We have heard a great deal over the past several years about the increasing disappearance of honey bees and the advent of colony collapse disorder. A number of theories have attempted to explain the phenomena, including climate change, chemical use in the hives and surrounding environment, unknown effects from untested genetically modified crops, invasions of the hives by predatory ants, mites, flies and/or virii, and the ongoing problems of habitat loss and the loss of genetic diversity among bees themselves as well as among the plants and flowers upon which bees rely for their food. Certainly all of these things may be contributing factors.
Last month a study was released, confirming what has long been suspected by gardeners worldwide, namely that the primary cause for the disappearance of honey bees is the largely unrestricted use of pesticides. In particular, the neonicotinoid insecticides, manufactured by Bayer, are widely used and highly toxic to honey bees and other beneficial insects, including earthworms and the microbial soil food web. The study, conducted jointly by the Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN; and the Department of Analytical Chemistry, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT; found that despite assurances to the contrary by Bayer, neonicotinoid pesticide residues were found in planter exhausts, in dead bees near hive entrances, in pollen collected in the hives, in the flowers of dandelions growing nearby, and in the surrounding soils, including those of unplanted fields, thus establishing multiple routes by which the bee colonies may have been exposed.
In a separate study, published online on 13 January 2012, it was shown that pesticide exposure, in this case nonlethal doses of imidacloprid, resulted in individual bees having a higher incidence of Nosema, a gut parasite affecting honey bees, which is a likely contributing factor to colony collapse disorder and otherwise unexplained bee deaths. This study, conducted by the USDA-ARS Bee Research Laboratory, Beltsville, MD; the Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD; and the Department of Toxicology, University of Maryland Baltimore, Baltimore, MD; can be accessed here. These findings are consistent with those of an earlier study in France.
Although these studies were just released, they echo the findings of a previous German study reported in 2008, resulting in a complete ban of the pesticides clothianidin and imidaclopridin in Germany, France, Slovenia and Italy. Clothianidin is still widely used in the U.S., despite a clear warning from American EPA scientists who, in a leaked memo, stated that the chemical should not be approved for use, because "Clothianidin’s major risk concern is to nontarget insects (that is, honey bees)." Previously, Bayer was sued by a group of beekeepers from North Dakota, following the loss of one third of their hives in 1995 after imidacloprid was applied to the rapeseed crop there.
Common beekeeping practices can contribute to the problem as well. The popular Langstroth-type hives are designed to artificially induce the bees to create honey comb with slightly larger cell sizes than they would naturally, and are more prone to bee mortality and hive losses than are the more natural top bar hives, which have been used successfully all over the world for thousands of years. In a top bar hive, the honey comb is attached only at the top of the bar, and may be constructed according to the bees’ own instincts, which results in a calmer and healthier colony. In addition, during inspection, only one bar is removed at a time, leaving the rest of the hive undisturbed, and resulting in much less stress for bees and beekeeper alike; in a Langstroth hive, an entire hive box must be opened for inspection, resulting in much more stress to the bees, and requiring the use of smoke or other measures to calm them.
There are additional advantages to the top bar hive as well, such as lower start up and maintenance costs, a more natural habitat for the bees, no storage required for additional equipment and supplies, no heavy lifting required (Langstroth hives are typically very heavy, particularly when full of honey comb), and, in addition, they lend themselves far more readily to organic culture. InFlorida, state regulations require that hives must have movable bars, and also require registration with the State, but there is no specification that they must be of the Langstroth type. This is fortunate, as in Tennessee, and numerous other states, the law mandates that all bee hives be of the Langstroth type, regardless of their excessive cost, artificial constraints, storage requirements and other inherent drawbacks.
Discussions of these two major types of hives, and the relative merits of each, may be found here, here and here. An overview of beehives through history may be found here.
In commercial honey production, many beekeepers deprive their bees of enough of their own handiwork to get through the winter, substituting nutritionally poor refined sugar for the far more nutritionally dense natural honey and pollen, which may result in bees with weaker immune systems and therefore reduced ability to withstand illnesses and other stressors. It is also arguably the largest contributing factor to the far lower quality of the honey thus produced in typical commercial production. Organic certification standards do not allow this. Although there is no actual organic certification for honey in the United States, the E.U has adopted stringent certification standards, which have been adopted in other countries and may be used as guidelines. We have an alternate to organic certification, Certified Naturally Grown (CNG), aimed at small producers for whom the costs and administrative burdens of organic certification would be onerous, and their Apiary Certification Standards are largely based upon those of the E.U. These rules do not allow robbing the hives of all their honey, require that the bees be left with more than enough honey to see them through a harsh winter, that if emergency feeding is required they be fed only natural, organic foods, and allow no chemicals to be used in the hives or the colonies. Hives maintained by organic standards have generally not suffered the devastating losses that have affected non-organic commercial beekeepers.
Despite all the challenges facing bees and beekeepers, however, there is reason for hope. Beekeeping is enjoying a resurgence of popularity, as a profitable and enjoyable hobby, as more and more people take personal responsibility in providing at least a portion of their own food. Since honey bees help to pollinate over a hundred food crops in this country alone, it is vital that more people take an active role in providing them with safe, pesticide-free habitat, and who better than gardeners to assist them? Even gardeners and farmers who do not raise bees themselves can provide space for a beekeeper to place a hive or two, plant a variety of bee-friendly flowers, and/or provide a chemical-free oasis where they may feed without danger. In my own garden in Largo, I found the bees not only drawn to my mature grapefruit trees, but to my bird-planted elderberry and my several chaya bushes, all of which also drew butterflies in droves. The bees were also quite fond of my herbs in bloom, such as Mexican blue sage, pineapple sage, rosemary, chocolate mint, and many, many others. The leaf cutter bees were particularly fond of my heritage roses and, although they made the leaves a bit unsightly, the roses continued to bloom their heads off. In this case, gardening organically is clearly the preferred option, but there are a great many more gardeners who use chemical pesticides and fertilizers only infrequently, on an as-needed basis, and take care not to do so at times when bees and other pollinators are out foraging, as even organic pesticides will kill bees if improperly used or if applied at the wrong time.
Indeed, according to an industry press release dated 10 January 2012, beekeeping is critical to the economy, both for the bee products, such as honey, pollen and propolis, and for the monetary value of the crops they pollinate. Although the last year (2000) for which data were analyzed estimated a value of $14.6 million, the beekeepers themselves place the value at closer to $50 million, when such pollinated crops are taken into account. In reality, fully one third of our food supply is directly dependent upon pollination by bees, meaning that their continued decline affects us all.
To help the bees, the most important thing is to familiarize yourself with the systemic pesticides most responsible for the honey bee deaths, and avoid their use entirely, including letting your family, friends and your gardening suppliers know exactly why you refuse to purchase them. The most common ones include Imidacloprid, Clothianidin, Thiamethoxam and Fipronil (found in many pet flea treatments). The chemicals may be contained in sprays and seed coatings, as well as in commercial compost, so read labels to make certain that you are not introducing them into your environment as they affect not only honey bees, but bumblebees and other pollinators, as well as the birds, bats, reptiles, amphibians and other animals that eat them. An excellent podcast on the subject may be found here on the Barefoot Beekeeper’s website.
For those interested in beginning beekeeping, obtaining a hive, or in learning more about honey bees and how to help them, the Barefoot Beekeeper’s website has a wealth of information, including articles, booklets, podcasts, a book, and a DVD. Much of the information is downloadable for free, including plans to make your own top bar hive, and the instructions on how to set it up, attract and care for the bees naturally, without chemicals, once you have them. Phil Chandler maintains the site and has created most of the materials offered there, and calls his method Natural Beekeeping, a much gentler approach to beekeeping, more in tune with nature and certainly more earth-friendly and natural for the bees. His home page may be accessed here.
Voting with our pocketbooks can have a vital impact, and even more so when we speak up as to the reasons for the choices we are making. Together we can make the world safer for us all, including the beleaguered - but incredibly vital - honey bee.
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