The Decline of Honeybees
Introduction
Validating conservation via ecology functions assumes that ecological services can sincerely deliver fundamental advantages to human wellbeing and economic progress. To keep in mind reliability, conservationists ensured construction of ecosystem information, believable and applicable to the general public. Against the backdrop of ecosystem functions and services, pollination is an indispensable ecosystem function that causes agrarian output and triggers management of various aspects of the natural environment. To emphasize the importance of pollination further, the decline in the number of honeybees raised concerns among conservationists and environmentalists. According to scientific research, an estimated 80-85% of cultivated harvests rely on pollination from insects and honeybees are of most value of all the pollinators. This essay will critically analyze the economic, social, and aesthetic effects of decline of honeybees, why people should care, and the impact it makes in the daily lives of people.
Reasons for the Decline of Honeybees
More than 100 nations gave out evidence to FAO information base, which revealed an alarming declining trend in honeybee colonies over the past years (Potts et.al, 2010). The declining rate was by 60%. Even though the variability among the countries was wide, the trend was a constant decline. For example, from a continental scale Europe had the largest and notable decline in the number of honeybees between the years 1989 and 1995.
One of the main reasons behind the decline was social alterations. Most of the honeybee decline coincided with end of socialistic forms of government in Eastern European nations later in 1989 (Potts et.al, 2010). Linking honeybee decline with political alterations within east and central parts of Europe is relevant and believable given that changes among different countries demonstrates and correlates with land use.
In addition, recent decline in honeybee colonies is due to a number of non-exclusive elements such as pests and parasites and other poisons, which kill honeybees (Potts et.al, 2010). Even though decline in honeybee colonies may affect agriculture, artificially managed honeybee colonies are safe from external interference due to immediate replacement after a loss.
As stated earlier, pesticides chemicals meant to kill pests, heavily utilized in the natural surroundings, especially near crops affect honeybees directly. Thus, activities connected to Industrial agriculture contribute to the decline in their numbers (Moritz, Härtel, & Neumann, 2005). Without pollination, foods humans consume would be less if an alternative method of pollination were not found. Moreover, the ability of honeybees to fight infections and parasites depend on a number of factors such as nutrition status which industrial agriculture does not provide. In the end, they end up dying from the adverse changes caused by heavy cultivation of land.
Natural or managed pollinators cannot avert the immense effects of industrial agriculture. They suffer from the obliteration of their natural habitations and because pollinators’ environments unavoidably overlap with industrial agricultural land regions, the negative effects and practices (Moritz, Härtel, & Neumann, 2005).The division of wild and semi- wild habitations, extension of monoculture and reduction of diversity all contribute to the decline of honeybees. Damaging farming practices that hinder bee nesting capabilities and spraying herbicides make agriculture one of the main contributor to the alarming decline of the honeybee worldwide.
On the other side, farming structures may facilitate biodiversity without utilization of poisonous chemicals. Examples of environmental friendly farming methods are ecology farming structures, which can have a positive effect on honeybees and other pollinators populations. Increment of habitation’s heterogeneity for instance, ecologically mixed vegetation structures can deliver surplus flowers for honeybees (Moritz, Härtel, & Neumann, 2005). Incorporation of ecological friendly farming practices results into numerous benefits for pollinators especially honeybees.
Apart from industrial agriculture, climate change causes a shift in temperature, rainfall patterns alterations, and extreme weather condition, which then impacts pollinator populaces all over the world (Moritz, Härtel, & Neumann, 2005). Most of the climatic changes negatively affect pollinators, in this case honeybees. First, it affects individual pollinators before the effects spread to the entire pollinator communities.
Some unverified speculations blame the declining numbers of honeybees on colony failure disorder and according to most researchers; the decline directly links to industrial farming. A thought-provoking fact about collapse disorder is that it fails to point to a specific herbicide or fungus (Byatt et.al, 2016). Yet, based on environmental studies, scientists found some living honeybees have viruses in their body systems, an indication that their immune system weakened over time hence causing the decline.
Commercial honeybee populaces seem to be under immense pressure to the point where, their immune systems take a negative toll (Byatt et.al, 2016). Various aspects of industrial farming take part in creating the pressure, for instance, genetically modified vegetation, poisonous chemicals coupled with the manner in which the commercial bees handling and supervision.
The last factor that causes Honeybee decline is rather subtle. Generally, bee keeping seems natural but with scrutiny, it is a form of industrialization (Byatt et.al, 2016). Pesticides cleanse beehives and farmers administer antibiotics to the honeybees to fight off illnesses. Beehives placed further from one field to the next thus increasing exposure to poisonous chemicals farming sites consequently increasing their stress levels.
Reasons Humans Should Care About the Declining Of Honeybees
Honeybees are not just for making honey; they have fundamental environmental functions that protect, maintain, and assist in conservation efforts. In the Unites States only, pollinations associated actions account for more than $20 million dollars annually (Byatt et.al, 2016). Some of the vegetation honeybees pollinate are fruits, tubers and other foods humans consume for a healthy diet. In fact, honeybees cross-fertilize consumable vegetation commonly eaten around the world. Simply put, honeybees are unique insects whose functions benefits, many people.
Human activities can alter atmospheric conditions on earth consequently reducing the number of honeybees in ecosystems but one thing remains clear, hindering ecosystems functions has a long lasting negative effects with an spiral impact on the lifestyles of humans all over the world (Byatt et.al, 2016). A bee is small in size thus more sensitive to the degrading environmental changes and poisonous elements. Moreover, they cannot adjust and also keep up with daily technological changes that take place hence they end up dying.
In the last decade, honeybee had it rough despite their pivotal role in sustaining biodiversity worldwide through ecological services to both managed and wild plants. There is glaring evidence revealing the declining number of wild and domesticated honeybees (Byatt et.al, 2016). On the other hand, plants associated with honeybees are fewer in number indicating a stronger adverse negative effect.
Reasons Why the Decline Is an Environmental Subject
Apart from cutting down trees and replacing natural land with industrial farming, other manmade actions affect nesting sites hence exhausting honeybee communities. Scientists do not dispute the fact that some honeybee species prefer man made surroundings and high trees for their habitats while other live in bushy areas and some prefer making their own nests under rocks or tree trunks (Byatt et.al, 2016). Nevertheless, no matter the diverse habitats, the decline continued persistently without delay. In summary, loss of honeybees indicates a deteriorating natural environment that cannot sustain their lives.
Economic Consequences
Insect pollination especially by Honeybees is essential for most human consumed crops globally. Even though most crops such as rice and wheat depend on wind agents for pollination, most fruits rely on honeybees for hence decline in honeybees has the potential of decreasing stocks and yields (Byatt et.al, 2016). In short, there is a need to retain honeybees to increase stocks thus increasing stocks amounts.
Mitigation Measures
Honeybees pollinate most food supplies thus the rush to control their numbers and normalizing their ecological functions. Both the private and public sections of the society joined efforts to raise awareness on the vital roles played by these tiny yet important creatures. Some European administrations have initiated movements that facilitate funding of honeybee keeping and carrying out researches on emerging factors causing their decline (Basavarajappa, 2010). Specialist scientists came together to review progress made and other new steps meant for implementing procedural conservative measures with the main objective being. Combining efforts makes the restoring process simpler, actionable, and accurate.
Some conservative programs aim at initiating systematic evaluations of the sum total of colonies across all continents and unveil specific causes, which then make it easier for generation of workable strategies such as replanting honeybee vegetation and reclaiming land that once belonged to honeybees (Basavarajappa, 2010)..
In summary, comprehensive research reveals reduced honeybee populations all over the world. The causes are not definite and keep showing variation due to integration with other factors within the ecosystems. Therefore, the need for a multiple mitigation approaches to the problem. To emphasize further, combined efforts ensures slow but sure restoration of the numbers back to normal.
Reference
Basavarajappa, S. (2010). Studies on the impact of anthropogenic interference on wild honeybees in Mysore District, Karnataka, India. African Journal of Agricultural Research, 5(4), 298-305.
Byatt, M. A., Chapman, N. C., Latty, T., & Oldroyd, B. P. (2016). The genetic consequences of the anthropogenic movement of social bees. Insect’s Sociaux, 63(1), 15-24.
Moritz, R. F., Härtel, S., & Neumann, P. (2005). Global invasions of the western honeybee (Apis mellifera) and the consequences for biodiversity. Ecoscience, 12(3), 289-301.
Potts, S. G., Biesmeijer, J. C., Kremen, C., Neumann, P., Schweiger, O., & Kunin, W. E. (2010). Global pollinator declines: trends, impacts, and drivers. Trends in ecology & evolution, 25(6), 345-353.
