Colony Collapse Disorder: Case Study

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Despite stepped up effort to discover why honey bees are disappearing, current research still has no definitive answers. The disappearing of honeybees, known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), is a severe dilemma that is threatening the health of honeybees and economic stability of commercial beekeeping and pollination operations in the United States. The disorder as described in older literature have been called spring dwindle disease, fall dwindle disease, autumn collapse, May disease, and disappearing disease (Ellis). Honey bees are arguably the insect that are most important to the human food chain. The reason why it matters if honey bees disappear is because “they are the principal pollinators of hundreds of fruits, vegetables, flowers, …show more content…

Honey bees are a vital part of our agricultural system (Krupke). The worth of bee pollination is overwhelming. “… The increased value of both bees and the crops they pollinate have all added to the importance of protecting bees from pesticides” (Krupke). Bees becomes impatient when searching for field crops to produce pollen, including field corn and soybeans. Bees shouldn’t be near field corn or soybeans because of the pesticides being used on them can harm bees. Alexei Barrionuevo notes that’s “one such group of compounds is called neonicotinoids, commonly used pesticide that are used to treat corn and other seeds against pests.” Beekeepers made up a syndrome “mad bee disease” because this chemical cause them to be disoriented and escape from their hives, dominating them to demise because of exposure to the cold. French government banned the pesticide in 1999 for use on sunflowers, and later for corn, despite protests by the German chemical giant Bayer which has said its internal research showed the pesticide was not toxic to bees (Barrionuevo). The pesticide, neonicotinoids, is believe to be the primary reason behind the disappearing of honey bees. No researches has shown that it is the only cause for CCD. Alexei Barrionuevo notes that “these chemicals are not being used anymore... And sorting …show more content…

Honey bees would not disappear entirely, but the cost of honey bees pollination services would rise, and those increase costs would ultimately be passed on to consumers through high food costs (“Honey Bees”). If bees happens to become extinct, “…it would be a catastrophic for agriculture, as we know it, and we certainly suffer grievously, but we would survive” (Moisset). Bees are reaching their tipping point because they are expected to perform in an increasingly inhospitable world… The prospect of human starvation in the absence of bees is remote, but crops declines in the most nutritious- and arguably, most interesting- parts of our diet like fruits, vegetables, and alfalfa hay for meat and dairy production, are possible

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