Holistic living
Buzz Off
by Derek Shaw
I remember when I was a little kid digging around the yard—just getting my hands dirty and excavating bugs, coins or whatever other surprises the earth had in store.
That unmistakable hum was in the air…bzzz…the pulse of summer. Yellow jackets, bumblebees, hornets and honeybees paid a visit to the ice plant, flowers and blossoming trees.
I thought to myself, these guys have it all figured out—everyone is doing their job and helping the hive. (I guess I’ve always had a Commie streak in me.)
Unfortunately, the bees have buzzed off, and the problem is bigger than my backyard. Bees are in big trouble, and it’s as clear as the realization that the sidewalks and gutters are now littered with winged insects. Bumblebees are practically non-existent in England and the western United States. Other bee species that were common in the 1990s are now considered rare throughout North America, South America, Asia and Europe.
Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) was christened in 2006 after a rash decline in the Western honeybee population. That year, over a third of the nation’s commercial honeybees were lost. Worker bees are still disappearing in droves, leaving behind the brood and abandoning the stored pollen, honey, larvae and pupae. In some cases, up to 75 percent of colonies are dying off, usually in less than a week.
It hurts the beekeeper, which hurts the farmer. Consequently, it burdens food distributors, grocery stores and restaurants that pass the rising costs on to you, the consumer. Hundreds of domestic crops, worth billions of dollars are at stake.
“We’re already importing much of our food,” says Eric Mussen, U.C. Davis bee expert. “About a third of what we consume every day is the product of honeybee pollination.”
Fruit and nut farmers are getting hit the hardest, many now having to import commercial honeybees. Ice cream manufacturers are feeling the crunch as Haagen-Dazs recently named a new flavor called Vanilla Honey Bee to foster CCD research. Almonds are especially vulnerable since they require half of America’s commercial honeybees for pollination, according to Mussen.
Still, farmers and scientists aren’t panicking just yet. For now, the focus is on research and mitigation, and they don’t want to falsely sound the alarms without enough data and resources. The biggest fear is that beekeeping will become a lost art as more individuals retire from the profession and fewer young people pursue the destabilized trade.
“Although there are concerns over CCD, there hasn’t been a huge impact to production agriculture…California almond production is one of the largest markets in the U.S., and the supply of honeybees was sufficient in 2007 to produce a record crop,” explains Richard Cornett, Communications Director for the Western Plant Health Association. “There have been concerns over the rising costs paid for obtaining pollinators, however, and some fear that a prolonged occurrence of CCD could ultimately affect crop pollination.”
There is no shortage of culprits. Conspiracy theories blame everything from genetically modified crops to cell phone radiation. Scientists implicate diseases and a new virus. The Varroa mite is another enemy, particularly dangerous for its resistance to all registered biological and chemical treatments.
“The consensus among scientists is that the cause of CCD is not known,” Cornett admits. “A recent study has indicated that there may be a link between CCD and Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus, and there appears to be strong correlation between the presence of this virus and CCD, but more work is needed to discover whether it is truly the causative agent.”
Mussen studies a scientifically engineered “smart bee” to expel mites and other invaders. It works by incorporating genetic material from bees that survived mite infestations into commercial colonies. These “highly hygienic bees” are effective in keeping out tainted and contaminated outsiders. Another potential remedy was developed by the Department of Agriculture in Arizona. The 2-heptanone compound is a naturally occurring bee pheromone that is toxic to mites.
“We still don’t know if it’s going to be effective,” confesses Mussen, who was voted the 2006 Beekeeper of the Year. “But we’re very optimistic because it’s a more proactive approach than anything we’ve tried.”
Mussen also believes that malnutrition is a major contributor to CCD, especially in the western United States where a decade-long drought has ravaged the once fertile land. The lack of a reliable food source has become a major threat. Bees take reserves out of their body for pollination so they require protein for sustenance. A regional drought left plants out to dry and bees are coping with malnutrition. Additionally, some of the pesticides that kill parasites also harm the already weakened bees.
It’s making for quite the conundrum. Swift action must be taken, but the science is still premature. For bees and their keepers, time is running out. Once a species is wiped out, it’s gone forever. We can survive without honeybees, but our economy and standard of living will suffer.
Americans are all too accustomed to convenience, but we don’t want to pay for the services that afford us luxury. The more we ignore the urgency in addressing environmental issues, the closer we come to that point of no return.
“Bees were doing well for a long time so they were under-examined,” explains Mussen. “Since this only recently became a crisis, we have limited resources to dump into research.”
We need to realize the extent of our selfishness and make household changes. The little things are what count. Going green is as easy as recycling and replacing incandescent bulbs, but what’s equally important is getting involved in the community by putting pressure on politicians and supporting non-profit studies.
You may not see or understand it yet, but CCD is affecting your families and future. To learn more, check out www.ars.usda.gov or www.pollinator.org. Support scientific research, and allow action to transcend rhetoric. Do your part: spread the buzz about bees.
Derek Shaw is a musician, skateboarder and writer. He loves his black lab Spot and Spot loves him. Check him and his band out at myspace.com/dovesanddesperados