The Disappearing Bee

In recent years the bee population has been in decline which has developed into a very serious situation. A world with no bees, could you imagine that? Bees have a vital task to do to permit the human race to go on. It has long been suggested that without the bee the human race would probably not last for much more than a decade, on account of the fact that they in no small part, help to pollinate crops of fruit and vegetables not to mention our garden flowers. Some species of bee have such a close connection with specific plants that without them the plants would most likely disappear from our countryside for good. If we are to survive therefore, more must be undertaken to save the humble bee.

Bees have sustained significant declines through recent years due to the impact of intensive farming. Since the Second World War their habitat has fast been eroded by intensive farming and pollution from the increased use of pesticides.

Additional issues have had their own impact on the bee, for example cooler wet summers and inbreeding that has lowered the bee's genetic diversity. Another major problem has been the parasite known as the Varroa mite which weakens the bees immune system, which in turn leaves the bees open to attack from other diseases. If a colony is infected with the mite and it goes untreated it is probable that the colony will die out within a short space of time.

If that was not enough in 2006 it was being reported that a strange thing was happening to bee colonies in the United States; the hives were almost overnight being abandoned. This was to be called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). This subsequently passed on to Europe as well as the UK with disastrous consequences. Reasons for CCD have been suggested, like parasites and viruses, but even with large sums of money being spent to ascertain the cause the answer has yet to be found.

Yet another problem is likely to affect the bees, a problem that is unknown at present like the effects of GM crops and the extreme changes to weather conditions that may be a result of climate change.

We are all able to to do things to help make a difference. We need to get rid of garden pesticides and start growing plants that have nectar-rich flowers. We can easily start using organic fruit and vegetables and if we able, set up bee hives in gardens and find out the best way to be able to take care of the bees. They are going to repay your care and attention by manufacturing honey and wax as well as pollinating your flowers and vegetables. You will possibly not feel that these kind of comparatively basic actions can undoubtedly help to make a positive change to the plight of the bee, but when all of us take action, however modest, collectively it will eventually produce a significant improvement to the plight of the humble bee.


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Bees have suffered a dramatic decline over recent years, but now we can help reverse the trend by keeping bees. For information on how to start this fascination hobby check out http://www.the-honey-bee.com