Collapsing Colonies How Declining Bee Populations Affect Humanity
W
hen is the last time you heard someone say they like bees? Probably never. That’s because they are disgusting. Their yellow and black exoskeletons induce fear, their stingers can kill people with allergies, and their wings buzz at annoyingly fast speeds. That being said, bees do have one slightly significant redeeming quality: they keep the human race alive. That’s right, bees—those annoying, pesky, devilish creatures that terrify you at your family barbeque—are responsible for pollinating the world’s food supplies. In fact, according to the United States Department of Agriculture, one out of every three mouthfuls of food we consume comes with the help of bee pollination. Not only is your survival in large part due to bees, but so are many of the things you enjoy while traveling. Think of the immaculate flower gardens you see around the world: Keukenhof, Netherlands;
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Gardens of Versailles, France; or the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, New York. Without pollination from bees, they’d be gone. Think of the plants you enjoy when you go on nature hikes, whether it be in the Redwood Forest in California or at Machu Picchu in South America. Without pollination, they’d be gone, too. Think about the restaurants you visit when you travel— you wouldn’t be able to order anything on the menu without the help of bee pollination. And that’s why you should be concerned about the bee epidemic.
What is the bee epidemic?
When you hear the word “epidemic,” you likely think of mass hysteria, infectious diseases, and major crises affecting millions of people—not bees dying by the thousands. It’s probably the epidemic you’ve heard least about as well as the one you’ve cared least for. However, that doesn’t make it
any less pressing. In 2006, beekeepers began reporting severe declines in bee populations, which panicked agricultural departments across the globe. Researchers rushed to discover what was happening.
Why are bee populations declining?
Over the last decade, researchers had proposed many theories for this phenomenon. One of the most interesting theories is tied to cell phone use. At one point, researchers believed that cell phone usage was directly tied to bee population decline. They thought the waves that our phones both use and emit were confusing bees and throwing off their innate ability to find their colonies. Though original, this theory has been debunked and has not stuck amongst scientists researching the topic. As a result, more traditional ideas have taken its place.
