When it comes to the relationship between people and bees, things are a little complicated.
While bees may be small and fuzzy, their Kamikaze death stings have a history of striking fear into the hearts of young children everywhere. Their unnerving disregard for personal space doesn”t help either.
Corrin Bond
Argonaut
Despite their reputation for being buzzing, stinging, black-and-yellow death machines, bees play an important role in the food industry and international economy, and their sudden population decline – known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) – should not to be taken lightly.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the number of bee colonies has decreased from five million in the 1940s to about two million today. Beekeepers are facing tremendous loss too. Beekeepers averaged 33 percent loss in bees between 2006 and 2011, with a third of these losses attributed to CCD.
Although this might seem like a problem exclusive to researchers and beekeepers, the reality is that a decline in honey bee populations affects everyone.
An article published by the BBC cited that one-third of all food is dependent upon pollination. Beyond that, bees pollinate up to 70 different types of crops and produce about 6,000 tons of honey every year.
When bee populations decline, the agricultural industry is impacted in a negative way. This could increase the price of certain foods and make it difficult to purchase them without breaking the bank. A lack of bees would also hurt the environment, as bees are an integral part of maintaining healthy ecosystems.
While little is known about CCD, many researchers, including University of Idaho professors within the College of Natural Resources, are working to learn more about the problem.
It”s possible for college students to help as well.
Like bees, most insects that are feared, such as spiders, contribute to local ecosystems. While most people”s first instincts are to squish the spider on their wall or swat at a bee that”s encroached upon their picnic space, there are better ways to interact with insects.
Non-poisonous spiders that have wandered into an apartment can easily be trapped under a cup and taken outside.
Honey bees don”t often attack until they”ve been aggravated or swatted at, which means defusing honey bee interactions can be as simple as ignoring them or calmly walking away from the bee.
As the summer approaches, many bees often fly too close to bodies of water and drown in pools or lakes. If a bee is still on the surface or wriggling around, it”s possible to fish it out of the water and place it on a safe, dry surface where it can recuperate and continue on its way. As the warmer months approach and more insects start to appear, it”s also important not to mistake honey bees for their much more aggressive counterparts, wasps.
While there”s not much students can do, the little acts of kindness toward bees will help in the long-run. These buzzing black-and-yellow creatures may not be everyone”s favorite insect, but they are undeniably important and the societal role they play should not be ignored.
Corrin Bond can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @CorrBond