{"id":465,"date":"2019-01-29T11:29:57","date_gmt":"2019-01-29T11:29:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/environmental-justice-research-unit\/?p=465"},"modified":"2019-01-29T14:32:56","modified_gmt":"2019-01-29T14:32:56","slug":"colony-collapse-disorder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/centre-for-environmental-justice\/colony-collapse-disorder\/","title":{"rendered":"Buzzkill: The Case of Colony Collapse Disorder"},"content":{"rendered":"

Telling the Bees<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In the nineteenth century, it was believed that if a household caring for a bee colony failed to tap their key on the hive and tell the bees about major events in their lives, the bees would leave, die, or stop producing honey. [3<\/a>]\u00a0This cautionary tale of neglect, highlights the interdependence of the human\u2019s and the bee\u2019s wellbeing. Mike Hulme, a professor for human geography, argues that understanding the existence of such a personal and emotional connection to an environmental subject is key in shaping our perception of the issue and consequent actions. [4<\/a>]<\/span><\/p>\n

However, this relationship of emotional care appears to have been forgotten.\u00a0Since 1940, the number of bee colonies in the United States has halved from 5 million to ca. 2.5 million. [5<\/a>] The phenomenon behind these hive losses is called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).<\/p>\n

This blog entry will give a brief overview of CCD, its causes and consequences, how it is being addressed, and what you can do to help.<\/p>\n

What Is Colony Collapse Disorder?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The term Colony Collapse Disorder is commonly associated with the mass disappearance (and in most cases death) of a hive\u2019s worker bees, leaving their queen, young bees, larvae, and their nurse bees behind. [6<\/a>]<\/p>\n

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Annual bee deaths in the US. [2<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure>The first documented case attributed to this phenomenon was recorded in 2006 by a professional beekeeper from Pennsylvania, US. [6<\/a>]\u00a0After initial disagreement over the causes of CCD, the scientific community reached a consensus in the early 2010s identifying six interconnected drivers of CCD (see table The Six P\u2019s of Colony Collapse Disorder<\/em>). [7<\/a>,8<\/a>] While parasites, pests and pathogens harm the bees themselves, the pesticides used to treat these, and other unwanted organisms, are also detrimental to bees\u2019 health. The threat to smaller bee hives is even bigger as researchers have found a direct correlation between a hive\u2019s level of genetic diversity and its chances of survival. In addition, human activity generally amplifies the above factors, be it through the stress inflicted on commercial hives as they are being transported, the use of pesticides, monocultures, habitat loss, climate change, or consumption patterns.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Six P\u2019s of Colony Collapse Disorder<\/span><\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Acarapis Woodi (adult). [10<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n
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P<\/strong>arasites & P<\/strong>ests<\/em><\/p>\n

Acarapis Woodi<\/em> or Varroa Destructor<\/em> are mites that feed off their hosts\u2019 bodily fluids and spread viruses. These parasites can weaken bees significantly and even cause birth defects.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Varroa mite. [11<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
P<\/em><\/strong>esticides<\/em><\/p>\n

Bees are often inadvertently affected by the pesticides, particularly neonicotinoids (neonics), used in the agricultural sector to deter unwanted insects and plants. Neonics are \u201cthe most widely used insecticides in the world\u201d. [9<\/a>] Bees that come in contact with these substances often lose their ability to find their way back to the hive as neonics attack their nervous systems, leading to \u201cconvulsion, paralysis and death\u201d. [8<\/a>]<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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American foulbrood. [14<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n
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P<\/em><\/strong>athogens<\/em><\/p>\n

Bacterial diseases, such as American foulbrood<\/em>, often target the hive\u2019s young bees by feeding on the larvae in the combs turning them into liquid. [7<\/a>]<\/p>\n

 <\/td>\n

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Correlation between genetic diversity and colony survival. [13<\/a>]<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n
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P<\/em><\/strong>arents<\/em><\/p>\n

The colony\u2019s queen ability to mate with as many regular bees (drones) as possible is directly related to the hive\u2019s chances of survival. [12<\/a>] This concept is often referred to as genetic diversity<\/em>. [12<\/a>]<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

P<\/em><\/strong>eople<\/em><\/p>\n

Humans influence a number of factors contributing to CCD:<\/p>\n