Ray Nabors 2016-09-08 12:12:27
Honey bees are the only creatures that do not kill any other living thing to complete their life cycle. They do not even harm plants let alone kill or injure any other animals in their day to day activity of making a living. They will inject venom into any creature that attacks their home, including people. The act of injecting venom (sting) results in suicide for the individual bee. Their pollination leaves the world a better place than they found it. Their activity facilitates production of food, feed, fiber, flowers, and forest that give numerous animals and humans fruit, vegetables, seeds and nuts for consumption and even plant fibers for clothing. Flowers, the sex organs of plants, make our world more beautiful.
We often hear that there is a shortage of bees. Recently, more swarms are surviving in the wild. These feral nests of bees are the same excellent pollinators kept by beekeepers. Given their own selection, bees will nest in hollow trees, caves, wall voids or other cavities in their environment. The bees tend to nest about a mile or more apart. This does not provide enough pollination for plant production by people. Therefore, we are faced with a shortage of beekeepers as much or more than a shortage of bees. The price of equipment for housing bees and the inputs for maintenance are now so expensive that profit margins for beekeepers are squeezed. Local honey is more expensive than it has been for many years because when bees are killed out, the beekeepers are cutting back on the colonies they keep, buying expensive replacements or retiring from beekeeping altogether.
The average loss for beekeepers each year is about one of three colonies. The range of loss goes from about 25% to 50% annually. Whenever you hear or see the news, they often give you the average of something. Without the range that average is actually meaningless. For instance if the average is 50% and the range is 0 to 100%, the average is meaningless, but a range of 40% - 60% makes 50% a significant average. Replacing bees is now a major cost for all beekeepers. Many are beginning to use swarm traps to collect the local surviving colonies. This shows promise in helping reduce losses. Nationally, we have lost more than half of our beekeepers since the introduction of Varroa mites. Anyone interested in beekeeping should contact their local beekeepers association, get a subscription to the American Bee Journal and/or Bee Culture, take a beginner beekeeping class and befriend beekeepers who have kept bees locally for at least 5 years.
Many people believe that “native pollinators” can increase to make up for the loss of honey bees. The truth is that we need native pollinators. Bumble bees pollinate tomatoes and peppers where honey bees do not. Tomatoes and peppers are native to the Western Hemisphere as are those Bumble bees. Honey bees are native to all of Europe, Africa and most of Asia.
The old world continents are also the native homes of apples, pears, peaches, all cruci-ferous crops (cabbage family), soybeans, and most of our other fruit and vegetable crops. We have about 3 of every 4 crops grown on the American Continents whose native pollinator is the honey bee. Do we want to send back, destroy and not use all of the non-native plants along with not using honey bees? The honey bee has been on the continent of North America since about 1600. Honey bees are now indigenous to every continent except Antarctica and isolated islands.
The late Prof. Roger Morse pointed out that our honey bee could be the first invertebrate to have maladies recorded. Aristotle of Greece evidently reported diseased honey bee larvae that described Foulbrood. Pathogenic organisms that infect bees include: bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses. Pests of bees such as parasitic mites are known to vector disease.
Pests such as the small hive beetle and wax moth have a detrimental effect on honey bee colonies, especially those already weakened. The wax moth and small hive beetle also destroy millions of dollars worth of combs every year. Dragon flies are predators on honey bees. Skunks and bears are major mammal predators of honey bees. These two mammals cause thousands of dollars worth of damage to bee colonies annually.
Chemicals used for crop protection can and do harm honey bees every year. It must be realized that poisoned bees are more susceptible to disease, parasitism and predation. Many honey bee pathogens flourish under stress conditions. Honey bees are also more susceptible to pathogens when food is in short supply. Honey bee nutrition from honey and pollen is essential to bee health. Keeping multiple colonies of bees in an apiary is a crowded situation. Diseases of any plant or animal will spread more rapidly in a crowded situation. Bees within a colony are already crowded. The addition of multiple colonies supports the spread of disease throughout the apiary.
A combination of factors probably are responsible for Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) . This problem did not occur before the introduction and resulting infestations of Varroa destructor. We know that Varroa mites are the initial factor. Pests like mites are usually disease vectors. That is they, as parasites, transmit diseases to their host. Some of the viral diseases are difficult to detect, but can be deadly to the host, our bees. It is probable that new viruses vectored by parasites are a major factor in Colony Collapse Disorder.
Chemical applications on flowering crops have always been a factor in colony decline. Insecticides are particularly damaging. Fungicides have a synergistic effect that increases the potency of insecticides in some cases. We are beginning to discover that chemical crop protection products also contaminate non-crop species in the vicinity of crops. The non-crop species are often pollen and nectar sources for honey bees. Finally, herbicides kill numerous species of plants that bees often need for pollen or nectar.
Bees need multiple species of pollen-producing plants for their own health. They cannot survive for long on the pollen and nectar of any single plant. Many forage plants upon which bees depend are wiped out by mowing roadsides or herbicide applications to field borders. We have known for many years that bee colonies decline when put into monoculture crops for pollination. No one plant can provide for all the needs of our honey bees. Some plants have better nectar, others better pollen. The bees need a variety of plants to survive. We need to plant bee forage adjacent to monoculture fields.
How much is needed? This is a good question, but an acre for every 40 acres of crops would be a good start. Border areas would be good. Many fields are surrounded by field roads for access. Planting these areas in bee forage crops would help tremendously. Another good idea would be to leave roadsides to flower or plant forage plants there and not mow them. Trees on a fence line can be a great source of nectar and pollen for bees. Think tulip poplar, black locust, basswood, red bud, maple and flowering fruit trees.
Bees need more forage. They also need other pollinating insects about. You might think that would be competition, but diverse pollinators provide pollination for some nectar plants that help bees. These bees also collect nectar from plants that provide pollen for honey bees. More species of pollinators means more plant diversity.
Finally, there is the genetic issue. It is unlikely any bees raised in North America are free of African bee genetics. As soon as African bees are mentioned, people assume over exuberant defensive behavior with vicious attacks and multiple stings. However, there are other characteristics of African bees including swarming often that are now more common. Most of the bees in one of my apiaries are gentle. However, one hive in particular is more defensive. I always go through that one last so the other hives do not get excited by their behavior. I know they will sting my hands. The upside is they probably reduce arthritis; the down side is they will upset every other colony with defense pheromone. Fortunately, there are basswood trees and tulip poplars with low branches to confuse them as I retire from the apiary.
Colony Collapse Disorder is often characterized by absconding. African races of bees are famous for absconding as well as swarming. Some years ago I ordered 5 packages of bees from the Southwest. One took to a new home very well. Three of the remaining four absconded and converged on one nervous colony. There was an attempt made to put this super package of bees into an adjacent empty hive body, but they went back to the same box as before. The solution was to put a frame of capped brood without bees into the nervous colony. All three packages went inside with a little helping hand scooping them onto the frames. That colony produced a bumper crop in a hurry. I have no idea which queen survived, but her daughters were not overly aggressive. The company sent replacement queens and I made nucleus colonies that survived the winter. That absconding behavior was likely African in origin.
African bees are more prone to swarm. Despite splitting strong colonies, replacing old combs with foundation in the brood nest, and frequent re-queening, one fourth to one half of my colonies still swarm. Putting out swarm traps allows beekeepers to catch some of their own bees. African bees are naturally more mobile. Swarming is more common now than before the arrival of African bee genetics. It would seem an erroneous assumption that such behaviors have nothing to do with Colony Collapse Disorder.
Feral bees are survivors. Trapping swarms is proving helpful to beekeepers. Local bees probably are more tolerant of local strains of various diseases. Keeping apiaries of bees has become much more difficult and expensive. The main reason is this phenomenon we named Colony Collapse Disorder. Is this condition caused by mites, diseases, crop protection products, or genetics?
As an agriculture biologist with many years of experience looking at a large variety of cultivated crops, one observation has been consistent. Crops are afflicted or affected by weather, insects, fungal diseases, other diseases, nematodes, weed competition and herbicide injury. An infestation, infection or weather event (drought, flood, heat, cold) all can have negative effects. The harm caused from one attack or condition is most likely to result in a yield reduction or limitation of about 10%, but sometimes as much as 20%. A combination of two or more such events will result in a yield loss of 50% or more. Bad weather followed by insect damage or disease can really hurt a crop. Bees are similar. Insects, like plants, have a waxy cuticle to keep the environment out and moisture inside. Any breach of that cuticle by a parasite will open the door for disease and loss of body fluid for a plant or insect. Mite parasitism followed by Nosema disease or pesticide exposure can kill a colony or a neglected apiary.
A severe problem like Colony Collapse Disorder may be caused by at least two or multiple causes. And, remember, saving the bees is a good cause, but saving the beekeepers is very important, too!
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