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No- The Houdini Effect of Honey Bees : How Global Climate Change is Responsible for Colony Collapse
The Houdini Effect of Honey Bees: How Global Climate Change is Responsible for Colony Collapse Disorder.
By: Ryan McGinnis
Abstract
With the disappearance of the honey bees and Colony Collapse disorder, there are many question left unanswered as to what is happening to the bees. The argument that this article tries to put forth is that that honey bees are disappearing because of global climate change and how it has caused the emergence of new viruses and diseases within the hives of honey bees. These diseases, which are attributed to the fluctuations associated with global climate change, are the primary cause for Colony Collapse Disorder.
Introduction
The disappearance of the honey bee is one of the most important topics associated with the scientific community. One of the explanations for the bees disappearance is from global climate change. Within global climate change, there are a multitude of reasons that can help explain why the honey bee is rapidly vanishing. One of the better explanations for the Houdini effect of honey bees is from the new viruses and diseases that are killing off the bees. The evolution and emergence of these new viruses and diseases can be allocated to global climate change and how it affects the creation of disease. In order to better understand this problem, it’s important to understand why the disappearance of the honey bee will affect the rest of the world.
Why Honey Bees are Important
Since 2007, a new problem has emerged in the scientific community that has to be ability to affect every single person: the dramatic disappearance of the honey bee. Honey bees are one of the most important insects to humans. They are used by beekeepers to help produce crops across the nation by pollinating flowers. Yet, with the sudden disappearance of the honey bee, many farmers are now having trouble pollinating most of their crops. The burgeoning loss of the honey bee is beginning to affect commercial farmers who are having trouble producing crops such as almonds, avocados, and kiwis (Barrionuevo). This loss of bees affects everyone and how they will shop for fruits and vegetables in supermarkets in the future. Based upon a study put out by Cornell University, honey bees annually pollinate $14 billion worth of seeds and crops within the United States (Barrionuevo). Aside from the apparent catastrophic problem of not being able to produce crops, the major concern of beekeepers is what is it that is happening to the bees? Many colonies of honey bees are simply disappearing into thin air with no corpses or note left behind telling where they have gone. This disappearance of the bees has been dubbed Colony Collapse Disorder.
Colony Collapse Disorder
Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) was a term first used in late 2006 when it was first noticed that the honey bees were vanishing. The symptoms that are associated with CCD include the complete absence of adult honey bees with no build-up of dead bees in or around the colony, presence of capped brood within the colony, presence of both honey and pollen which are not immediately robbed by other bee colonies, and delayed attacks of the colony by other insects (Wikipedia.org). Within the United States, 24 states have been affected by CCD. Essentially, the honey bees are just up and disappearing for no apparent reason. They are leaving their young behind and no other insect is even beginning to dismantle the hive or steal any of the honey, pollen, or brood. There have been a multitude of causes procured to determine and evaluate CCD. Of these causes, one of the more sound arguments that exists is the presence of global climate change and how it is creating new diseases from different pests that threaten the livelihood of the honey bee.
Global Climate Change
Global climate change has been argued as one of the leading causes of CCD. One of the more significant notices that global climate change is producing is the earlier on-setting of the seasons. The effects of global climate change are causing plants to flower much earlier in the year than they would normally (Lindsey). With the seasons changing more rapidly and at different times than normal, honey bees may be getting confused and having a hard time to differentiate when they should go out and search for honey. Therefore, when honey bees go out and leave the hive, they get disoriented because where they thought they would find flowering plants and pollen, they are finding nothing (Wikipedia.org). This could be causing the bees to become too exhausted and lost to find their way back to the hive. As new periods of growth begin to immerge, the honey bee has a much more difficult time in adjusting to the change in the season, thus creating more stress for the bee to have to deal with. However, as sound as this argument may be, it does not explain why other insects are avoiding the hive and the honey left behind by bees that have succumbed to CCD. In order to understand how global climate change may be affecting honey bees on a much larger scale, one must look at how new diseases that affect bees are beginning to appear in North America.
Nosema Disease
One of the diseases associated with honey bees is Nosema disease. Nosema disease is regarded as one of the more destructive diseases of adult bees (Ritter & Akratanakul). Nosema disease is capable of infesting and killing off an entire hive of adult honey bees during a season. This disease causes the bees to physiologically age much faster than normal, decreasing their life-span and deteriorating their hypopharyngeal glands, which rapidly dwindles the strength of the colony (Ritter & Akratanakul). How global climate change could be affecting the colony from Nosema disease is the way in which the disease will spread. During colder periods, many of the bees will not go and fly from the hive. Therefore, Nosema disease has the capability of spreading itself more rampantly through the hive while all of the honey bees are grounded. The way in which Nosema disease works is that the protozoan, Nosema Apis, infests the bees with its spores. These 5 to 7 mm spores are absorbed through the food and germinate within the mid-gut of the bees, causing their abdomens to swell and become shiny (Ritter & Akratanakul). Once a bee is infected with Nosema disease, there is nothing that can really be done for it except removing it from the rest of the colony before the disease spreads. One of the main problems with combating Nosema disease is that it is impossible to tell whether a colony is completely infected without killing the bee and running laboratory tests (Ritter & Akratanakul). Despite the immergence and catastrophic capabilities of the Nosema disease, it is not considered one of the front runners for CCD when being associated with global climate change.
Varroa Destructor
When looking at the argument for CCD associated with global climate change, the best bet for the cause of CCD is from one of the bees biggest natural predators: the Varroa Destructor mite. The Varroa Destructor mite is a very dangerous parasite for honey bees. They have the uncanny ability to thrive in both temperate and tropical environments, leaving no bee colony safe from their horrific effects. The Varroa Destructor mite is a rather large parasitic mite, measuring about 1.6 x 1.1 mm which can be seen by the naked eye. Adult versions of the mite can be found walking along the honey comb of the bees within the brood cell and can also be found clinging to the abdomen of adult bees (Ritter & Akratanakul). The way that Varroa Destructor affects the bees is by feeding directly from the adult honey bees. The mite pierces the bees’ body and sucks the bees’ haemolymph, otherwise known as the bees’ “blood” (Ritter & Akratanakul). What the mite is capable of doing is spreading viruses around through the blood stream of bees based upon how it feeds. Something that is characteristic of CCD and how the Varroa Destructor kills bees is how most of the bees affected are found to die outside of the hive while foraging or by flying to a neighboring colony and affecting that colony with the mite (Ritter & Akratanakul). One of the diseases that the Varroa Destructor mite transmits to the honey bee is the Deformed Wing Virus which causes bees to have smaller abdomens, deformed and useless wings, and paralysis (Wikipedia.org). This virus is one of the more crippling diseases that the Varroa Destructor mite is responsible for transmitting on to honey bee colonies. Recently in 2004, a new virus was discovered to be transmitted by the Varroa Destructor mite which is thought to be the leading cause of CCD in North America. This virus is known as the Israel Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV). IAPV acts in a similar manner to bees as HIV acts towards humans, in how it causes the bees immune system to be lowered making them more susceptible to disease. IAPV was found to be transmitted from Varroa Destructor in Israel and is now being reported as one of the leading causes of CCD in North America (www.sciencedaily.com). As this disease begins to run more rampantly in honey bee colonies in North America, more and more bees are becoming infected and dying off from CCD. How IAPV relates to global climate change is how it has only recently appeared as the global temperature has fluctuated. According to a paper produced by Jagadish Shukula from the Institute of Global Environment and Society inc. in Galverton, Md; global climate change is causing the dynamics of infectious disease transmission to change, creating an abundance of new diseases that the planet has never seen before (Emerging Infectious Diseases). This can be seen in how IAPV has been created and transmitted in bees as the peak of global climate change has come to fruition.
Conclusion
With the dramatic changes associated with global climate change, the presence of new seasons and new diseases can be thought of as the causes for Colony Collapse Disorder and the disappearance of the honey bee. The dramatic change in temperature can be attributed to the different times that the season are changing, causing bees to become more disoriented when they leave the hive in search of flowering plants. This could be one of the causes for why the honey bees cannot be found in their hives. Another possible cause of CCD is the strength and immergence of Nosema disease and how it has decimated bee populations in the past. However, one of the stronger arguments for the cause of CCD lies within the Varroa Destructor mite. Within this mite, the transmittal of an abundance of viruses to the honey bee are capable of causing CCD, primarily through IAPV. Yet, with no clear understanding of CCD diseases associated with global climate change can not be ruled out as the cause of CCD.
By: Ryan McGinnis
Abstract
With the disappearance of the honey bees and Colony Collapse disorder, there are many question left unanswered as to what is happening to the bees. The argument that this article tries to put forth is that that honey bees are disappearing because of global climate change and how it has caused the emergence of new viruses and diseases within the hives of honey bees. These diseases, which are attributed to the fluctuations associated with global climate change, are the primary cause for Colony Collapse Disorder.
Introduction
The disappearance of the honey bee is one of the most important topics associated with the scientific community. One of the explanations for the bees disappearance is from global climate change. Within global climate change, there are a multitude of reasons that can help explain why the honey bee is rapidly vanishing. One of the better explanations for the Houdini effect of honey bees is from the new viruses and diseases that are killing off the bees. The evolution and emergence of these new viruses and diseases can be allocated to global climate change and how it affects the creation of disease. In order to better understand this problem, it’s important to understand why the disappearance of the honey bee will affect the rest of the world.
Why Honey Bees are Important
Since 2007, a new problem has emerged in the scientific community that has to be ability to affect every single person: the dramatic disappearance of the honey bee. Honey bees are one of the most important insects to humans. They are used by beekeepers to help produce crops across the nation by pollinating flowers. Yet, with the sudden disappearance of the honey bee, many farmers are now having trouble pollinating most of their crops. The burgeoning loss of the honey bee is beginning to affect commercial farmers who are having trouble producing crops such as almonds, avocados, and kiwis (Barrionuevo). This loss of bees affects everyone and how they will shop for fruits and vegetables in supermarkets in the future. Based upon a study put out by Cornell University, honey bees annually pollinate $14 billion worth of seeds and crops within the United States (Barrionuevo). Aside from the apparent catastrophic problem of not being able to produce crops, the major concern of beekeepers is what is it that is happening to the bees? Many colonies of honey bees are simply disappearing into thin air with no corpses or note left behind telling where they have gone. This disappearance of the bees has been dubbed Colony Collapse Disorder.
Colony Collapse Disorder
Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) was a term first used in late 2006 when it was first noticed that the honey bees were vanishing. The symptoms that are associated with CCD include the complete absence of adult honey bees with no build-up of dead bees in or around the colony, presence of capped brood within the colony, presence of both honey and pollen which are not immediately robbed by other bee colonies, and delayed attacks of the colony by other insects (Wikipedia.org). Within the United States, 24 states have been affected by CCD. Essentially, the honey bees are just up and disappearing for no apparent reason. They are leaving their young behind and no other insect is even beginning to dismantle the hive or steal any of the honey, pollen, or brood. There have been a multitude of causes procured to determine and evaluate CCD. Of these causes, one of the more sound arguments that exists is the presence of global climate change and how it is creating new diseases from different pests that threaten the livelihood of the honey bee.
Global Climate Change
Global climate change has been argued as one of the leading causes of CCD. One of the more significant notices that global climate change is producing is the earlier on-setting of the seasons. The effects of global climate change are causing plants to flower much earlier in the year than they would normally (Lindsey). With the seasons changing more rapidly and at different times than normal, honey bees may be getting confused and having a hard time to differentiate when they should go out and search for honey. Therefore, when honey bees go out and leave the hive, they get disoriented because where they thought they would find flowering plants and pollen, they are finding nothing (Wikipedia.org). This could be causing the bees to become too exhausted and lost to find their way back to the hive. As new periods of growth begin to immerge, the honey bee has a much more difficult time in adjusting to the change in the season, thus creating more stress for the bee to have to deal with. However, as sound as this argument may be, it does not explain why other insects are avoiding the hive and the honey left behind by bees that have succumbed to CCD. In order to understand how global climate change may be affecting honey bees on a much larger scale, one must look at how new diseases that affect bees are beginning to appear in North America.
Nosema Disease
One of the diseases associated with honey bees is Nosema disease. Nosema disease is regarded as one of the more destructive diseases of adult bees (Ritter & Akratanakul). Nosema disease is capable of infesting and killing off an entire hive of adult honey bees during a season. This disease causes the bees to physiologically age much faster than normal, decreasing their life-span and deteriorating their hypopharyngeal glands, which rapidly dwindles the strength of the colony (Ritter & Akratanakul). How global climate change could be affecting the colony from Nosema disease is the way in which the disease will spread. During colder periods, many of the bees will not go and fly from the hive. Therefore, Nosema disease has the capability of spreading itself more rampantly through the hive while all of the honey bees are grounded. The way in which Nosema disease works is that the protozoan, Nosema Apis, infests the bees with its spores. These 5 to 7 mm spores are absorbed through the food and germinate within the mid-gut of the bees, causing their abdomens to swell and become shiny (Ritter & Akratanakul). Once a bee is infected with Nosema disease, there is nothing that can really be done for it except removing it from the rest of the colony before the disease spreads. One of the main problems with combating Nosema disease is that it is impossible to tell whether a colony is completely infected without killing the bee and running laboratory tests (Ritter & Akratanakul). Despite the immergence and catastrophic capabilities of the Nosema disease, it is not considered one of the front runners for CCD when being associated with global climate change.
Varroa Destructor
When looking at the argument for CCD associated with global climate change, the best bet for the cause of CCD is from one of the bees biggest natural predators: the Varroa Destructor mite. The Varroa Destructor mite is a very dangerous parasite for honey bees. They have the uncanny ability to thrive in both temperate and tropical environments, leaving no bee colony safe from their horrific effects. The Varroa Destructor mite is a rather large parasitic mite, measuring about 1.6 x 1.1 mm which can be seen by the naked eye. Adult versions of the mite can be found walking along the honey comb of the bees within the brood cell and can also be found clinging to the abdomen of adult bees (Ritter & Akratanakul). The way that Varroa Destructor affects the bees is by feeding directly from the adult honey bees. The mite pierces the bees’ body and sucks the bees’ haemolymph, otherwise known as the bees’ “blood” (Ritter & Akratanakul). What the mite is capable of doing is spreading viruses around through the blood stream of bees based upon how it feeds. Something that is characteristic of CCD and how the Varroa Destructor kills bees is how most of the bees affected are found to die outside of the hive while foraging or by flying to a neighboring colony and affecting that colony with the mite (Ritter & Akratanakul). One of the diseases that the Varroa Destructor mite transmits to the honey bee is the Deformed Wing Virus which causes bees to have smaller abdomens, deformed and useless wings, and paralysis (Wikipedia.org). This virus is one of the more crippling diseases that the Varroa Destructor mite is responsible for transmitting on to honey bee colonies. Recently in 2004, a new virus was discovered to be transmitted by the Varroa Destructor mite which is thought to be the leading cause of CCD in North America. This virus is known as the Israel Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV). IAPV acts in a similar manner to bees as HIV acts towards humans, in how it causes the bees immune system to be lowered making them more susceptible to disease. IAPV was found to be transmitted from Varroa Destructor in Israel and is now being reported as one of the leading causes of CCD in North America (www.sciencedaily.com). As this disease begins to run more rampantly in honey bee colonies in North America, more and more bees are becoming infected and dying off from CCD. How IAPV relates to global climate change is how it has only recently appeared as the global temperature has fluctuated. According to a paper produced by Jagadish Shukula from the Institute of Global Environment and Society inc. in Galverton, Md; global climate change is causing the dynamics of infectious disease transmission to change, creating an abundance of new diseases that the planet has never seen before (Emerging Infectious Diseases). This can be seen in how IAPV has been created and transmitted in bees as the peak of global climate change has come to fruition.
Conclusion
With the dramatic changes associated with global climate change, the presence of new seasons and new diseases can be thought of as the causes for Colony Collapse Disorder and the disappearance of the honey bee. The dramatic change in temperature can be attributed to the different times that the season are changing, causing bees to become more disoriented when they leave the hive in search of flowering plants. This could be one of the causes for why the honey bees cannot be found in their hives. Another possible cause of CCD is the strength and immergence of Nosema disease and how it has decimated bee populations in the past. However, one of the stronger arguments for the cause of CCD lies within the Varroa Destructor mite. Within this mite, the transmittal of an abundance of viruses to the honey bee are capable of causing CCD, primarily through IAPV. Yet, with no clear understanding of CCD diseases associated with global climate change can not be ruled out as the cause of CCD.
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