Bee Extinction: The End
of Humanity?
“Mankind will not
survive the disappearance of honeybees for more than five years.”
-Albert Einstein.
Studies over the last
several years have shown that we may soon see if Einstein’s prophecy will come
to pass. A massive decline in bee population has been reported in the US by
beekeepers, in some states the decline is severe as 70% of the population. The
decline in population is so severe that for the first time in history the honey
bee is being classified as an endangered species.
This phenomenon causing
the decline in bee population is being call the Bee Colony Collapse Disorder
(CCD).
But what does Colony
Collapse Disorder really mean?
Colony Collapse
Disorder is a disorder defined by worker bees in a bee colony disappearing,
which in turn decimated the bee population. The earliest recorded occurrences
of CCD were documented as early as 1869 and episodes of CCD have been occurring
at least once every decade since then.
CCD is not to be
confused with simple bee migration though. There are several key differences
between CCD and Bees migrating. In an episode of CCD hives were found to still
contain large stores of honey and pollen inside but there were no worker bees
to be found, whilst migrating bees will carry their stores of food with them to
be used later. Another good indication of CCD versus migration has to do with
the Queen. In an episode of CCD, the worker bees will abandon their queen when
they disappear, whereas migrating bees with carry their queen to the new
location.
What Causes Colony Collapse
Disorder?
Scientists have been
able to identify several factors they believe to be the cause of CCD in
Honeybees. The first and most destructive to the bees in presence of varroa
mites invading hives. Varroa mites are a parasite which can only breed inside
of bee colonies and carry deadly viruses that they pass to the bees which can
cause paralysis in bees and cause deformed wing syndrome. On top of the
viruses, bees can get directly from these little pests is the fact that once
the viruses have weakened the immunity of their hosting bees they make them
susceptible to any number of other ailments.
Varroa mites will also feed on bee larvae, further decimating their
numbers.
Besides Varroa mites
bees also have to contend with other factors that cause CCD such as fungal
infections, invading hive beetles, the use of pesticides, and even weather
changes.
Though it is said that
pesticides with rarely lead to the death of bees they have been linked to the
change in development in bee, especially in pesticides containing thiamethoxam
and clothianidin chemicals. Neonicotinoids is a relatively new class of
insecticides that are known to affect the central nervous system of insects
that results in paralysis and death. When bees are exposed to neonicotinoids,
they go into a shock and are no longer able to find their way back to the hive.
As weather patterns
change sporadically they can cause the onset of CCD. A sudden rain can wash
away pollen which is important to the bee’s health and nutrition or in the
longer dry seasons can cause a strained buildup of honey.
So why would this mean
the end of humanity?
Some plants are
pollinated by wind, but that rate is very slow. Insects are the primary
pollinators on the planet. Beetles and butterflies also pollinate, but bees are
the most efficient insects for this purpose. Over 60% of all fruits and
vegetables consumed by humans are pollinated by bees. They are the primary
pollinators if not the only pollinators of many of these fruits and vegetables.
Many plants such as almonds, pears, apples, strawberries, and blackberries are
only pollinated by bees. Almond trees would be among the first casualties.
Rapeseed, more commonly
known for the end product it produces known as Canola oil, is one that is
almost completely dependent on honeybees for pollination. Canola oil is grown not
only for cooking oil, but it is also used to produce biofuel. If we were to run
out of biofuel, we’d have to rely on fossil fuels completely, thus putting
further pressure on the environment.
Cotton is also very
reliant on pollination from bees. The disappearance of bees will lead to a huge
setback in cotton production, as it will significantly reduce your clothing
options.
The decline of bee
population has become a global problem in farming many fruits and vegetables.
The detriment of the decline has had farmers hiring local beekeepers to have
hives brought to their farms to assist them in pollinating their plants.
If bees went extinct,
there would be a massive decline in the production of crops. Although crops
like rice and wheat don’t require insect pollination, ask yourself how long can
people survive by eating rice and bread all their life?
So, if bees were to go
extinct, here’s a short list of food we would be sure to lose:
- Apples
- Almonds
- Blueberries
- Cherries
- Avocados
- Cucumbers
- Onions
- Grapefruits
- Oranges
- Pumpkins
- Watermelons
- Peaches
- Blackberries
- Raspberries
- Plums
- Pears
- Rapeseed
With a declining
population of herbivores, we will start to see a declining population of
carnivores as well. Though the declining populations might benefit scavengers such
as eagles, vultures, and ravens in the short term.
One more worry of
losing bees is the topographic changes we will experience.
Imagine a landscape
where plants, unable to grow any longer would become barren. Grassland would
disappear and large-scale desert will take their place.
This will be a common
sight if bees disappear.
A treeless Earth would
make its inhabitants more susceptible to natural disasters like floods and
landslides which are mitigated by the presence of tree roots that holds
together the soil. Not only does it lessen such dangers, the presence of tree
roots retains the nutrients in the soil on which we grow our food.
On a planet without
bees, the surface of our home would be barren and the vast richness of Earth’s
green cover would disappear. This would, in turn, affect the abundance of
wildlife and species that survive in their forest and jungle habitats.
Food webs and food
chains would collapse. Not only are bees important for livestock and
domesticated animals that rely on bee-pollinated plants, but wild mammals and
birds also depend on pollination for the supply of their food. A world devoid
of bees would signal the demise of complex food chains and food webs that
delicately balances the existence of all living creatures on this planet.
Herbivores, who depend
on certain plant species, will be affected first. They would go extinct if
plants ceased to exist. For example, many cattle used for milk and meat depend
on alfalfa and lupins, both of which depend on insect pollination. If the cow’s
food supply declines, then meat and milk production will decrease. This will
seriously affect the human diet.
Our blue planet is so far,
the only planet that we know of that sustains life; it boasts of a rich
biodiversity that makes it a unique place in the universe.
The rich biodiversity
of our home planet is in part contributed by the existence of bees and their
role in pollination. As these bees fly from flower to flower, plant to plant,
they transfer pollen that allows plants to get fertilized and yield crops,
fruits and vegetables.
Not only are they of
utmost importance to humans and other species, by they also pollinate gardens,
wild country sides and add to the beauty of the Earth’s landscape.
Without bees, our
planet would be bereft of its beauty and its biodiversity greatly reduced.
In short, we may
initially survive the extinction of bees, but what kind of world will we live
in without them cultivating our world. And how long would we survive for?
