honey bees’ aggressive defensive behavior earned them the “killer bee” nickname.
They are also more difficult to manage due to frequent swarming and high
absconding rates. Beyond those negatives, however, Africanized bees exhibit more
positive differences from their European cousins, such as resistant to Varroa mite,
using more propolis, and adapting well to tropical zones. Since the introduction of
Africanized honey bees in Mexico, honey production had dropped, which might
have been attributed to beekeepers dropping out of the profession. Mexico’s honey
production has since recovered, and now, they prefer Africanized honey bees.
In the United States, managed honey bee colonies have steadily declined in the
past 60 years from six million in 1947 to only 2.5 million in 2014. Starting in 2006,
commercial beekeepers in the United States reported an average of 30% per winter
losses as opposed to the historical rates of 10–15% colony losses. In the United
States, where honey bees contribute billions of dollars in added value to the
agriculture, these bee losses must be taken seriously. For many years, the commercial managed honey bee losses were due to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), where
a specific set of symptoms led to catastrophic death of a colony. The trend was
alarming, but according to the newest reports from the US Department of Agriculture, CCD was not among the major cause of winter losses in the last couple of years.
Many stressors are correlated with CCD, such as pesticides (insecticides, herbicides, fungicides), parasites, disease, and poor nutrition. Many scientists believe that
CCD is caused by a combination of the above factors, where the compounding
variables make it much harder to study.
There is no doubt about there is economic impact due to honey bee population
decline, but how much of an impact? We know that humans will not all die in 4 years
if bees disappear from the surface, because some of our most productive crops are
wind-pollinated or self-pollinated. However, our food will contain less variety, cost
more to produce and to purchase, and have less nutritional quality.
Beekeepers should follow best management practices to care for their bees:
monitor colonies for any pest infestation and apply treatments at the best time, rotate
treatment methods to prevent pests from developing of resistance, requeen if necessary, and use resistant-bred queens when possible. Since selective breeding programs are available, beekeepers may consider purchasing resistant-bred queens or
even breeding themselves. Some of the potential breeding possibilities include
breeding for Varroa-sensitive hygiene (VSH) trait, for the tropical hardiness and
mite resistance of Africanized honey bees, and for cold weather and mite resistance
of the Russian honey bee.
Everyone from individuals to governments should diligently contribute to protect
and conserve the honey bees and other pollinators. The general public can grow
bee-friendly flowering plants in their backyards and window sills; farmers can
increase the habitat diversity in farmlands by planting native and nonnative,
flower-rich herbaceous plants in appropriate areas, which will in turn help nearby
crop fields; beekeepers can also improve the bee yards by creating or allowing
nectar-rich wild flower areas on the premises, planting a variety of flowers that can
provide nectar and pollen across honey bees’ foraging seasons. Government departments can apply pollinator-friendly best practices on government-controlled lands
and encourage its citizens to cooperate through incentives.
4
C. Li
They are also more difficult to manage due to frequent swarming and high
absconding rates. Beyond those negatives, however, Africanized bees exhibit more
positive differences from their European cousins, such as resistant to Varroa mite,
using more propolis, and adapting well to tropical zones. Since the introduction of
Africanized honey bees in Mexico, honey production had dropped, which might
have been attributed to beekeepers dropping out of the profession. Mexico’s honey
production has since recovered, and now, they prefer Africanized honey bees.
In the United States, managed honey bee colonies have steadily declined in the
past 60 years from six million in 1947 to only 2.5 million in 2014. Starting in 2006,
commercial beekeepers in the United States reported an average of 30% per winter
losses as opposed to the historical rates of 10–15% colony losses. In the United
States, where honey bees contribute billions of dollars in added value to the
agriculture, these bee losses must be taken seriously. For many years, the commercial managed honey bee losses were due to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), where
a specific set of symptoms led to catastrophic death of a colony. The trend was
alarming, but according to the newest reports from the US Department of Agriculture, CCD was not among the major cause of winter losses in the last couple of years.
Many stressors are correlated with CCD, such as pesticides (insecticides, herbicides, fungicides), parasites, disease, and poor nutrition. Many scientists believe that
CCD is caused by a combination of the above factors, where the compounding
variables make it much harder to study.
There is no doubt about there is economic impact due to honey bee population
decline, but how much of an impact? We know that humans will not all die in 4 years
if bees disappear from the surface, because some of our most productive crops are
wind-pollinated or self-pollinated. However, our food will contain less variety, cost
more to produce and to purchase, and have less nutritional quality.
Beekeepers should follow best management practices to care for their bees:
monitor colonies for any pest infestation and apply treatments at the best time, rotate
treatment methods to prevent pests from developing of resistance, requeen if necessary, and use resistant-bred queens when possible. Since selective breeding programs are available, beekeepers may consider purchasing resistant-bred queens or
even breeding themselves. Some of the potential breeding possibilities include
breeding for Varroa-sensitive hygiene (VSH) trait, for the tropical hardiness and
mite resistance of Africanized honey bees, and for cold weather and mite resistance
of the Russian honey bee.
Everyone from individuals to governments should diligently contribute to protect
and conserve the honey bees and other pollinators. The general public can grow
bee-friendly flowering plants in their backyards and window sills; farmers can
increase the habitat diversity in farmlands by planting native and nonnative,
flower-rich herbaceous plants in appropriate areas, which will in turn help nearby
crop fields; beekeepers can also improve the bee yards by creating or allowing
nectar-rich wild flower areas on the premises, planting a variety of flowers that can
provide nectar and pollen across honey bees’ foraging seasons. Government departments can apply pollinator-friendly best practices on government-controlled lands
and encourage its citizens to cooperate through incentives.
4
C. Li