We’re sure that many
of you are aware of the serious situation facing honeybees worldwide. Right here
in the United States since 2006, honeybees responsible for pollinating more
than 100 crops have been dying by the tens of millions, due to a phenomenon
known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). According to a new report from the US
Department of Agriculture, scientists are still struggling to pinpoint the
cause of CCD, which has wiped out some 10 million bee hives worth $2 billion,
in the last two years. The death rate for colonies has reached 30% in recent
years.
If the death toll
continues at the present rate, that could mean there will soon be barely enough
bees to pollinate almonds, avocadoes, blueberries, pears, plums, etc. Nearly
one third of the world’s crops depend on honeybees for pollination, so this
could mean a world without fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.
Scientists believe
that several interacting factors are contributing to the massive decline,
including poor nutrition, pesticides e.g. neonicotinoids, parasites such as the
Varroa mite, loss of natural habitat, pathogens, etc.
Just recently a
Wholefoods Market Store store in Rhode Island imagined what a grocery would
look like in a world without bees by removing 52 percent of produce off the
shelves, demonstrating clearly how the major declines in bee populations
threaten fresh food ingredients. In all some 237 of 425 products were removed
including apples, avocadoes, carrots, summer squash, celery, cauliflower,
leeks, bok choy, kale, lemons, etc., providing a dramatic depiction of how our
food supply and indeed our lifestyle is under threat from the declining
honeybee population.
To help support bee populations, for every pound of organic summer squash
sold at Whole Foods Market stores through June 25, the company will donate 10
cents to The Xerces Society for pollinator preservation.
At the governmental
level, the Department of Agriculture recommends stepping up efforts to identify
genetic traits in specific bee populations which would make them resistant to
the suspected causes of CCD. They have also suggested importing so-called “Old
World” bees from Russia and other nations to diversify the breeding stock and
build up CCD resistance. Some scientists have already begun to stockpile
honeybee serum and germplasm.
And what can we do
as individuals? We can protect bees from
pesticides by using homemade pest remedies and biocontrols such as
ladybugs. We can also provide a variety of foods for bees –
cluster plants with staggered blooming times so there is food throughout the
year, also native plants are best. We can provide year-round clean water source
in our gardens through rainwater collection systems, a pond, small-scale garden
water features, etc. And we can provide
shelter for bees, by leaving undisturbed earth and some small patches of
dead trees and leaves for wild bees to nest in.