Albert Einstein famously said: "If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man."
About a decade ago, honeybees, wild bees and pollinators in general started dying off at alarming and unexplained rates. Only in the past few years has the subject gained any significant recognition. Back in August of this year, the plight of the honeybees was featured in TIME magazine. In the article, the writer envisions a world without honeybees and what that could mean for us as a society. Honeybees are responsible for pollinating crops like blueberries, cucumbers, kiwi, onion, apples, broccoli, cauliflower, watermelon, strawberry, carrot and grapes, just to name a few. The demise of the honeybee (which some people see as a pest) could have a major impact on global food security, as it is estimated that of the 100 crop species that supply 90% of the world's food, bees pollinate more than 70% , according to a report by the U.N. In an article by Pollination Canada, it was stated that in Ontario, the winter of 2007 saw the province's 150-250 beekeepers lose about 23,000 of their 76,000 hives, representing approximately a $5 million dollar setback.
Why is this happening? There are a range of possible causes, including parasitic mites, viruses, bacterial diseases and the use of pesticides, namely neonicotinoids, which is a neuroactive chemical. Another factor that is affecting the honeybees is that our farms are increasingly becoming monocultures of crops like corn or wheat, which provide very little pollen for the bees. It could be that there is just not enough food for the honeybees to survive. Yet another hypothesis is Colony Collapse Disorder, where hives are simply abandoned by the worker bees. The hive will still contain a queen bee and immature bees, but without worker bees, the colony will ultimately fail. No one is completely sure why this is happening, but it is certainly alarming.
Now for a more positive topic - what can we do about this problem? There are some simple things we can do to help, including planting gardens that will attract pollinators. Choose plants that have a range of flowering times in order to provide much needed pollen and nectar to the bees throughout the entire growing season. Bees are also attracted to large patches of the same flowers planted close to one another. At the same time, diversity is a key factor in attracting pollinators. Gardens with 10 or more species of pollinating plants are found to be more appealing to bees than gardens with only a few different species. Keeping part of your garden 'wild' can also attract more bees, as they generally prefer that to a manicured space.
The number of professional beekeepers may be on the decline, but there are more backyard or hobbyist beekeepers giving it a try. Bee hives can also be kept on rooftops and green roofs, which provide much needed habitat and food in urban environments. Spreading awareness on the subject is also important - the more people know, the more they can be empowered to make a necessary change.
It looks like there needs to be a shift in how we farm and our use of pesticides. More research is definitely required to pin down the cause of this decline, as there are so many theories, but no truly definitive answers or solutions. One highly innovative (and a bit scary) solution is being studied by engineers at Harvard's Microbiotics Lab. They are developing what could be the future of plant pollination - robotic bees. Personally, I think research should be focused on what we can do to protect the real honeybees, but it is certainly an interesting concept. I like to think that humans will persevere no matter what happens, but hopefully honeybees will continue to live alongside us for the duration of our existence here on Earth.
See the video on robotic bees below:
http://content.time.com/time/video/player/0,32068,2591571063001_2149180,00.html#ixzz2gU8IgMLH.
Alena Dawson
Green Roof Manager