In search of lost bees

2007/05/11 Galarraga Aiestaran, Ana - Elhuyar Zientzia

• Albaitaritza
• Biologia
• Nekazaritza
• Ekologia
• Ingurumena

American beekeepers ask Congress to investigate why bees are losing. (Photo: S.Bauer/ARS)

Although scientists are studying the phenomenon, they still do not know why hives are losing, so they do not know what to do to stop the loss. Everyone is clear, yes, that it is provoking and will bring serious consequences, especially in agriculture, and so they believe it is urgent to solve the problem as soon as possible.

It must be taken into account that the main source of income of most US beekeepers is not honey, but pollination services. Thus, at the time of flowering of the plants of the fields, the beekeepers are offering their beehives to the peasants. And it is that the bees are big pollinators, since when collecting the nectar of the flowers and the pollen take the pollen to the female organs. Thanks to this the plant develops fruits and seeds.

Economic loss Economic loss

The pollination of apple trees depends almost exclusively on bees. (Photo: S. S. Bauer/ARS)

Bees estimate that their work as a commercial pollinator in the United States costs $15,000 million. A third corresponds to the production of alfalfa, around 10% of apple and 6-7% to the production of almonds, lemon, cotton and soy, respectively.

Without calculations, the importance of bees in agriculture is undeniable, since the pollination of many plants of fields and orchards depends almost exclusively on bees (90-100%). Among them are the apple, the almond, the avocado, the broccoli, the cranberry, the cherry, the kiwi, the walnut of the makadamia, the asparagus, the carrot, the cauliflower, the onion, the sunflower, the pumpkin and the cooked. Citrus fruits, apricot, sunflower, soy, cotton, peanut, melon and others are not necessary for the pollination of bees, but, however, the work done by these insects has a great importance for the subsequent harvest.

Thus, more than two million bee colonies rent each year in the United States to pollinate plantations. On the other hand, in recent years the price of this service has increased (at the end of the 1990s, in California, almond producers paid 35 dollars per colony and in 2005, about 75 dollars). These figures demonstrate the effect of bee pollination on agriculture and the economy.

Abnormal behavior

The parasite mud is causing great damage to American and European bees. (Photo: S. S. Bauer/ARS)

But for a few months all this has been in danger. The bees are disappearing. Bee populations have already suffered declines by various types of viruses, bacteria or parasites, stress, pollution, competition... In recent times, two parasitic mites have caused the greatest loss in the United States, the mud, which is also seriously affecting the Basque Country, and the Acarapis woodi.

However, the phenomenon that is occurring does not resemble the previous ones. On the one hand, it is happening very quickly and in many colonies, and on the other, especially, because bees are not returning to beehive, which is very rare in bees. In fact, bees are purely social insects, they form strong colonies well organized and have no tendency to abandon beehive.

The key is there: adult bees are suddenly lost, leaving no trace, that is, no dead bees appear. In the hive are young bees and the queen; there may be a small group of adult bees, but they are not enough to maintain the colony.

With the aim of understanding the phenomenon, scientists have analysed the usual agents affecting bees and have studied whether they are related to the current phenomenon. Among the factors analyzed are parasites and agents of the disease, low nutrition, loss of genetic diversity, stress and chemical or polluting residues. However, the investigations have not yielded conclusive results.

Seeking to solve the mystery

Scientists and beekeepers collaborate to solve the mystery as soon as possible. (Photo: S. S. Bauer/ARS)

There are studies, of course, which have had a considerable impact on the media, such as those carried out at the Landau University in Germany. According to this study, mobile phones would be responsible for the disappearance of bees. Apparently, they have shown that if a mobile phone is placed near the hive, the bees do not return to the hive. However, most scientists have warned that research has been very small and do not believe that is the reason, at least not the only one.

In this way, researchers continue to work in both the US and Europe. In fact, Europe is also losing beehives, and some associate this fact with the American phenomenon.

There are two main hypotheses to explain the loss that is occurring in Europe. On the one hand, it may be due to a parasite that so far did not appear in Europe. The parasite is called Nosema ceranae and weakens the immune system of bees. As a result, bees are unprotected from attacks of mud and virus.