The hardworking honeybee is becoming a species which seems on the edge of the great debate about just what mankind may ultimately being doing to this planet.
Bees are one of those lynchpin species that should they face massive population declines the ripple effect would be rather devastating.
鈥淚t has often been said that bees are responsible for one out of every three bites of food we eat,鈥� notes www.nativeplants.msu.edu. 鈥淢ost crops grown for their fruits (including vegetables such as squash, cucumber, tomato and eggplant), nuts, seeds, fibre (such as cotton), and hay (alfalfa grown to feed livestock), require pollination by insects. Pollinating insects also play a critical role in maintaining natural plant communities and ensuring production of seeds in most flowering plants. Pollination is the transfer of pollen from the male parts of a flower to the female parts of a flower of the same species, which results in fertilization of plant ovaries and the production of seeds. The main insect pollinators, by far, are bees, and while European honey bees are the best known and widely managed pollinators, there are also hundreds of other species of bees, mostly solitary ground nesting species, that contribute some level of pollination services to crops and are very important in natural plant communities.
鈥淏ees make excellent pollinators because most of their life is spent collecting pollen, a source of protein that they feed to their developing offspring. When a bee lands on a flower, the hairs all over the bees鈥� body attract pollen grains through electrostatic forces. Stiff hairs on their legs enable them to groom the pollen into specialized brushes or pockets on their legs or body, and then carry it back to their nest. Individual bees tend to focus on one kind of flower at a time, which means it is more likely that pollen from one flower will be transferred to another flower of the same species by a particular bee. Many plants require this kind of pollen distribution, known as cross-pollination, in order to produce viable seeds. The business of collecting pollen requires a lot of energy, and so many flowers attract and also reward bees with nectar, a mixture of water and sugars produced by plants.鈥�
But there are growing concerns that bees are being threatened.
鈥淚n the past, many scientists have struggled to find the exact reason for the massive deaths, a phenomenon they refer to as 鈥渃olony collapse disorder鈥� (CCD). For seven consecutive years, in the United States, honeybees are in fatal decline,鈥� noted www.herbalhouse365.com
The issue of CCD has even made it into popular culture as the theme of episodes on popular television shows such as Elementary.
The exact reason for CCD remains debate bale, although many point blame at neonicotinoids, or 鈥榥eonics鈥�. The European Union has gone so far as to ban the neonicotinoid class of pesticides.
The United States and Canada have not gone that far.
But when the HerbalHouse365 site reports an Ontario bee keeper, 鈥淒ave Schuit who produces honey in Elmwood lost about 37 million bees, which are about 600 hives,鈥� the finger gets pointed rather quickly.
鈥淯S scientists in samples of bees, wax and pollen have found 121 different pesticides, lending credence to the notion that pesticides are the key problem. 鈥淲e believe that some subtle interactions between nutrition, pesticide exposure and other stressors are converging to kill colonies,鈥� said Jeffery Pettis, of the ARS鈥檚 bee research laboratory,鈥� reports the story.
鈥溾�� A new study, published in the Journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, revealed that neonicotinoid pesticides kill honeybees by injuring their immune system and making them unable to fight bacteria and diseases.鈥�
To discount there may be a connection to neonicotinoid pesticides would seem folly, although the broader issue CCD is not likely confined to a single source problem.
But ultimately agriculture, government, scientists and society need to recognize CCD as a red flag warning sign that needs our attention now.
If not the results could be dire, as a report at www.theguardian.com notes.
鈥淭here is an apocalyptic quote attributed to Albert Einstein (although there is no proof he actually said it). 鈥淚f the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years left to live.鈥� It resonates with people as a plausible consequence of the bee鈥檚 demise. While the timescale is wildly exaggerated and fails to take into account man鈥檚 ingenuity, it highlights how mankind鈥檚 survival has been inextricably linked to bees,鈥� it states.
Calvin Daniels is Assistant Editor with Yorkton This Week.
