loss rates

Honey bee colonies in the United States have experienced annual population declines since 2006. Commercial beekeepers have reported honey bee colony loss rates averaging 30% each winter, which is startling when compared to historical loss rates of just 10-15%. According to the USDA, there are many factors contributing to this decline, including parasites, pests, diseases, pesticides, and a phenomenon called Colony Collapse Disorder, in which worker bees abandon a hive and leave behind the queen.

According to a new study by researchers from Cornell University, beeswax in managed honey bee hives contains a variety of pesticide, herbicide, and fungicide residues. Because bees reuse wax over years, these harmful chemicals can accumulate inside hives, exposing current and future generations of bees to long-term toxicity.

The study, which was recently published in the Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation, adds that humans may also be exposed to these pesticides through contaminated honey, pollen, and beeswax (which is used in certain soaps, lotions, and cosmetics). However, the amounts in these products are unlikely to pose a major threat to human health.

Pesticides get into the beeswax when bees feast on the nectar and pollen of plants that have been treated with the chemicals. According to the researchers, understanding which contaminants are impacting domestic honey bee populations could help better protect them and other pollinators, including birds, bats, wild bees, and other insects.

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Pesticides detected in beeswax

Photo, posted November 22, 2008, courtesy of Andrew Rivett via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

For many years, scientists have been sounding the alarm on the global struggle of pollinators. Many of the invertebrate pollinator species, such as bees and butterflies, are facing extinction. And since 75% of the world’s food crops depend on pollination to some extent, the decline of pollinators poses a major threat to global food security.

Honey bees are among the struggling pollinators. Over the past 14 years, bee colonies have been disappearing at an alarming rate in what is known as the “colony collapse disorder.”

In an effort to understand why, scientists have often focused their research on environmental stressors, such as parasites, pesticides, and disease. But according to new research by entomologists from the University of Maryland, honey bee life spans are simply 50% shorter today than they were 50 years ago. In the study, which was recently published in the journal Scientific Reports, the researchers found that honey bees kept in a controlled, laboratory environment lived half as long as honey bees did in the 1970s. This is the first study to show that genetics – as opposed to environmental stressors – may be influencing the broader trends seen in the beekeeping industry.

When the researchers modeled the effect of their findings on a beekeeping operation, they found that the resulting loss rates were about 33%. This is similar to the average overwinter and annual loss rates reported by beekeepers during the past 14 years.

The next step is for researchers to compare trends in honey bee life spans across the U.S. and in other countries to see if there are differences in bee longevity.

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Honey Bee Lifespans are 50% Shorter Today Than They Were 50 Years Ago

Helping Agriculture’s Helpful Honey Bees

Photo, posted June 23, 2007, courtesy of Susan E. Ellis via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Pesticides and beeswax

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Examining The Decline Of Honey Bees | Earth Wise

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