Case: the Plight of the Bumble Bee

question 2

Essay

Case: The plight of the bumble bee
Farmers are losing money, not due to bad crops but due to the rise in the cost of keeping or buying bees. Honey bees are disappearing around the globe and no one knows exactly why. Some observers speculate that toxic chemicals, killer parasites or freezing temperatures may be to blame. In the winter of 2013, U.S. beekeepers lost 31% of their bee colonies compared with 21% the previous year. The Canadian Honey Council has reported an average loss of 35% of bee colonies in Canada over the past 3 years, and there are no signs of improvement. Similarly, in Britain, bee farmers lost approximately half of their bee colonies during the winter months.
According to Margaret Ginman, the general secretary of the Bee Farmers' Association, it has been one of the worst years in history. Dan Davidson, president of the Ontario Beekeepers' Association, has stated that some beekeepers that have lost 70% since last year, which is a huge amount that can't be recouped in one season.
Whether or not you eat honey, bees are critical to humans. Bees are pollinating insects that contribute $200 billion to the agriculture industry globally each year. About one-third of all the food we eat is dependent on the pollination by bees. Broccoli and almonds are just a couple of examples. A lower supply of bees and less pollinated crops could result in higher food prices and food shortages to the general public.
In the case of declining bees, smaller farmers are often harder hit than larger agribusiness, because they don't have the capital and resources to bounce back when times get tough. David Schuit, a honey producer in Elmwood Ontario, was hoping to expand last year when tragedy struck. One day, he found his bees in 'terrible agony.' They were going around in circles, venom was dripping around their backs, and many were unable to find their way back to their hives. The Schuit family farm lost 90% of their bees (approximately 37 million of them) and barely produced half of the honey they normally made in a year. The result - they had to sell their 100 acre, organic farm because they no longer had the income to sustain it.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has reported that the decline in the honey bee population is a complex problem caused by many variables. Queen bees usually mate while flying, so an increase in rain or stormy weather may prevent them from moving around. But there are other factors involved as well. The Schuits and other agriculturists are blaming the decline of bees due to neonicotinoid pesticides. According to the Globe and Mail, "these are nicotine-like substances that attack the nervous system of insects. They are also water soluble, meaning they can be added to the soil and taken in by the entire plant, making every part of it lethal to bugs." And they are used across the globe for many agricultural products.
Soybean, corn and canola farmers, are a few examples, often coating their seeds with this insecticide. Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency noticed honey bee deaths often corresponded with corn-planting season. What was the result? After testing bee populations in the region, researchers found that about 70% of bees had traces of neonicotinoids.
While the European Union has already passed a 2-year ban on neonicotinoids to try to recover the bee population, Canada has not yet followed suit. While Beekeeper associations support the ban, grain farmers do not. Since the chemical was approved for use in 2004, Canadian grain farmers argue it has been crucial to sustaining their business. Grain farmers estimate that a ban on neonicotinoids would mean more insects and other pests would damage their crops. Some farmers estimate losses could rise to 13% affecting higher prices and reducing competitiveness across Canada and the United States.
Other factors are also being looked into. Pesticides are one issue, but there are also the Varroa mites (from Asia) which seem to invade all bee colonies. And of course, prolonged winters can have an effect too. Clearly, more research is necessary to determine what factors are impacting the decline of bees and how farmers can continue to produce food sustainably and safely now and in the future.
[paraphrased by Natalie Guriel]
(Source: Vidya Kauri and Paul Waldie. No honey, more problems: A catastrophic year for bee colonies. The Globe and Mail. July 31, 2013.)
Do you think neonicotinoids are sustainable for agricultural use? Why or why not?

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Definitions:

Serotonin

A neurotransmitter involved in regulating mood, appetite, and sleep, among other functions, and is often linked to feelings of well-being and happiness.

Electroconvulsive Shock Therapy

A psychiatric treatment in which seizures are electrically induced in patients to provide relief from mental disorders.

Schizophrenia

A long-term mental disorder involving a breakdown in the relation between thought, emotion, and behavior, leading to faulty perception, inappropriate actions and feelings, withdrawal from reality and personal relationships into fantasy and delusion, and a sense of mental fragmentation.

Depression

A common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how one feels, thinks, and acts, characterized by feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities once enjoyed.