Savethebees

Colony Collapse Disorder is a serious problem killing our bees. If it is not stopped, our bees will die off in the year 2035. If this happens, all our fruits, vegetables, and many more things will not exist anymore. Also, it has been said that when the bees die, man has only four years to live.

First, let me explain the symptoms of CCD. The worker bees do not return to the hive and there isn’t any evidence of dead bodies around the hive. This could be pesticides, if the bees land on flowers sprayed with pesticides, the bees may not make it back to the hive. There are also rapid loses in large numbers, not just a few bees die off. This could be pesticides, viruses, mites, and many other things. Also, in the hives, there is still honey, but it is not robbed by other bees and insects. This must mean something is wrong with the honey. The bees and other insects must sense it. These are some of the symptoms of CCD.

Next, let me explain the causes of CCD. One of the causes is the Israel Acute Paralysis virus (IAVP). IAVP originated in Israel, which was caught by the bees in Australia. The Australian commercial beekeepers came here to the United States, which is how we our bees got infected with it. IAVP causes a fungus, similar to aids, to grow into the bee’s body. It will then eat away at the bee until there is nothing left. There are also mites, like the Varroa mite. Normal bee hives have a few mites, but there has been an increase of mites found in the bee hive. The Varroa mite also eats away at the bees. Malnutrition also can cause CCD. Malnutrition is when there isn’t enough pollen left for the bees to eat and make honey. So, the bees are technically starving to death. Finally, there are pesticides. Many people put insecticides on there plants, flowers, gardens, but they don’t realize that bees are also an insect. If they think all they are killing are ants or aphids, they are also killing the bees. Lots of pesticides that say help plants and flowers also say in the fine print that it is poisonous to bees. Finally, some pesticides have nicatoids. Nicotoids is nicotine, and the nicotine in smoke kills bees, so the nicotoids in pesticides will kill them also. These are some of the causes of CCD.

Finally, here are some things we can do to help stop CCD. We can plant more flowers around be hives and bee boxes. We must remove Ice Plant along highways, which takes over all flowers and keeps spreading, and then we can plant native flowers for the bees. We need to make our land a garden, not a barren desert, or else the bees will die. We also need to stop spraying as much pesticides. Plus, banning Nicotoids from pesticides would really help the bees and the environment. And, people need to be educated to except fruits and vegetables with a little bruise or blemish. We can also build bee boxes by drilling holes on the top of a sex to ten inch four by four block of wood. Put paper straws in each hole. Hang the bee boxes in a tree around were bees usually are. These are some ways to help save the bees.

Without the bees, we will have no fruits or vegetables. Also, the bees make alfalfa, which cows eat. Without the bees there wouldn’t be any alfalfa, and possibly there wouldn’t be many cows for beef and milk. Same thing with other animals, the bees pollinate there foods. CCD is a very serious disease that will kill our bees, and it needs to be stopped soon.

Dmitriy

Dear Law Makers,

My name is Dmitriy, a fifth grader who is helping honeybees. I really care about them and understand the situation they are in. In this letter, I will explain how important they are, why they are dying and how you can help stop CCD.

Honeybees are important creatures. They pollinate crops and allow fruits and vegetables to grow on them. Without honeybees, we would only eat wheat corn and rice. You might be thinking that we would still have meat, but the animals we use for meat need to eat plants and without honeybees they would die and then we would die. In fact, someone said that Albert Einstein said that if all honeybees die, then in four years we would die. Now you know how important honeybees are.

Now I will tell you about CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder). Colony Collapse is a big problem that is killing off honeybees. The cause and treatment is still unknown. The possible symptoms are pesticides, malnutrition, viruses and other animals killing honeybees. If honeybees keep disappearing at this rate, they would all be gone by 2035.

You can help stop CCD too. You law makers can pass some laws saying not to spray pesticides unless absolutely needed, and even then just a little. Another law you can is instead of planting ice plant on edges of freeway, to plant bee friendly flowers. In addition, you can pass a law saying that it is illegal to harm or kill a honeybee. Please pass some of these laws to help save honeybees.

Now that you know about honeybees, how they are struggling, please do something to help.

Sincerely,

Dmitriy

Colony Collapse Disorder

The Honey Bee (Apis mellifera), the Mason Bee (Osmia lignaria), and the Bumble Bee (Bombus Hortorum) are being affected by a deadly virus known as Colony Collapse Disorder, or C.C.D. This virus is affecting and killing bees over 27 states in the United States, and many other places all over the world.

What causes C.C.D?

There are many possible reasons for Colony Collapse Disorder. One possible reason of CCD is pesticides. If you spray pesticides on plants you are hurting the bees because bees eat the nectar that they get from the flowers. Another possible cause of CCD is malnutrition. Malnutrition is when there is an extremely low amount of honey. There is also a virus called Israeli Acute Paralysis that may be the cause of CCD. Some beekeepers have found that in their hives. The virus got to the United States by Australia. Scientists are trying to use Africanized bees to get rid of the virus. There is another virus called the deformed wing virus. It can be found on adult honeybees infested with varroa mites. It causes useless wings, so the honeybees can’t get the pollen, can’t make the honey, and then they die. It can also cause paralysis. Bears are also a huge threat to the Honey Bees. Also Varroa Mite can be a cause too. Another possible cause it’s the fungi growing inside the bees’ tissues. Also neonicotinoids could be a reason for CCD.

If the bees keep disappearing at this rate then bees will cease to exist in 2035. 80% percent of bees have died in six months. 100,000 bees are gone in Spain. The African Honey Bees are immune to CCD.

Scientists are now closely looking at the country’s commercial bees. In the valley beekeepers have to rent honeybees. 1/3 of the world’s food is produced by America’s honey bees. Many adult bees have disappeared leaving only the Queen Bee in the hive.

Pesticides

There are many pesticides that effect bees. Most are insecticides, people want to kill grubs, mole crickets, and other bugs, but they forget that the bee is an insect. Here are some pesticides that kill bees: Baygon, Furadan, Lannate, Lannate LS, Mesurol, Nudrin, and Sevin. For more information on pesticides, please visit:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pesticide_toxicity_to_bees.