Colony Collapse Disorder

Abstract

The article discusses the decline of bee populations and its causes. Topics include a discussion on the economic importance of bee pollination in agriculture, how mechanization and the replacement of small farms with large-scale farms that grew homogeneous wind-pollinated cereal crops impacted bee populations, and the ecological impact on honeybees of two introduced parasites, the tracheal mite (Acarapiswoodi) and the varroa mite (Varroa destructor). Also discussed is the emergence of colony collapse disorder (CCD), its effect on native U.S. bee populations, such as the bumblebee, and three things that can be attributed to bee declines, including poor bee nutrition, pesticide contamination of food, nests, and nesting sites, and an inadequate supply of blooming flowers.

Colony Collapse Disorder

Introduction

Colony collapse disorder is the term used for describing a syndrome that is suddenly and mysteriously causing the disappearance of honey bees. This syndrome was first discovered in 2006 and since then, the mystery of vanishing honey bees has emerged everywhere in media and politics. This untold story is based on the loss of thousands of hives that is seemed as a capstone of ordinary day-to- day loss of beekeepers that may be occurring as a result of pesticide poisoning, diseases, parasites and poor nutrition. Honey bees are considered as appealing and significant for the benefit of agriculture.

Discussion

All around the world, it has observed that during last past five decades, there is an increase I the number of honey bee hives that are managed and this increment is up to 45% and the increment in bee-pollinated bees is observed to be increased with 300% with the same duration of time. It is reported by the biologists that the crisis of food security can be overcome if more acres of farmland are provided in order to meet the demand of the customers. People are eager to know the main causes behind the removal of bees and the effective measures to overcome it. This concern can help to investigate the pollinators and their necessity practices of pollination. It is required to examine it because people should know that the use of pesticides for the protection of crops is required to what extend and how they can save the lives of honey bees. Bees are getting disappeared because they surviving in a truly unfriendly world of humans (Spivak, 2010).

The animal mediated pollination service is considered to be very significant for the reproduction of a very high percentage of the world's flowering plants. These services are provided by flies , butterflies, hummingbirds, some bats and even by some beetles. They eat pollens or sip nectar from flowers and in this way they help in moving pollen (the plant's male gametes) from anther to stigma. The effective process of pollination in flowers is carried out in this way. Bees play some unique role in pollination. They not only nectar to intake it as their own fuel but they also actively participate in gathering pollens in a bulk amount. These pollens are then unintentionally carried with them between different ...