Becoming a Beekeeper - Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper - page 12

Coconuts,olives,peanuts,rape,soybeans,andsunflowersalsorequirehoneybeepol-
lination to produce the fats and oils we require in our diets. Eighty percent of the cot-
ton that makes up the clothes we wear, not to mention our other household items, like
rugs, bedsheets, and furniture fabrics, relies upon honeybees, as cotton crops need to
be pollinated, too. Breakfast cereals, nut mixes, cookies, fruit pies, and juices, not to
mention ketchup and salsa, are also dependent upon bees because honeybees pollinate
manyoftheingredientsthatgointothem,suchascashews,walnuts,prunes,grapefruits,
peaches, cherries, cinnamon, tomatoes, and onions.
T HE D WINDLING U.S. H ONEYBEE P OPULATION
Where do all the bees come from?
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has estimated that there are between 140,000
and 212,000 beekeepers in the United States. The majority are hobbyists with a few to
several dozen hives. There are approximately 1,600 commercial beekeepers operating
in the United States that produce 60 percent of the nation's honey.
Thedemandforhoneybeesisincreasingeachyear,butpopulationsofmanagedhives
havebeendecliningfrom3.5millionin1989to2.3millionin2008.Thisisa34percent
decrease since the 1980s, when the Varroa mite was discovered in the United States.
This reddish-brown parasite attaches to the honeybee during its metamorphosis inside
the cell. While feeding on bee blood, the mite transmits bee viruses that weaken colon-
iesandcauseheavylosseseachyear.TheVarroamiteisaseriousthreattohoneycolon-
ies and to the livelihood of the beekeepers who manage them.
Another major problem in the U.S. honeybee community was first reported by
a commercial beekeeper in October 2006. It is known as Colony Collapse Disorder
(CCD).CCDisdefinedbyasuddendisappearanceoftheadultbeepopulationofahive;
in some cases only the queen, a few adult bees, and the brood remain behind. Commer-
cial beekeepers began opening up their hives to find them empty and not a honeybee
in sight. Commercial honeybee losses set beekeepers and farmers back, and the result-
ingfinancial losseshavebeendevastating. Ashoneybeecoloniesdwindleandbeekeep-
ers cannot provide the honeybees needed to pollinate crops, farmers' food production
drops; consumers, in turn, do not have as much fresh produce and other foods for their
tables, and the prices of available produce increase.
Beekeepers and scientists are baffled by the causes of this new disorder. Some of
the many theories regarding CCD say it was brought on by poor honeybee health and
overstressed, overworked bees. Pathogens, parasites, and pesticides are also considered
to be possible causes. Others say CCD losses are due to insecticides—specifically new
chemicals calledneonicotinoids.Germany,Italy,Slovenia,andFrancedonotallowthis