Colony Collapse

Colony collapse disorder is a very serious issue where nearly all of the worker bees mysteriously disappear and leave a very small fraction of primarily nursing bees behind to protect the queen. Colony collapse disorder, or CCD, is not a new disorder. Since the beginning of beekeeping (or apiculture) which is known to have began as early as 9,000 years ago, there have been records of mature bees leaving the hive for reasons unknown. The problem is that CCD has been at an all-time high since about 2006. This is likely because of something like global warming, or something else that the human race unknowingly started and is now having to deal with. From 2007 to 2013, CCD claimed over 10 million hives. Compared to normal CCD rates, this is extremely alarming. It is twice the normal rate, and nearing three times higher.

The causes of CCD are not entirely clear, otherwise we could simply fix the problem. Chances are that this is a effect of several different problems. Among these causes are Neonicotinoids. Neonics are a new class of insecticides that have a similar chemical composition to nicotine, the main stimulating drug in cigarettes. As of the 1980s, neonics were simply a thought in the scientific minds of Shell (the oil company) and Bayer (the heart-attack medicine company). The most popular and widely used insecticide in the world is Imidacloprid, which is...you guessed it! A neonicotinoid! Unsurprisingly, recent studies have found that when neonics break down, they are actually extremely toxic. Due to the laws in place in the United States, the EPA (environmental protection agency) was only allowed to review and study the use and effects of imidacloprid as of December of 2008. Unfortunately, it was probably too late to fix at this point, especially since the United States and Europe are the only two regions in the world that monitor the use of these insecticides, so as I am writing this, there are probably hundreds of people still spreading this chemical.

In terms of prevention, there is not much to be done to reverse the effects that have already been found, as far as we know at this point. The only thing that we can really do is stop the usage of these neonics and hope that it isn't too late to save this crucial building block to our society. In March of 2007, the Mid-Atlantic Apiculture Research and Extension Consortium (MAAREC) gave these recommendations for beekeepers who notice signs of CCD:

• Don't combine a collapsing colony with a healthy colony
  
• When you find a collapsed colony, store the equipment used for that hive somewhere that bees cannot access in the future
• If you feed your bees sugar syrup, use Fumagillin (an antimicrobial agent) instead
• If you see a secondary infection in your currently collapsing colony, treat it with Oxytetracycline, not Tylosin (a gram-negative bacteria! ;)

So, in short colony collapse is a serious problem that has the potential to make life extremely difficult for everybody here on earth. Without bees, there is no pollination, and without pollination, there is no food. We as a human race, LOVE food, and we need bees to keep that food coming. So do your part and protect the bees!