Usc storyspace midterm6/12/2023 The fight against varroa has seen limited success. Just a few years later, varroa destructors invaded the country, likely by hitching a ride on the hives of a foreign beekeeper importing their supply. in the early 1980s, they wrecked havoc on hives until beekeepers started using vegetable oil, menthol, and formic acid to repel or kill the pests. As those dangers have emerged, beekeepers have sought to respond with varying results. Pathogens, parasites, and pesticides, like the ones Potter has contended with in the five years since she got into this work, have caused bee-death for decades. “There are constant struggles to keep your bees alive.” “Beekeeping is not for the weak of heart,” Potter says. Worst of all, pesticides released by Potter's neighbors have killed tens of thousands of her bees. Varroa destructors, which are red and brown parasites the size of pencil points, have vampirically fed on her bees, leaving them unable to regulate hormones or their immune systems. Abdomens contort into gnarled shapes instead of streamlined bodies. Potter’s canvas suit serves primarily as protection against the potential sting of 100,000 honeybees, but it is also effectively her armor as she heads into battle, not with her bugs, but with the many dangers that threaten them.ĭeformed Wing Virus has mutilated thousands of her bees, forcing useless scraps of tissue to grow where wings should flutter. Honeybees still face many of the same dangers that led to their save-the-bees moment, and as climate change further destabilizes ecosystems, new threats are almost certain to emerge.Ĭharlene Potter finishes putting on her canvas suit. reported losing nearly 46% of their colonies, the second highest rate of loss since the Annual Bee Informed Survey began in 2006. That is encouraging, but the situation remains volatile. In the decade since, the honeybee crisis has been overtaken by intensifying natural disasters, a global pandemic, and existential concerns related to climate change.Īs beekeepers adapted to the pathogens, environmental dangers, and high rates of winter bee-death, honeybee populations started bouncing back with an 8 percent increase in their numbers in the United States in the 2010s. Outlets like Time Magazine and NPR published stories outlining what they portrayed as apocalyptic threats to honeybees, and environmental nonprofits began seeking to “save the bees.” In the late 2000s, awareness of declining honeybee populations went mainstream after the discovery of Colony Collapse Disorder, a condition that causes worker bees to abandon their hives, ultimately leading to the demise of their collective home.
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