Results of Bee Population Decline

Introduction

Earth is currently the only known planet able to sustain life. It is covered in plants and

animals that all work together to grow and create. Pollinators play a huge role in balancing the

ecosystem, specifically bees. Bees are responsible for pollinating flowering crops to aid in the

ability to bear fruits and flowers. However, bees (among other pollinators) are facing a great

number of threats that challenge their existence. These include harmful pesticides, Colony

Collapse Disorder, mites, and pathogens. Scientists are working to find out as much as they can

about these threats, and to potentially find answers on how we can help to overcome the

challenges. The problem is that although we already know the basics to some of the problems,

they are not being taken seriously. Allowing these issues to continue could lead to the total

extinction of bees, which would have damaging effects on all living beings and the planet as a

whole.

I am researching bees and the dangers they face because if they were to become extinct, it

would personally affect me, as well as every other person. Predictions of a future without bees

could help to spread information and open the eyes of the public to the absolute seriousness and

importance of this critical issue.

Literature Review

The importance of bees to the worlds ecosystems is often not acknowledged as it should

be. According to Bee: A Natural History, bees have been studies for thousands of years, since

early ancient Egyptians (Wilson-Rich, Allin, Carreck, & Quigley, 2014). They are responsible for
approximately one third of the food crop supply that sustains humans. Stated by Wilson-Rich et

al. (2014), bees and their products have been raised and used by humans for thousands of years,

dating back to Ancient Egyptians. Egyptians used honey and beeswax in food preservation and in

the mummification process. In most places around the globe, bees are present. However, today a

large portion of the bee species in a particular setting are non-native and were accidentally

introduced by humans (Russo, 2016). Russo (2014) explains that sometimes non-native bees are

invasive and can have both positive and negative effects on the native bee population and

surrounding areas. Population decrease of multiple bee species has become an increasing

problem in recent years. For example, the rusty patched bumblebee population has decreased by

roughly 87% in the past 30 years (Rice, 2017). These population losses are due to a number of

different issues.

One of the major and arguably the most widely recognized causes to the downfall of bees

is the use of pesticides. Americans used over one billion pounds of pesticides in 2007 (Weeks,

2015). Pesticides are harmful to bees when because they contaminate their food supply and get

tracked into their hives (Cutler & Scott-Dupree, 2016). The major harmful pesticides are

neonicotinoids. Recent studies have found that neonicotinoids can be found in plants up to 6

years after they have been treated (Watanabe, 2013). It seems as though if the government knew

of the issues they would try to stop them, however as Cutler and Scott-Dupree (2016) note, it is

hard to come up with reasonable and trustworthy studies because the research is being done by

the pesticide companies themselves. That lead to suspected bias and possibly untruthful findings.

The problem is that in order to have unbiased studies, it would have to be through a third party

which dont have sufficient funding (Cutler et al., 2016). Although it is something that is
recognized by many scientists and the general population together, it is hard for agencies to

regulate pesticides because it is hard to find reliable studies.

Colony collapse disorder is another factor related to the decrease in bees. Colony collapse

disorder is a hotly debated subject among scientists and apiculturists because there is no

definitive answer to why it happens. CCD is characterized by nearly all working bees

abandoning their hive, leaving behind the queen and babies, for no apparent reason (Lorenz,

2016). Some claim that CCD is normal and is not harmful for populations. However, others

argue that it could possibly be happening due to a virus known as Isreali Acute Paralysis Virus.

IAPV is not found to have a direct link to CCD, but there is also no evidence that it doesnt, so

scientists are currently doing research to possibly tie the two together (Anderson, Denis, East,

Cox-Foster, Conlan, Holmes, Palacios, Kalkstein, Evans, Moran, Quan, Geiser, Briese, Hornig,

Hui, Vanengelsdorp, Pettis, Lipkin, 2008). Myrna Watanabe (2013) believes that CCD can be

caused by a combination of factors including pathogens, mites, viruses, nutrition issues,

pesticides, and transportation stressors. Scientists are racing to find answers so they can start to

look into solutions.

The last major issue threatening bees is infestations of mites and pathogens. Varroa mites

latch on and suck blood from bee larvae and worker bees (Grunewald, 2010). They are a huge

problem faced by beekeepers and can be responsible for losses of entire colonies. Microsporidia

are also dangerous to bees, as they infest in the stomachs of the insects. These are just two

examples of the infestations that can kill bees, and professionals are aware of at least 18 others

(Grunewald, 2010).

Some people argue that the decline in the bee population is natural. They claim that

populations are driven by natural predators and nesting and pollen resources (Steffan-Dewenter,
Schiele, 2008). Although this can be correct, it only is so to an extent. Fluctuations of all

populations occur naturally, however evidence has proven that humans are contributing to an

alarming percent of the population declination.

Entering the Conversation

I agree with the fact that bees that are so incredibly important to all life on Earth. Our

world is made up of so many living beings for a reason, and they all have a purpose, some

greater than others. I used to be scared of bees. I wouldnt kill them, but that was just because I

didnt want to get that close. Now every time I see a bee Im reminded of how much good they

do for us. Also, most of them dont even sting. I really love eating fruits and vegetables, and

majority of them are available to me because of bees. I think that a lot of people dont fully

understand what bees do for us, and when they do it can still be hard to see the big picture.

When I initially started researching about bees, I was aware about the problems caused

by pesticides. What I was not aware of however, is that pesticides are only one of the many

issues facing pollinators. As I got further into my research I realized just how threatening these

problems really are. I know that many people are aware that pesticides are bad, but thats about

it. I dont think that information of how and why they are bad is common knowledge. Cutler and

Scott-Dupree (2016) did a great job of explaining how they physically damage the bees. They are

detrimental to the nervous systems of the insects. A point that is brought up by Cutler and Scott-

Dupree (2016) is the issues with the research studies being performed. It is extremely expensive

to conduct a scientific study, in this case a study regarding the effects of pesticides on bees. The

only groups that have been able to afford to conduct the experiments are the pesticide groups

themselves. The problem is that if the results are found that pesticides are so dangerous and

harmful, the companies would be forced to have more regulations and possibly go out of
business, depending on the outcome of the experiment. That is concerning because if the results

could be harmful to the company doing the research, it seems extremely likely that would have a

bias answer and they could manipulate the results to work out in their favor. This is entirely

plausible and has happened before with other companies. That being said, I am not 100% certain

that what we are told about pesticides is true.

What bothers me the most about pesticides is that if we know the potential dangers and

how they seem to be doing such a great amount of harm, why are they still being used?

Pesticides are not necessary. While they do help keeping plants healthy and prevent them from

being unnecessarily bothered by creatures, crops still grow just fine without them. There are also

natural methods that can be used to keep plants safe. There is also ongoing research into how

pesticides affect humans, as it is being found that they might be having negative effects. I do not

understand why something that could have such harmful effects on so many things is still as

widespread as it is. I believe that the companies who make them are far too concerned about the

money to consider the side effects.

My proposal is a theory of what the world, specifically the United States of America,

would look in the years after bees went extinct. Contrary to the beliefs of Buzz Kill author Rice

(2017), which states that we will all die along with bees, I predict we will carry on living for a

long while after but with an entirely new way of living. Our diets will be limited to almost

entirely grains. Grains are not a flowering crop and therefore will continue to thrive without

bees. However, we will lose nearly all of our fruits and vegetables. I say this because although

bees are not the only ones who pollinate plants, other pollinators are facing increasing dangers as

well. Meat sources will decline because the animals we eat also will have some of their food

supplies taken away from them. Although I cannot say with certainty due to the fact that I am not
a scientist, I also predict that the world will look drastically different. Flowers and flowering

plants will be scarce, and a majority of the color we see in nature will not be there. This proposal

only takes into consideration the loss of pollinators. If you consider all of the other

environmental issues we are facing (and are responsible for) today, the world would be far

bleaker. With all of this being said, I have to acknowledge the fact that humans are incredibly

innovative and would possibly come up with new technology to replace pollinators, although it

would be extremely costly.

Conclusion

Despite some species of bees already being listed as endangered, it is not a final death

sentence. Knowing what is now known about bees and the obstacles they are facing, it is time for

humans to start changing and doing anything necessary to help bees. Although my statements

were only predictions, the majority of scientists do agree that a future without bees would not be

a good future. Refraining from the use of pesticides and accommodating to bees as best as we

can for the years to come until the remains of the substances clear from the land would be one of

the best solutions. As far as the other problems go, including Colony Collapse Disorder and

Varroa mites, more research needs to take place so we can find out how we can help.

There currently are ideas swimming around the environmental community on

possible solutions to bee declination. In an article published last year, the idea of pollination

reservoirs are brought up. Pollination reservoirs are specified areas that provide safe havens to

pollinators where they have adequate areas to nest, feed, and pollinate away from harm,

including pesticides habitat (Venturini, Drummond, Hoshide, Dibble, Stack, 2016). Venturini et

al. (2016) explain that in 2015 the White House are committed to enhancing around 7 million

acres of land in the next five years to be used to support pollinators. There are also some
solutions that the public can do to help support bees, including planting gardens, leaving grass

and leaf piles for bees to nest in, and not being involved in the use of pesticides (Rice, 2017).

My predictions of the future were based directly on the research I conducted. Through all

of the research I did I was able to understand why bees are so important and what they do, along

with the impacts of the challenges they are facing. Pulling information from a variety of reliable

sources allowed me to form what I believe to be a very plausible prediction. With the surfacing

of new research and information, humans will be able to get a better understanding of the

problem we are all facing and come together to find a way to solve it. If we continue on the path

we are heading down, we will destroy the balance of the ecosystem we are all a part of.
 References

Russo, L. (2016). Positive and negative impacts of non-native bee species around the world.

https://muse-jhu-edu.librarylink.uncc.edu/chapter/226041

Cutler, G. C., & Scott-Dupree, C. D. (2016). Bee ecotoxicology and data veracity: appreciating

the GLP process. BioScience, 66(12), 10661069. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biw136

Doyle Rice, @usatodayweather, & Usa Today. (2017). Buzz kill: Bumblebee listed as

endangered for first time. USA Today.

Venturini, Drummond, Hoshide, Dibble, Stack. (2016). Pollination reservoirs for wild bee habitat

enhancement in cropping systems: a review. Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21683565.2016.1258377

Lorenz, S. (2016). The endangerment of bees and new developments in beekeeping: a social

science perspective using the example of Germany. International Journal of Environmental

Studies. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00207233.2016.1220703

Wilson-Rich, N., Allin, K., Carreck, N. L., & Quigley, A. (2014). Bee: A natural history.

Princeton, NJ: The Ivy Press.

Anderson, D., East, I., Cox-Foster, D., Conlan, S., Holmes, E., Palacios, G., . . . Lipkin, W.

(2008). The latest buzz about colony collapse disorder [with response]. Science, 319(5864), 724-

725. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.librarylink.uncc.edu/stable/20053283

Watanabe, M. E. (2014). Pollinators at risk. BioScience, 14(1), 5-10.

Grunewald, B. (March 01, 2010). Is pollination at risk? current threats to and conservation of

bees. Gaia, 19, 1, 61-67.

Weeks, J. (2015). Pesticide controversies. CQ Researcher.

http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2015060500

Steffan-Dewenter, I. and Schiele, S. (2008), Do resources or natural enemies drive bee

population dynamics in fragmented habitats. Ecology, 89: 13751387. doi:10.1890/06-1323.1