for the reduction of the honey bee population and can be one of the main causes for CCD phenomenon to occur. Although miticides are launched in the market only after rigorous clinical tests yet the problem continues as parasites develop resistance against these synthetic chemicals. These chemicals which are used to eliminate mites are causing serious side affects by damaging their reproduction system which is crucial for the growth of the honey bee population. Scientists and researches are finding out possible ways to limit the side affects of these chemicals. They have been experimenting on the possible way of injecting miticides on the infected bees without disturbing the uninfected bees in the hive. One of the most commonly used method for injecting miticides is through formulated plastic strips which are applied on infected bees or colonies. The way the miticides are injected into the colonies is very important in order to avoid a spill over problem. If the miticides are introduced to the entire colony then all the member of the colony is under the influence of the miticide even if they are not infected. This can seriously affect the growth of eggs and larvae and can even cause some kind of disability too. One of the most damaging side affect of the miticide is the failure of the Queen bee to reproduce more eggs for the development of the colony. It can become even worse if the hive looses its ability to re queen themselves. Current researches have shown that miticides caused causes chronic effects of current problems and thereby reducing the productivity of the queen to a large extent. Mites that parasites honey bees have become a world wide problem which threatens the existence of the honey bees. If the honey bees become extinct it will be a huge loss economically as they are one of the most economical ways of pollination as there are large number of crops which depends completely on honey bees for reproduction. Neonicotinoids Neonicotinoids is a form of pesticide which is currently under investigation for its role in CCD. Scientists and bee experts are convinced that Neonicotinoids is one of the main causes for the collapse of the honey bee society. This deadly pesticide contains toxic elements like imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiamethoxam which are considered fatal for the honey bees. One unique feature of this particular pesticide is that when it is sprayed on the agricultural crops, the pesticide makes it way up to the flower and leaves its residues on the flower. This chemical comes in contact with the honey bee when they are collecting nectar from the flower. Scientists have found traces of Neonicotinoids in some pollen sample (Rowan, Fruitless Fall). Neonicotinoids does not affect instantly but they do have chronic effects on the future generation of the honey bees. The chemical ingredients of the insecticide can affect the complex behavior of the honey bees like flight navigation, memory loss and co-ordination. Summary Humans have long tried to mess with the nature in order to fulfill its selfish needs. There is no doubt that the world population is growing and the current supply of agricultural crops would soon fall short of the demand and in order to cope up with this problem men have been experimenting at the cost of the nature. Honey bees have been helping us in so many ways and if at all they become extinct it will be a serious issue and a question to human sensitivity towards the other living beings on the planet. It is for the human own advantage to co-exist with other living beings as each one of us are integrated to this nature in one way or the other and in a way helping each other directly or indirectly. Works Citied 1. Jacobsen, Rowan. Fruitless Fall; The Collapse of the Honey Bee and the Coming Agricultural Crisis. New York: Bloomsbury, 2008. Print Read More