A majority of people just like you and me are not aware of how important the common Honeybee is. When someone mentions the word honeybee, the first thing you think of is honey. But did you know that 33% of all the food that makes it to your dinner table is because of the effort of honeybees? Well, your not alone. There are a number of ways that we depend on honeybees in our daily lives. For example, over 90 different fruits and veggies depend on pollination as well as certain types of animal feed. Over the past twenty years, honeybee populations have declined as much as fifty percent. With that said, let's take a look at how that effects North Carolina. The economic importance of honeybee pollination in our state alone is over $80 million dollars and over $15 billion dollars on a national level. It's very clear to see just how important the honeybee is. It's also clear to see that the honeybee is in trouble and needs our help. The Federal Government has paced an allocation of $20 million over upcoming years to fund research for Colony Collaspe Disorder (CCD), a phrase coined by the USDA in 2006. In 2007, several organizations linked CCD with Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV). It is believed, but not proven, that the virus may have originated in Australian Bees that were imported here in 2006 and 2007. This was about the time that farmers and bee-keepers started to realize the bees were disappearing at an alarming rate. Since then, there have been many efforts put into order to help the honeybee population. There are countless organizations on the internet that are taking action. There has even been a movie produced called "Vanishing of the Bees" that follows two commercial bee-keepers in their quest to keep their bees healthy and fullfill their pollination duties around the country. This documentary shows what the honeybee means to mankind. It is an excellent place to start if you are interested in getting an idea of how important the honeybee really is.
For additional information, you can visit the following sites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_collapse_disorder
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/nrdc-helps-disappearing-honeybee.html
To help with the research, consider a donation here:
https://awc.ucdavis.edu/makeagift.aspx?alloccat=2000
http://www.2letitbee.com/apps/donations/
You can also search the web for additional organizations in which to donate. There are an abundance of organizations that are looking for donations of needed materials, etc. Remember, you CAN make a difference. Spread the word about the honeybee. It's clear to see that they need our help as much as we NEED theirs!
Colony Collapse Disorder
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