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| Photo Credit: Courtesy of Marshall’s Farm |
| No one really knows the cause of colony collapse disorder, but some colonies are able to recover. | Maybe it’s something you haven’t noticed yet. Maybe it’s something you haven’t even heard about. But as a home gardener, it’s something you should be aware of: the disappearing bees. Though honeybee health has been on the decline worldwide since the 1980s, it wasn’t until fall 2006 that beekeepers nationwide began noticing honeybee colonies disappearing in large numbers without explanation. This syndrome, named colony collapse disorder (CCD), is characterized by the disappearance of adult honeybees from the hive, leaving the newborns to fend for themselves. During the winter of 2006, some beekeepers reported losing 30-90 percent of their hives. Though some loss is expected during this time of year, this bee toll was much higher than normal – and highly unusual in other ways, too. You see, honeybees don’t typically leave their young. They like the constant chitter chatter of a buzzing brood. And queen bees are usually fiercely maternal. It’s unlikely they would abandon their hives even on a really bad day of motherhood. So far CCD has been reported in 36 states. Beekeepers are facing bankruptcy, while farmers are losing crops and losing hope. According to the USDA, the direct value of honeybee pollination to US agriculture is more than $15 billion dollars.
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| Photo Credit: Courtesy of Marshall’s Farm |
| Hives are regularly inspected for disease or invading pests. | Researchers globally are still trying to pin down the cause or causes of this mysterious ailment. Most entomologists agree that a combination of factors are involved: exposure to pesticides, industrialization, urbanization and disruption of habitat, water pollution, climate change, the Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus, the varroa mite and literally trucking beehives around the world to pollinate crops. However, the curious part of CCD is this: According to Eric Mussen, apiary specialist at the University of California, Davis, “The first documented cases of CCD occurred in the late 1800s, long before modern-day agricultural practices could play a part.” The good news is that 75 percent of US beekeepers have actually never noticed a problem with their hives. Among the remaining 25 percent who have reported some apparent CCD-like symptoms, the severity of the problem has ranged anywhere from a slight reduction in the number of workers to complete collapse of the hive. Many of these apiary operations have been through CCD and recovered, which suggests that resistance may be growing within the bee population. So what does this all mean to you – the home gardener? Why should you worry about the bees? “We should care deeply about the disappearing honeybee if we like to eat food,” reminds Mea McNeil, president of the Marin County Beekeepers Association.
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| Facts |
- It’s now estimated that one-third of the bees in the US have disappeared. Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Central and South America have also reported a mass exodus of bees, and recently beekeepers in Croatia reported that 5 million bees disappeared in less than 48 hours. If honeybees continue to disappear at this rate, some scientists predict we could lose all honeybees by 2035!
- Almonds, avocados, blueberries, cantaloupes, cherries, cranberries, cucumbers, watermelon and many other best-selling food crops all rely on honeybees for pollination. In fact, it’s estimated that about one-third of the human diet is derived from insect-pollinated plants, and three-quarters of all plants on the planet depend on insects or animals for pollination!
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| Tips |
- To promote a bee-friendly back yard, choose flowers with plenty of nectar and pollen, like Penstemon, bee balm (Monarda), sunflowers (Helianthus) and Rudbeckia. Include a large range of colors as well – especially blue, violet, yellow and white. Bees also favor many low-maintenance, low-water herbs such as salvias, lavender and rosemary. You can learn more about these types of plants by visiting the Learn2Grow Plant Database.
Read More... - Don’t use pesticides if you want a bee-friendly garden! The best (and most environmentally sound) way to fight garden pests is to practice IPM: Integrated Pest Management. This method emphasizes the long-term prevention and suppression of pests using the least-toxic means possible. If it’s absolutely necessary to use an insecticide, apply the least toxic product at night, and only use it on plants that aren’t flowering.
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| Faqs |
- Q: What else can I do to encourage bees to make a home in my garden?
A: Furnish housing! Many bees like to hang out in a wood box for shelter. You can usually find them at garden centers, or you can make a nesting block, which is just a wooden box with holes in it. Most native bees nest in the ground, so you can also leave a small patch of earth bare for them – even a patch as little as 1 square foot in a sunny spot will do.
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| Resources |
- To learn more about colony collapse disorder, you can watch PBS’s revealing documentary, Silence of the Bees.
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