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Bee Populations Dwindling; Local Farmers & Scientists Study the Problem

Aside from shooing them away from backyard barbeques, you probably don't give a lot of thought to bees. And you probably never thought of them as a cornerstone of American agriculture. But these tiny pollinators are just that—and they're facing mysterious die-offs around the world.

Bees are important tools for pollination because they can map their way back to the hive. This allows beekeepers to transport their hives from farm to farm, letting the bees do their work before shipping them to the next location. This is the primary method of crop pollination in the U.S. , and without cultivated bee colonies, it wouldn't be possible. If agriculture didn't have these pollinators, we could forget about foods like strawberries, Eastern Shore melons, apples, peaches, and some 80 other fruits and vegetables that transform our dinner plates from meat-and-potatoes bland to delightfully epicurean.

Local beekeeper Joe Brotherton is a permanent vendor with the Anne Arundel County farmer's market. Brotherton's bees pollinate many area farms. He went into the winter of 2006-2007 with “25 hives, and 18 died over the winter. This is the third year in a row that I've had losses—each of the last three years it's been more and more,” he laments. “I know it's nothing I'm doing wrong, but I cannot keep them.” Brotherton's bees lived on farms in the area, and pollinated local crops; those local farmers will now have to find alternate means of pollination. He is fairly certain that any time an Annapolitan sees a honeybee, it's from a beekeeper's hive—“there are hardly any wild bees left.”

In recent years, hives of kept bees—the ones pollinating most of our crops—have faced losses of as much as 50-70 percent of their populations. This phenomenon, known as colony collapse disorder (CCD), has an especially troubling nature because the bees aren't just dying—they're disappearing. Kevin Hackett of the USDA's bee and pollination program calls “the extent and symptomatology of the disappearance” striking. “The bees disappear from the hive within a couple days, and they leave behind a queen, which is unusual.” The entire colony vanishes from the hive, leaving no explanation and little evidence. And not having any bees to pollinate could just about wipe out the tastiest one-third of the American diet.

Mike Embrey, an entomologist with the University of Maryland , happens to be a beekeeper. He's aiding in researching the causes of CCD, which has the potential to very directly affect Anne Arundel County—“we're going to see the effects first at farmer's markets, because the food that is pollinated by bees is going to increase in price.” As bee populations decline and gas prices increase, it gets much more expensive to bring bees to farms. Some of those costs will get passed on to the consumer. And you can forget about alternatives such as manual pollination. For starters, workers have to be paid minimum wage. “We've only done it with certain greenhouse crops, tomatoes and stuff, and they go in with electric toothbrushes and vibrate each blossom. In that respect, we can outcompete using bees even in greenhouses.” If agriculture gets stuck doing manual pollination, “we're really going to be looking at sky-high prices for food.” Pollinators of the apian variety are the most viable solution—if we can keep them around.

As with any mystery, there are plenty of theories about the cause of CCD. They range from conventional explanations, such as disease, chemical exposure, and parasites, to the fantastic: Air Force chemical drops and interference from cell towers causing disorientation. In the middle lie explanations that Embrey says have been debunked, such as exposure to crops that are genetically modified to resist borers and other pests. “We've ruled out GMOs as causing the problem, but everything else is out in the open. There are tiers of options, some more likely than others. We've pretty much ruled out Air Force sprays and cellphones, and the Bt corn (a GMO crop once thought to be detrimental to Monarch butterflies) is pretty much an urban myth as well.”

One possible culprit: Varroa mites. According to Hackett, this invasive species of parasitic Asian mites was brought into the U.S. in the 1980's. “If we were a bee, it would be like a [parasite the size of a] dinner plate feeding on us. Very stressful.” It wouldn't take many of these mites to bring down a bee. Additionally, these mites can spread the viruses, bacteria, and fungi that prey on entire populations.

But that doesn't mean conventional chemicals might not be to blame: Embrey points out that “one major culprit could be chronic pesticide exposure over time. When you think of a beehive that is in a pollination program, in February they were in almond fields, pollinating. They begin in Southern California and move up the Valley, so every time they move they get exposed to a new dose of pesticide. This long-term exposure, over time… It's debilitating to bees.”

The timing of recent product releases complicates the pesticide question. Compounds known as neonicotinoids were studied in France as far back as 1999, and while researchers there did not see a direct effect on bees, indirect effects were suggested by a study using sunflowers. But new pyrethroid compounds have entered the market as well, and Embrey emphasizes covering all the bases. “We don't know whether it's the pyrethroids or the neonicotinoids, and we have to look at both categories of chemical.”

Beekeepers' methods of cultivation are hard work—some say the hardest job around after Alaskan crab harvesting—but the average gardener can establish local bee populations and help local pollination in the process. While wild bees alone are only responsible for 20-30 percent of crop pollination, they're important for private vegetable and flower gardens. Planting flowers that bloom at different times throughout the summer is a great way to keep bees happy. Herb gardens and honesysuckle will attract other pollinators such as hummingbirds and butterflies.

Farmers, particularly in the Chesapeake Bay area, are encouraged to plant mixtures of wildflowers and native warm- and cold-weather grasses to act as buffers between their fields and waterways. These grasses release plenty of pollen and benefit not only bees, but the wild bird populations as well.

For more information on what you can do to support the local bee population, visit www.pollinator.org . The Web site features instructions on making bee habitats, cultivating hives, and planting to protect pollinators. By providing safe habitats, humans can coexist with the buzzing bees—and take advantage of their natural ability to pollinate our favorite crops.

If you notice a swarm of honeybees too close to your home or living space for comfort, contact Joe Brotherton to remove the bees. He can be reached at 410-695-2909.

Kim DeBarge loves eating fresh strawberries with sticks of clover honey from her local farm stand, and will never swat another bee.