Bee Colony Collapse Disorder Garden Nursery Landscaping Guide
Bee Colony Collapse Disorder Affecting Our Food Production
By Rodger G Allenby
Worldwide, the honey bee is disappearing at an alarmingly dramatic
rate. At the current rate of honey bee loss, many beekeepers estimate
that there may be only a ten year window of opportunity to find
a cause and a cure for this problem. In fact, the beekeeping associations
around the world warn that following a review, the honeybees could
disappear entirely from several countries around the globe by
2018.
This problem of the disappearing honey bee has a name; it is
called Bee Colony Collapse Disorder or BCCD, and this phenomenon
is strangely unique; all of the worker bees responsible for pollination
just leave their respective hives, as well as their queen bees,
a few just-hatched adults and plenty of food. The truth is that
the numbers of bees disappearing worldwide is quite enormous.
Hand Pollinating Apple And Pear Trees In China
For a glimpse at the future of honey bees worldwide, there is
an area in China that has lost its honey bees by over-harvesting
its honey and through the indiscriminate use of pesticides.
The result is they must hand pollinate their pear and apple trees.
The honey bee has been replaced by the human bee in this part
of China. Bee Colony Collapse Disorder could wreak the same type
of havoc here in the United States.
Money Allocated To Honey Bee Research
International governmental organizations and agencies have done
very little to solve this escalating problem. The United States
House of Representatives held an emergency hearing this last June
to discuss the status of bee pollination in North America.
Five million dollars was allocated towards honeybee research
through an attachment to a farm bill, as a result of that hearing.
During the last year, however, that funding was subsequently cut
in half.
Affecting Our Food Supply
As for international politicians, they are unfortunately more
focused on the potential warming effects of greenhouse gases on
the planet to legislate for research into the growing loss of
bee colonies.
This focused approach on global climate change hinders the more
immediate environmental threat that CCD poses to our health, food
supply and diet. It is very true that a world without pollination
by the honey bee would be devastated and could possibly occur
within the next decade.
More Research Needs To Be Done To Prevent Extreme Consequences
BCCD could result in many food crops no longer being grown. Of
the remaining food supply, inflated prices may exclude product
from the economic reach of many people worldwide. This could lead
to global famine and dietary changes.
The result of the loss of honey bee pollen caused by Bee Colony
Collapse Disorder will cause dramatic devastation for the health
of everyone around the world, unless something is done, and done
soon.
About the Author:
Rodger G Allenby has written a number of articles on honey bees, pets, gardening
and landscaping including
Bird Baths,
Hummingbird Feeders,
Gardening Tools,
Backyard Ideas,
Backyard Landscaping Pictures,
Outdoor Fire Pit,
Underground Pet Fence,
Potting Table,
Backyard Fences,
Fish Ponds.
Keep a lookout for more of his articles on this website.
Little Known Honey Bees Facts....
How do honey bees make their honey?
Okay, if you are eating something with honey
in it, you might want to set it aside for the moment because the
actual process of how honey bees make honey is a bit disturbing.
It all starts off, innocently enough, with the delicate little
honey bee dancing from flower to flower collecting nectar.
The nectar is stored in their "honey stomach"
and they return to the hive. Once there they regurgitate the honey
into a comb. The honey at this stage is sweet but has a high concentration
of water. If the water was to be left in it, it would cause the
honey to ferment.
As a solution to this Mother Nature programmed
the honey bee to fan its wings over the comb to help evaporate
the water with the end result being the honeys sweetness is more
concentrated.
It is a remarkable process. With the right
tending, honey bee keepers can help their bees produce excess
honey which is then harvested and packaged. You then can buy the
honey directly from them or buy it in a grocery store.
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