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Introduction
Bees all over the world are going missing and no one is yet to devise a sound theory as to why. In 2006 this phenomenon was labelled as colony collapse disorder or CCD (Engelsdorp et al. 2014). Colony collapse disorder is the occurrence within a bee hive where the worker bees are miraculously disappearing and leaving behind the queen bee. Colony collapse disorder can be clearly observed by a lack of dead bees in and around the hive. This gives evidence showing that the bees are not spontaneously dying, rather something is forcing them to leave their hive and queen.
There is no lack of theories as to the cause of colony collapse disorder and it is extremely difficult to establish whether or not humans are entirely at fault (Entomology
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Today 2014). It is clear, although indirectly, that humans play a serious role in causing colony collapse. Bees are an essential part of the way that the world functions which is why finding the cause of colony collapse disorder is essential. Albert Einstein predicted that if bees were to become extinct that the human race wouldn’t have any more than four years to live. Thus suggesting the importance of bees to the world. Modern Day Beekeeping Practises Syngenta (2010) states that modern day bees lack genetic diversity.
This is a result of frequent use of medications. By doing this the bee colonies that, in nature, would die off, are instead being preserved. Survival of the fittest has been tampered with and the strong are no longer given an opportunity to survive as they are outbred by the weaker bees. Due to the lack of diversity between bee colonies, diseases are spread a lot easier and colonies collapse.
The stress that is caused to bees due to transportation in modern day beekeeping practises play a major part in colony decline. The colonies are transported on trucks across the country to regions they wouldn’t usually travel to. Gifford (2010) suggests that transportation stress coupled with a weak immune system could be a possible reason for colony collapse disorder.
Although bee colonies are dying at an alarming rate, there has to be something new thrown into the mix. Beekeeping practises have been going on for decades and colony collapse disorder is only relatively new. What has been added now that is having such a dramatic effect on the livelihood of bee colonies questions Schacker
(2008)? Pesticides Dina Spector (2014) suggested that insecticides such as neonicotinoids can have a severe effect on bees. Neonicotinoids can affect the bee’s neurological functionality and the memory of honeybees so that they lose the ability to find their way back to their hive. While RetroReport (2014) states that bees have a particular behaviour in which they can sense when they are sick and will leave the hive and colony so that they can die without infecting the rest of the hive. Whichever the case, pesticides and disease are making bees leave their colony.
Based on exploring different ideas and some facts, it is my belief that the cooping theory is most logical. This is the only theory that I have found to have no facts to discredit it, while all others have at least one thing to go against the theorty. We probably will never know what truly killed Edgar Allen Poe. It is fascinating to see the different outlooks on how and why he could have died. One of the most influential poets that left you with mysteries in his poetry, has done it again with his own
The disaster theory, Gould claims, is an example of good science. It has testable evidence and has an impact on studies in other fields of science, it develops further and explains why the extinction of dinosaurs occurred simultaneously with other events. This theory suggests that a large comet hit the Earth sixty five million years ago, causing the cloud of dust to rise into the sky and to block sunlight. As a result, world temperatures went down significantly, the ice age bega...
...is inability to provide sufficient evidence for the theory resulted in the failure to overcome Meno’s Paradox.
Think for a moment of a world without bees; a world without our buzzing friend. They might look like they barely do much to help our ecosystem. However, bees are a vital part of our agriculture and this makes it vital that we keep them around. The bee population decline in recent years is troubling for both us and our little friends. As their friends, we must do all we can in order to ensure their survival which in turn will ensure our own.
To most, the honeybee can be an annoying insect that has a powerful sting. Yet, the honeybee is so much more than just another insect. The honeybee is arguably the most vital component in the development of our food crops. With roughly 90 percent of our food crops dependent on the pollination of our honeybees, our food system, agricultural development, and diet rest on the work and well being of these buzzing insects. Unfortunately, since 2006 there has been a major decline in the population of honeybees, and has gotten progressively worse because of colony collapse disorder. The first reported increase of CCD was documented in November 2006 in Florida. By February 2007, several states began reporting major losses associated with CCD, ranging from 30% to 90%. A little over a half decade later in 2012 the attention paid towards CCD has grown substantially with more research being done as CCD continues to get worse. The main culprit for CCD, as research has suggested, is the use of pesticides on our food crops. With major corporations such as Bayer making millions and millions of dollars in profit each year in the distribution of pesticides, it is no wonder that nothing is being done to stop this practice despite evidence linking the use of pesticides and the drastic deterioration of the health of honeybees. With the continuation of the use of deadly pesticides and the vital role bees play in the pollination and development of our food crops, both the environment and our economy will be effected directly and face the potential for catastrophic results.
What can we actively take part in to stop the collapse of bee colonies? Bees are such a vital part of our everyday agriculture production, however, colonies are diminishing before our eyes. Colony Collapse Disorder is a massive decrease of bees in hives and it is greatly affecting our crops because bees are not distributing the necessary amount of pollen to crops in order for them to grow the maximum, most nutritious produce possible. There are many solutions that may help CCD, such as banning neonics, urban beekeeping, and interbreeding honey bees with African killer bees. The most effective way to decrease CCD is by interbreeding honey bees with a stronger specie of bees labeled African killer bees.
“If the bee disappeared off the face of the Earth, man would only have four years left to live.” This statement questionably from the brilliant scientist Albert Einstein may evidently be right. In my class we were asked to pick an issue to research about, so I chose colony collapse disorder because I believe this an overlooked epidemic. UDSA reported “Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is a serious problem threatening the health of honey bees and the economic stability of commercial beekeeping and pollination operations in the United States. Despite a number of claims in the general and scientific media, a cause or causes of CCD have not been identified by researchers.”
The Apis Mellifera, or honey bee, have survived on this planet for fifty million years. This species of bee is responsible for pollinating flowers, grass, trees and crops around the world. Much of the food we eat is dependent on honey bees for pollination. Our ecosystem depends on the survival of the honey bee. Colonies of honeybees have been disappearing at an alarming rate around the world due to parasites, viral and bacterial diseases, and the introduction of pesticides and herbicides. Over the past six years, on average, 30 percent of all the honey bee colonies in the U.S. died off over the winter of 2012(NPR/TED). If this trend continues to spiral downward, honey bees will disappear from the world. We must understand the importance of the Honey bee and change our environmental practices in order to sustain this vital insect.
believing that there is more than one cause. What has been thought as the main
The worldwide eradication of honey bees may not be too far away. The reasons the honey bees are dying are linked to a number of things. The most common causes are linked to industrial agriculture, parasites/pathogens, and climate change, according to the article entitled “The Bees in Decline” on GreenPeace’s website, SOS-bees.org. However, bee-killing pesticides pose the highest risk to the pollinators (the Bees). Honey bees are not the only form of pollinators.
There have been significant shifts in scientific discovery since the late 1700s and Paley’s intelligently designed machine argument. Fossils have been uncovered displaying that life on earth has a history. Geology and paleontology have developed a relatively specific age of the earth, and plate tectonics have created separate developmental histories. Darwin showed that organisms evolve and adapt to different environmental conditions. Using the evolution of the flower Marsh Epipactus, it has been shown that nature is not perfect. The flowers were originally self-pollinated which created weak genes and a small population; however, they have evolved to be more successful in their reproduction by preventing self-pollination and encouraging cross-pollination (Gould, pp. 24-26). Many philosophers, including Paley, once believed that what people saw in nature at the time is what people would have seen in the past, and what people would see in the future; however, life on earth has a history that continuously
High declines in adult bee numbers in some colonies have been reported and this decline is known as colony collapse disorder6. These declines are higher than normal and can go unnoticed by bee keepers because the bees do not generally die in the nest, so the decrease is not immediately obvious. The problem addressed in this paper will be the decline of bees and the effects this decline has on the environment. The solutions proposed for this problem are increasing research, managing farming and spreading awareness. It is important to conserve the bee populations before the problem of decreasing pollinator numbers becomes too great to fix.
When results arise that cannot be explained through the current paradigm, a new paradigm may begin to form. the new paradigm originates with new theories that are proposed as a result of the anomalies that were found. “to be accepted as a paradigm, a theory must seem better than its competitors, but it need not, and in fact never does, explain all the facts with which it can be confronted” (Kuhn 17-18). when the new paradigm is finally accepted, a paradigm-shift occurs. the paradigm shift represents Kuhn’s “scientific revolution”. Once the paradigm-shift is completed normal science returns under the new paradigm until new set of unexplainable facts arise.
A theory is a way organizing and systematizing what is known about a phenomenon. It is, in fact, “a rationalized set of assumptions or hypotheses that provides a person with tools that can be utilized to explain the past and predict the future” (Johnson, 2000). Therefore, theories provide direction and when tested and supported, can assist in expanding our knowledge.
Over the past decade bee populations have been dropping drastically. A 40% loss of honeybees happened in the U.S. and U.K. lose 45% of its commercial honeybee since 2010. This is a phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) in which worker bees from a beehive abruptly disappear in a short time. These data are definitely not meaningless since bees are a crucial part of the reproductive cycle of many foods. The impact bees have on the agriculture and the environment is far more crucial than we may think. Crops rely on bees to assist their reproduction and bring them life. Bees are renowned in facilitating pollination for most plant life, including over 100 different vegetable and fruit crops. Without bees, there would be a huge decrease in pollination, which later result in reduce in plant growth and food supplies. On the other hand, without the pollination progressed with the assistance from bees, the types of flowers According to Dr. Albert Einstein, “If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live. No more bees, no more pollination…no more men”. That’s why bees’ extinction affects people more than we ever think, and could even forebode the doom day of human race.