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Farmers, Ranchers and Beekeepers Worry as Honeybee Populations Continue To Decline

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by StephenDaniels

Bee Catchers Southern California

It is now an incontrovertible fact that honeybee populations worldwide are decreasing dramatically-both in the wild and in beekeepers' colonies. While this decline has been in process for more than 50 years, it is only in the last 10 years or so that the decrease has accelerated to such a degree as to cause a lot of consternation among the scientific community researching this issue. There are whole species of bees that are disappearing from the landscape. Adding to the problem is that the underlying cause of the decline in numbers has yet to be definitively determined. This has left scientists, beekeepers, and bee removal experts stumped when it comes to finding a means to fix this very serious problem.

It has been well documented that the earth's food supply is largely dependent on the work of bees. Honeybees are responsible for pollinating most cash food crops, from tomatoes to oranges and everything in between, and the decline in population leaves the world's growers in a bind with estimated crop losses at $15 million in the US alone. Besides pollinating the fruits and vegetables that people eat, bees also pollinate the food crops grown for animal use, such as corn and grains fed to livestock. Domesticated bees (raised by beekeepers) are being used in increasing numbers and certainly help alleviate the problem of the decline in numbers of wild bees, but farmers must pay beekeepers for the use of their hives, which adds an additional expense to a business that already operates on razor-thin profit margins, and to the cost of food in the grocery stores..

It is also becoming a logistical problem as the population worldwide continues to grow, requiring more acreage go under the till for production of food. There is already too much land under cultivation for the existing domesticated hives to pollinate. Though there is not much the average person can do to help, one thing we can easily do is to behave eco-responsibly around native and domesticated bees. Most will not sting you if left alone, and when a hive is located in an undesirable location, get in touch with an eco-responsible bee removal service as opposed to an exterminator to deal with the problem for you.

Although, as stated above the underlying cause for the decrease in population has yet to be positively established, there are several probable culprits that scientists believe are contributing to the problem. The elevated use of pesticides is first on the list, as increasing amounts of these have been found in hives, honeycombs, as well as in dead bees. Some beekeepers, in fact, are starting keep their bees away from crops that use excessive amounts of pesticides, such as some orange crops cultivated in southern states. Hives are also being plagued by different types of mites, which if not caught quickly enough can decimate an entire hive population within just a few months.

When their hives grow to be too large, wild honeybees will create new ones, quite a distance away from the original. They do this by surrounding a new queen in a massive clump, and "swarming" in search of a new site for the hive. These swarms can appear in some very unlikely, and sometimes scary places, such as a neighborhood park, your backyard or even in downtown urban areas hanging from a convenient tree, while the swarm is in the process of choosing a new home.

Of additional concern are bees that have already constructed a hive in the walls or attic of your home, or in the branches of a tree in your backyard. Walls and attics are fairly common residences for hives since they offer more shelter and are easier for the colony to defend. This situation isn't just scary for residents, but can actually damage your home.

Whether or not or not you come across a swarm, or have a colony infestation in your home; in an effort to protect these very important critters from further decline, it is important to hire a bee removal service that will take away the hive, undamaged, and relocate it to a beekeeper, rather than exterminate the residents. The eminent outcome for failure to act eco-responsibly around bees could be the end or incredible scarcity of foods that we have come to rely on in our diets.

Reproduction permitted only when all active hyperlinks are included. 2011 All Rights Reserved.

About the Author: Frank Cole

Author Stephen Daniels highly recommends Bee Catchers, a Los Angeles bee removal service for humane and eco-responsible bee and insect removal in the entire LA metro area. Their experienced technicians provide immediate service 7 days a week, and have over 15 years experience in insect removal and relocation.

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Farmers, Ranchers and Beekeepers Worry as Honeybee Populations Continue To Decline