The honeybee population has been experiencing 30 percent declines since 2005. If the little pollinators vanish form the face of the Earth, the human race is not far behind. About every third bite of food we shovel onto our forks was pollinated by a honeybee. Colony collapse disorder has been studied by scientists from around the world extensively, yet no single cause for the deaths has been universally accepted. Many blame the planting of GMO crops and the use of chemical pesticides and herbicides on the bee deaths.
A recent Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) report in the United Kingdom shed more than a little light on the problem, but so far, United States agricultural experts have failed to take corrective steps. A class of insecticide chemicals routinely used in America are killing off the bee population, according to the UK report. The chemical culprits are typically applied to rapeseed (canola), corn, sugar beets, and a handful of other crops around the world. Related data released in the European Union confirms the threat to healthy bee colonies.
Whole Foods Market recently embarked upon a “Give bees a chance” educational promotion to highlight the ongoing decline. The chain hosted events in its stores to alert shoppers to exactly how aisles would look if honeybees no longer existed and also released dramatic pictures showing Americans what grocery stores would look like if colony collapse disorder continues.
Whole Foods partnered with the Xerces Society in the study. Said Xerces Assistant Director Eric Mader:
“Despite the critical role they play in sustaining our world, the situation for pollinators continues to be difficult. Whether we are looking at honeybee declines, the massive downturn in monarch butterfly populations, or the risk of extinction now facing many bumblebee species, this is an incredibly tough time for pollinators. The stand that Whole Foods Market is taking to bring more attention to our pollinators should inspire all of us to speak out for these creatures, and to take action.”
Whole Foods highlighted the bee decline last year with a spotlight on produce, and this year took a look at the dairy aisle. “Imagine a world with no milk, yogurt, or butter. No cheese? No chance. Without pollinators, the dairy aisle would be a lot less plentiful,” the company said in a press release. “That’s why the Whole Foods Market Lynnfield store in Massachusetts demonstrated to shoppers how many of their dairy department favorites would cease to exist without bees.
As much as 70 percent of the honeybees in colder parts of the country did not survive the harsh winter in what is developing as a major blow to farmers and gardeners – a situation that could lead to higher food prices.
This follows record losses of the little pollinators due to colony collapse disorder, a condition in which entire hives disappear and/or die. Honeybees are responsible for directly pollinating about 70 percent of the food supply. Iowa beekeeper Mike Swett, of Squaw Creek Honey told KCCI, “It’s devastating. When I came out and saw my loss, I mean you literally just cry.” The vast majority of the honeybees in Swett’s 25 hives died during a winter that saw multiple days below zero. The national average is about 30 percent.
“I have dead bees, and I still have combed honey here and the bees are just basically starved to death. Last year I probably lost 8 to 10 percent of my bees. This year, I’m seeing 60 percent loss,” the Iowa beekeeper added. Swett said it was so cold this year that his honeybees were unable to move into their cluster to garner food. The Iowa beekeeper estimates that the bee deaths cost him approximately $1,000.
Iowa beekeeper Bob Wolff called the winter of 2013 the worst winter he has ever seen for the honeybee population. The volunteer beekeeper at the Indian Creek Nature Center in Cedar Rapids told The Gazette newspaper that only two of the 12 hives he kept still remain. Wolff estimates that the colony experienced a 60-70 percent loss overall.
The Iowa Department of Agriculture told KCCI that extreme weather conditions played a significant role in the deaths of “weaker, sicker, or malnourished” honeybee colonies. Andrew Joseph, a bee researcher for the agency estimates the loss at 70 percent or more for beekeepers in the state.
The Whole Foods examination of its dairy aisle found that:
- Without bees, “most fruit-flavored yogurts would be gone.”
- Bees are responsible for “the chocolate in chocolate milk.”
- Without bee-pollinated clover and alfalfa there might be “up to a 50 percent reduction in milk products.”
- Bees sustain “the plant communities where animals graze for cheese production.”
- Almond milk and fruit juices are possible only because of bees.
In 2013, Whole Foods engaged in a similar bee education project and found that 52 percent of its produce – 237 of 453 products – would not be available if it weren’t for bees.
Sampling of Products that would disappear along with the honeybees:
- Onions
- Apples
- Avocados
- Carrots
- Mangos
- Lemons
- Limes
- Honeydew
- Cantaloupe
- Zucchini
- Summer squash
- Eggplant
- Cucumbers
- Celery
- Green onions
- Cauliflower
- Leeks
- Bok choy
- Kale
- Broccoli
- Broccoli rabe
- Mustard greens
A picture (or a video) is supposedly worth a thousand words. If the astounding images and videos created by Whole Foods Market follow the old adage, perhaps more than a minority of Americans will begin thinking, talking and acting to save the honeybees. To join the bee conservation conversation in cyber space use the hashtag – #ShareTheBuzz.
Whole Foods released tips on saving the bees. The tips included:
- Buy organic: “Buying organic is one of the easiest ways to support pollinator health by reducing the number of harmful pesticides that can adversely affect bees.”
- Don’t use insecticides. “Insecticides are harmful to pollinators, and weed killers reduce food sources by removing flowers from the landscape.”
- Plant bee-friendly organic native wildflowers to “provide forage for honeybees and other pollinators.”
- According to the studies reviewed by Whole Foods and Xerces, about 85 percent of all the plant species on Earth either require or “strongly benefit” from pollination by insects.
What do you think is causing colony collapse disorder and what should be done to correct the potential disaster the disappearance of honeybees would prompt?