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In the article titled “Study Links Honeybee Deaths to Fungus, Insect Virus All Things Considered (NPR)” which is an October 2010 publication in NRP by Robert Siegel, Siegel argues that scientists have through numerous studies linked a fungus and an insect virus to the collapse of honeybee colonies. A study was conducted after colonies of bees with approximately millions of bees disappeared mysteriously. Dave Hackenberg, a Pennsylvania based commercial beekeeper, reported in 2004 that he went to check on the bees one morning at about 7 A.M. He estimated that there were about 5000 bees in the hive, and at about 2 o’clock all the bees had totally disappeared. Scientists refer to this disappearing phenomenon as “Colony Collapse Disorder” (CCD) and it is believed to account for forty to sixty percent loss of bees from beehives in the past six years. Some postulate this disappearance is because of something that affects the immune system of the bees and entirely overwhelms the bees. Various studies point at different viruses as the possible reasons for colony disappearance. The most recent study has established that a certain insect virus initially noticed in Asian honeybees is collaborating with a fungus. The disappearance of bees from beehives is correlated to the occurrence of both the virus and the fungus at the same time thus the interaction of these two pathogens play a crucial role (Siegel, 2010).
This and other studies indicate that bees get extremely sick while their susceptibility to pathogens has not been clearly identified. Honey bees have been known to survive from various types of diseases; this raises questions about the current vulnerability given that as a species, the bees have thrived for centuries. The honey bee is able to adapt to adverse climatic conditions and in this regard it is considered as among the most successful insects in the animal kingdom (Hepburn and Radloff, 1998). The susceptibility of bees to diseases has been mainly linked to loss of biological biodiversity due to mainly habitat loss, pollution, and environmental factors. In the process of pollination bees are exposed to different types of chemicals. Scientists believe that correlation between various pathogens and biological diversity are the key factors to “Colony Collapse Disorder” (Siegel, 2010).
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) approximates that in about 100 plant species, 90 percent of which are food producers, 71 out of these 100 are bee pollinated. 84 percent out of the 264 crop species in the whole of Europe are animal pollinated and most of the 4000 vegetable types exist primarily due to the pollination of bees. FAO further states that the production value in a ton of a crop that is pollinator-dependent is estimated to be five times greater than that of a crop that is pollinator-independent (UNEP, 2011). A well pollinated crop will bear more seeds with an increased germinating capacity, leading to larger fruits that have a better shape. Improved pollination is believed to be able to reduce the span between flowering and fruit set, reducing the fruits exposure to pests and diseases and bad weather, reducing the expenditures on agro chemicals, and saving on water (UNEP, 2011).
The disappearance of the bee colonies and the bee group, considered the most important pollinator globally, has raised concerns whether it is another indication of worldwide biodiversity decline or it is just a pollinator crisis that is in the making. It is known that animal based pollination increases reproductive potential in an ecosystem (UNEP, 2011).
The honeybee’s biological name is Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae) and it is believed that its dispersion led to the diversification in some of its properties such as behavior, vulnerability to certain diseases, and morphology. This diversification has led to the eruption of other subspecies (Hepburn and Radloff, 1998).
The habitat of A. mellifera is the forest where in most cases it is able to be suitably situated for nectar and pollen collection and can have minimum disruption. The honeybees are among the group of insects called the social insects as they tend to live in colonies and all individuals from the offspring of one mother are considered as the same family, (Mackean, n.d). The structure of the bee is such that there is a head, abdomen and thorax. The thorax has three pairs of legs and two pairs of wings on it. The mouth of the bee contains a labium as the tongue, with labial palps and maxillae enclosed near the head. Nectar is drawn up the grooves of the labium partly by the process of capillary action and by pumping action of the muscles in the head of the honeybee. Collection of pollen is achieved through combing off the grains which stick to the body of bee after it has visited a flower with legs. The castes of honeybees in a colony are: The queen, which lives for between two to five years, the drones who live between four to five weeks, and the workers which are female bees with a non functioning reproductive organ. The honeybee folds back these mouthparts under the head when they are not in use exposing shorter mandibles in front for chewing pollen, manipulating wax and attacking intruders (Mackean, n.d).
The queen lays eggs in the brood region indiscriminately in any of the cells where temperature is moderated at 32 degrees Celsius by the heat from the bees’ bodies. Unfertilized eggs are laid in the larger drone cells while fertilized eggs are laid in the worker and queen cells. In the initial days of hatching, all larvae are fed with the royal jelly which is protein rich and secreted from the salivary glands of worker bees of a particular age. The larvae in the queen cells are fed with the royal jelly in their entire life. This accounts for the great difference in the anatomy and functioning of the worker bee and the queen. The other larvae on the drone and worker cells are fed on a mixture of pollen and diluted nectar. Worker bees collect nectar and pollen from flowers. Nectar is mainly a watery sugary solution during collection, but it is converted to honey by the house bees when it reaches the hive (Mackean, n.d).
Siegel (2010) in his article is arguing that colony collapse disorder is as a result of fungus and a virus working collaboratively and possible exposure of the honeybee to chemicals during the pollination process. The article is however not exhaustive, as a study on the causes of CCD by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) indicates that it is not one factor that contributes to CCD but a combination of factors working together synergistically. These factors include a parasite Nosema ceranae, pesticides and a combination of other factors which may include increased infection by the Varroa mite, pollination of low nutritional value crops, nectar and pollen scarcity, contamination and scarcity of water supplies among others (Johnson, 2010). Factors contributing to colony collapse disorder remain largely unknown, but various factors are believed to contribute with indications pointing at pathogens. Other factors include diet and possible exposure of honeybees to chemicals. The story scares the readers by using sensational expressions such as “If you are curious about the healing powers of honey for people…” after giving an argument on the possible extinction of honeybees. This scar is however not from the fact that honey bees are dangerous stinging insects but because of the possible effects of extinction of these insects which are crucial in the pollination process. The honey bee is also the only producer of honey which is known for its healing properties (Siegel 2010). Disappearance of the honey bee therefore leads to loss of these benefits, and this is enough to cause worry.
Works Cited
Hepburn, H. Randolf and Radloff, Sarah E. Honeybees of Africa. Berlin: Springer, 1998. Print.
Johnson, Rene. “Honey Bee Colony Collapse Disorder.” Congressional Research Service, 2010. Web.
Mackean, D. Gerald. The honey bee (Apis mellifera). Resources for Biology Education, n.d. web. 2011.
Siegel, Robert. “All things considered.” NPR, 2010. Web.
UNEP. UNEP emerging issues: Global honey bee colony disorder and other threats to insect pollinators. Rome: UNEP, 2011. Print.
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