The Death of the Honeybee – The Death of Humanity
Honeybees have been disappearing at an alarming rate over the last several years leaving beekeepers, researchers, and scientists without a clue as to why. Scientists have a name attached to the disappearance of the honeybees and are calling it Colony Collapse Disorder. The term Colony Collapse Disorder refers to the abandoning of honeybees in a collective manner that affects agriculture. The disappearance of the honeybees is a baffling mystery that conjures many theories, none of which have proved to be either correct or incorrect.
Colony Collapse Disorder is big news that isn’t much news at all. The issue is pressing because of the severe consequence honeybee disappearances can have on the world. Missing honeybees could lead people all over the world to either change their diet drastically, or perhaps not have any food at all. The honeybee is important to the pollination of hundreds of different agricultural crops. Many farmers rely on honeybees to grow food, and without the mass production of food, the possibility of famine grows. There are nearly 100 different crops that rely on pollinators in order to produce. Many fruits, vegetables, and even cotton are dependent on disappearing pollinators to continue to thrive. Economists and top financial analysts are concerned about the economic disaster honeybee disappearances could have on the world, but it is a small concern when compared to threatened food security.
There are several theories as to why honeybees are disappearing:
Cell Phones
Are cell phones to blame for the honeybee disappearances? German researchers are currently conducting studies to determine the link between the vanishing of honeybees and radiation from cell phones. Some professors believe that cell phone signals may interfere with the honeybees memory and ability to communicate. One professor placed cellphone handsets near beehives for observation. He discovered the higher the cell phone frequency channel, the more the honeybees avoided their homes. Electromagnetic radiation could very well be a factor in the disappearance of the honeybee but it hasn’t been confirmed as a cause. As mobile phones become more popular in developing nations, the cell phone theory will become more clear.
Pesticides
Another theory is that the honeybees are suffering from a type of Alzheimer’s disease contributed to pesticides. The theory is that chemicals in pesticides cause an interruption in the honeybee’s memory and they are unaware of how to return home. This theory would explain why the queen and larvae are being abandoned by an otherwise social insect. French and Italian governments banned a nicotine-based pesticide that local farmers claimed was killing their honeybees and potentially affecting the honeybee brain.
Filed Under: Science
there are a lot of different theories on why they are dying off, they need to find a solution to stop it
What causes CCD is still a mystery, but it looks as if it is a combintion of pesticides & other existing threats to bees (such as varroa mites & other diseases) - together creating the perfect storm. Because it is not one specific cause it is all the more difficult to find a solution, but many scientists are working on it, especially in the US.
The cell phone theory has been largely discounted - more recent studies have found no link between cell phone masts & CCD.
Let's analyze the cellphone theory. If this is the case, then why do the bees start to disappear only recently? I mean the number of disappearance should gradually increase and not out of a sudden as cellphone usage is not something new. If the researchers were to provide a figure that supposedly says that bee population were to decrease gradually, then I would accept the cellphone theory. Otherwise, I don’t think it’s the main culprit. There must be something else. A sudden outbreak of disease?