Colony Collapse Disorder
What is Colony Collapse Disorder?
Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) occurs when worker bees leave the colony while the queen, nursing bees, and immature bees remain behind with the colony’s food supply. The disorder was first observed in 2006 and since then has resulted in the loss of approximately 30% of bee colonies in the United States.
What causes CCD?
There is no one single cause for colony collapse disorder. Many factors work in combination to diminish the health of bee colonies. The primary factors leading to CCD are pesticide use and parasites, although disease, climate change, and agricultural practices may also contribute to the disorder.
How can we help bees?
For bees to remain healthy, the public should plant bee-friendly flowers in their yards or gardens to give bees more variety in their diet. Additionally, the use of pesticides, especially those containing neonicitinoids, should be curtailed. Farmers may also help bees by planting hedge-rows to break up agricultural monoculture and return to planting cover crops like alfalfa, which have better nutritional quality.
Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) occurs when worker bees leave the colony while the queen, nursing bees, and immature bees remain behind with the colony’s food supply. The disorder was first observed in 2006 and since then has resulted in the loss of approximately 30% of bee colonies in the United States.
What causes CCD?
There is no one single cause for colony collapse disorder. Many factors work in combination to diminish the health of bee colonies. The primary factors leading to CCD are pesticide use and parasites, although disease, climate change, and agricultural practices may also contribute to the disorder.
How can we help bees?
For bees to remain healthy, the public should plant bee-friendly flowers in their yards or gardens to give bees more variety in their diet. Additionally, the use of pesticides, especially those containing neonicitinoids, should be curtailed. Farmers may also help bees by planting hedge-rows to break up agricultural monoculture and return to planting cover crops like alfalfa, which have better nutritional quality.
If you are a commercial or hobbyist beekeeper, you MUST see this film:
Vanishing of the Bees
Vanishing of the Bees is a 2009 documentary film by Hive Mentality Films & Hipfuel films, directed by George Langworthy and Maryam Henein and released in the United Kingdom on October 9. The story centers around the sudden disappearance of honey bees from beehives around the world, caused by the poorly understood phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder or CCD. Although the film does not draw any firm scientific conclusions as to the precise cause or causes of CCD, it does suggest a link between neonicotinoid pesticides and CCD. [Source: Wikipedia]
Vanishing of the Bees
Vanishing of the Bees is a 2009 documentary film by Hive Mentality Films & Hipfuel films, directed by George Langworthy and Maryam Henein and released in the United Kingdom on October 9. The story centers around the sudden disappearance of honey bees from beehives around the world, caused by the poorly understood phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder or CCD. Although the film does not draw any firm scientific conclusions as to the precise cause or causes of CCD, it does suggest a link between neonicotinoid pesticides and CCD. [Source: Wikipedia]
Federal and State Resources
Below are links to government resources describing colony collapse disorder, research, and action plans.
"Bees >>> Colony Collapse Disorder" by Don Hankins (CC BY 2.0)
"Marla Spivak: Why Bees are Disappearing" Copyright (c) TED (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
"Marla Spivak: Why Bees are Disappearing" Copyright (c) TED (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)