Suzanne Hayes

The disappearing bees

November 12, 2008 |  12 comments
Image Credit: sxc.hu Our bees are disappearing. If you think that this sounds like a plotline from Doctor Who, then you would be right. But this is not science fiction, and it affects every single one of us. In ancient civilisations (Mayan, Egyptian, Greek), the bee was sacred and honey was considered to be the food of the gods.

In mythological terms, the bee is said to bridge the natural world from the underworld, a carrier of souls - just as the bee returns to the hive, honest souls return to heaven, and the good and pure bees transport new souls to be re-born into the world.

The extent of the mysterious disappearance of our bees is difficult to ascertain as media, beekeepers associations and Government figures per country seem to issue contradictory figures, however, reports indicate that up to between 25 and 45% of the global population are gone!

The term Colony Collapse Disorder(CCD) was coined in 2006 in the USA, it refers to the disappearance of worker bees from honey bee colonies before the brood has reached adulthood.

However, the disappearance is not limited to hives, as reports indicate that solitary bees are disappearing in the same numbers due to cause/s unknown.

The fact that bees do not die in the hive, makes it extremely difficult for investigators to determine causes.

It is known that honey bees forage at distances between 2 - 5 km from the hive, however, considering the numbers of missing bees, investigators cannot find anywhere near a corresponding number of bee corpses - the plot thickens!

A number of universities and government agencies have formed a “CCD working group” to search for potential causes of the bee disappearance and then to formulate a working plan to mitigate CCD.

Consequences of Bee Decline

It has been estimated that the value of bees to the word economy is $ 180 billion!

The bee is responsible for one out of three mouthfuls of food we eat.

Decline will therefore significantly decrease food availability, driving food prices up.

This is a huge problem - that will affect us all.

The impact upon our already tenuous global economy cannot be underestimated.

Funding has been granted for a film to be made to explore why bees matter so much and to attempt to answer the question of why they are dying off. For more about the film, visit www.vanishingbees.com

In many hives, where the majority of bees have disappeared, scientists have found evidence of almost all known bee viruses in each of the few remaining bees. Some bees have five or six infections at once, as well as being affected by fungi, an indication, experts say, that the bee's immune system may have collapsed.

Another mystery is that other insects and non resident bees do not go near hives once they have suffered CCD, unaffected deserted hives would usually be raided for honey and pollen stores.

Theories Regarding The Cause of Decline in the Global Bee Population

There are many theories regarding CCD, a few of these are listed below:-

Virus, Disease, Parasites

The bee has many natural parasites / disease and viruses, I have listed a few of the most common, this list however is not definitive

Varroosis is caused by an Asian parasitic mite which spread to Europe in the 1990's.

The mites feed on both adult bees and the brood.

The bee is weakened by the mite which also hosts other diseases which are then spread from bee to bee.

Nosema ceranae is a microsporidian fungus, which in extreme cases can wipe out a hive within eight days. However, there has been no direct link established with this infection and CCD and the fungus has been identified within healthy hives.

Chronic bee paralysis virus

Most viral diseases of bees are associated with stress. This may take the form of climatic pressures but is more often associated with other diseases or parasites.

Affected bees, tremble, bloat and lose hair from their bodies and eventually lose the power of flight, leading to death.

It must be noted however that not all hives with CCD contained evidence of any one type of mite, disease or virus infestation which could be classified as a clear cause.

Genetically Modified Crops

A farming industry organisation entitled “The Supply Chain Initiative on Modified Agricultural Crops” (SCIMAC) has developed guidelines for farmers growing GM crops. But there are no provisions within these for protecting beehives from contamination with GM pollen, or even to inform beekeepers if GM crops are to be grown in their area.

A small study, conducted at the University of Jena, between 2001 and 2004 examined the effects of pollen from a genetically modified maize variant called “Bt corn” on bees.

A gene from a soil bacterium had been inserted into the corn which enabled the plant to produce an agent, toxic to insect pests.

The study concluded that there was no evidence to suggest that the “Bt corn” had any adverse effects upon bees.

However, at the end of the study, the bees became infested with a natural parasite which resulted in “a significantly stronger decline in the number of bees” than would have been normally been expected - suggesting the “Bt corn” had somehow weakened the bees natural ability to fight infection.Unfortunately further investigation into this matter was halted due to lack of funding.

Electromagnetic Disruption

Bees carry an electromagnetic charge which aids in the adherence of pollen.

It is notable that the earths natural magnetic field, which has been charted for the past 150 years has decayed by 5% in that time.

The possibility that natural decline in the earths magnetic field and/or un-natural human electrical activity / disruption has disrupted the bees natural electo-biological balance should also an avenue for investigation.

Torsion Field Disruption

Torsion fields are hypothesised to be the forces (spinning electro-magnetic waves) which hold matter in a particular form or shape.

It is interesting to note that natural bee nests with chamber cells are natural torsion generators.

Russian naturalist and entomologist Viktor Stepanovich Grebennikov came across a “bee city” in the steppes of the Kamyshlovo valley.

He became engrossed with studying the bees and decided to spend the night there - out in the open.

When he tried to fall to sleep, he had terrible and strange experiences: sensations of expansion and contracting, falling, flashes in front of his eyes, a metallic taste in the mouth, ears ringing, head spinning, feeling light and then heavy nausea - which he attributed to an effect of strong electro-magnetic torsion fields produced by the bees.

Upon return to the “bee city” a few years later he noted that the bees had died, he picked up a handful of old clay lumps with multiple chamber cells, he again experienced the odd feelings he had when he spent the night there.

Grebennikov theorised that the hollow chambers held a strong natural torsion field that appeared to affect all matter around it.

Grebennikov studied the “Cavernous Structures Effect” and found that clocks, both mechanical and digital, when placed in a strong CSE field started to run inaccurately.

Another finding of the CSE effect was that trays of dry honeycombs, positioned above the head apparently cured headaches.

Climatic Chaos

Our planet is in a period of climatic chaos - often (inaccurately) referred to as global warming, the causes of which are yet to be identified and agreed upon.

Periods of prolonged wet weather during summer months confines bees to the hive, leaving them less time to forage for enough nectar to see them through the winter.

This disruption could also be the cause of stress to the bee, leading to a weaker immune system, thus leaving the bee vulnerable to disease / illness.

Herbicides / Pesticides

There is a widespread practice in agriculture of spraying wildflowers / crops with herbicides / pesticides.

One prolific pesticide used in many countries is known as “Neo-nicotine” (marketed in many brand names) - the chemical disorientates “pest insects”, resulting in memory loss, rotting of their digestive system and weakening of the immune system - Very similar to the observed symptoms of CCD.

It is also important to note that these pesticides are often within the seed and root of a crop - therefore, impossible to wash off by the human consumer.

A strong case for further independent scientific study has to be made in the case of pesticides.

Poor Husbandry

Inaccurate diagnosis of bee illness within a kept hive can lead to ineffectual and often harmful compounds being administered, often in the wrong dosage.

There is also evidence of stress within the particular, which is exacerbated by dwindling numbers.

Keepers often have to transport hives across country, hundreds of miles, to ensure pollination of specific crops.

Agricultural Monocultures

Selection of specialised profitable crops by farmers leads to a lack of natural choice for bees when foraging for pollen. Limited dietary factors may contribute to the CCD phenomenon.

Conclusion

CCD could be caused by any one of a number of factors, or it may be a culmination of many factors, however, with no known cause there can be no effective treatment.

Natural bee decline has been noted in previous years, but not to the extent that we are seeing it today, and with the world population at an all time high, the ramifications upon food production are critical.

It is our fundamental responsibility to determine if the cause of death for billions of bees is a consequence of human activity, as has been the case for many other species, because in this case, indifference to their plight may significantly impact upon our own.

In the meantime, we can all do our little bit to help, by planting a few wild flowers in a garden or window-box in the spring.

Suzanne Hayes Comments (12)

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