Beekeeping Threat

Every now and then there is a phenomenon that just leaves each and every human being in dire stress and disappointment. Livelihood and business becomes at risk especially if these activities solely rely on the help of the environment. There is such an instance when bees that are mainly tapped on by people in the beekeeping industry experiences a certain threat. Let's take a look.

Colony collapse disorder or COD is a phenomenological happening wherein the worker bees from a specific beehive or European honey bee colony suddenly vanish. It has come to be known in the apiculture world as the honey bee depopulation syndrome or HBDS. There have been notable disappearances throughout certain beekeeping periods but the most critical phase took place in late 2006 which concerned North American honey bee colonies. Colony collapse has a grave implication on the economy since most cropping industries rely on this bee wonders for pollination.

Beekeepers situated in Europe have stated that such phenomena as the colony collapse occur in other countries like France, Greece, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Belgium, and Portugal. There are reports in Germany and Switzerland indicating a small occurrence percentage while there is a decline of around fifty percent within the circles of Irish beekeepers. In April 2007 CCD cases were also investigated on in Taiwan.

Let's trace the timeline of CCD development.

According to records, from about 1972 to 2006 there was a very alarming situation in which the number of feral honeybees found in the US reduced up to a point that is was totally absent. This resulted in the decrease of the number of colonies that beekeepers took care of. Experts attribute the loss of the colonies to factors like pesticide use, Varroa and tracheal mites, and urbanization. The downfall of the industry was also aggravated by the retirement and "out of business" decision of commercial beekeepers. It was in between the end of 2006 and the onset of 2007 that the effects of the decrease of the honey bees reached high proportions that the concept of CDD was proposed and described.

There have been different forms of account regarding CCD in the past. During the early parts of 1896, it was given varying names which described the basic essence of the phenomenon: the reduction in the number of colonies and the bees themselves. These names included the likes of May disease, fall dwindle disease, spring dwindle, disappearing disease, and autumn collapse. There was actually no one who clearly gave details about the connection of the phenomenon with a specific season or a causative agent that is why it was renamed from time to time.