Honeybees Are Rapidly Vanishing in 24 US States

Honeybees are vanishing at such alarming rates from 24 US states, that the production of crops is under threat. As yet, the cause of the loss, which ranges from 30% to 70%, remains a mystery. American bee colonies have dealt with regional crises before, but this is the first crisis that has developed into a national crisis. Bees pollinate more than $14bn worth of seeds and crops each year in America, namely fruit, vegetables and nuts.

This mystery disappearance shows the important role that honeybees play in the chain that harvests fruit and vegetables, delivers them to the supermarkets, and ultimately onto our tables. This crisis is threatening a number of crops, from avocados to kiwi fruit and California almonds. David Bradshaw, a California based beekeeper, told the New York Times: "I have never seen anything like it. Box after box they are just empty. There's nobody home".

The beekeeping industry is coming increasingly under consolidation, with many fearing that this current crisis could be the breaking point for even the larger beekeepers. So far, the bee losses range from 30% to 60% on the West Coast. On the East Coast and in Texas, some beekeepers have reported losses of over 70%. Beekeepers expect to lose only up to 20% in the off season.

Researchers who have looked into possible causes for this loss in bees believe that the bees are dying in the fields, perhaps exhausted and then finally falling victim to the cold. Jerry Hayes, a bee expert for the Florida Department of Agriculture told the Orlando Sentinel newspaper: "The real question is why they leave. Bees are highly social insects. They don't leave their babies and the queen".

One of the theories put forward is the presence of viruses, a fungus and poor bee nutrition. The losses have been called "colony collapse disorder". Researchers are also carrying out tests on pesticides banned in some parts of Europe to see whether these are affecting the bees' ability to navigate back to their hives. Some bees are being raised to survive a shorter off season, to pollinate as soon as the almond bloom starts in February. This may well have lowered the bees' immunity to viruses. Mites have already damaged bee colonies. The insecticides that were used to try and kill the mites are harming the ability of the queen bees to spawn as many workers as before.

Beekeeping is no longer the exclusive domain of hobbyists. In America, it has become more commercial and consolidated. During the last two decades, the total number of beehives has dropped by a quarter. Current estimates place the figure at 2.4 million. In addition, the number of beekeepers has also fallen by 50% during the same period. Beekeeping has become a more costly business, as the costs to maintain hives, or colonies, has kept rising.

According to Zac Browning, the vice-president of the American Beekeeping Federation: "There are less beekeepers, less bees, yet more crops to pollinate. With so much added loss and expense due to disease, pests and higher equipment costs, profitability is actually falling".

It is so easy for us all to take the humble honeybee for granted. But unless researchers can find a cause for the disappearance of so many honeybees across America, and find an effective treatment, many more states may lose honeybees. Along with their disappearance, the vital role played by honeybees in the pollination and production of food will be lost and we, the consumers, will ultimately suffer.

Source:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6400179.stm