Colony collapse disorder is claiming many of North America and Europe's bees. But there are simple things you can do to help keep them buzzing.
You've probably heard about colony collapse disorder (CCD) or
vanishing bee syndrome, the mysterious and rather dramatic die-off of
domesticated honeybees in Europe and North America. Scientists aren't
really sure what's going on yet. All that's known for sure is our bee
colonies are suddenly disappearing. Affected bees simply leave the hive
and don't come back, making diagnosis of the problem even more
difficult.
In some areas, losses of honeybees are reported to be as high as 75
percent. The situation means a lot more than high honey prices: bees
are primary pollinators in both the human and animal food chains. The
collapse of bee populations is bad news if researchers can't get a
handle on the issue, and bee colonies don't recover.
So what could be happening here? There's some research pointing to
unusually high concentrations of parasites and fungi — which are
normally present in bee colonies — but nobody knows why the levels are
so high. Pesticides, genetically modified crops
and climate change are all being investigated. A theory that cell phone
radiation might be a factor was quickly dismissed after briefly topping
media reports.
Few of us are research scientists capable of chipping in some lab
time to help out, but there are some things we can all do to assist
honeybee and natural bee populations close to home. We've got five
specific areas for you to consider. Let's get buzzin'!
Read more here
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