MINDS ON. SETTING THE STAGE: What s happening to bees? News in Review October 2013 Teacher Resource Guide DEATH OF THE HONEYBEE

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1 MINDS ON News in Review October 2013 Teacher Resource Guide DEATH OF THE HONEYBEE Finally, Saturday has arrived and you got to sleep in! Now you re hungry and head to the kitchen for some breakfast. You are trying to eat right since your Phys Ed and Health teacher has encouraged good eating habits. You decide to have cereal with some almonds and blueberries. You pour the cereal in the bowl and go to the fridge for the berries. You are out of luck no berries. Oh well you will have to just have almonds. You go to the cabinets and look for the jar of almonds again no luck! Now you are getting frustrated and ask where the blueberries and almonds are. You are told that there were no blue berries at the supermarket and when inquiries were made about when a new shipment would arrive, no one knew because there had been a much smaller crop this year. As for the almonds, they were still available but the price had drastically gone up. You are now not only frustrated but curious about why some of your other favourite foods are being affected. You decide to go to the supermarket and check them out. You have a list of specific foods you want to examine apples, asparagus, cherries and plums. You find that they are in very short supply and expensive. You locate the store manager and ask what has happened to your items. The manager says that supplies of these foods have declined, which has caused a spike in the price. What could have caused this shortage? You are determined to find out! What steps would you take to try and investigate this mystery? SETTING THE STAGE: What s happening to bees? As you begin your research on your favourite foods a common factor appears bees that pollinate the plants are disappearing! Bees generally illicit a variety of reactions from people some love the honey they produce and acknowledge the role bees play in producing this sweet product while others fear bees because they are allergic to bee stings. Most people generally do not give them much thought. Yet it is important to note that honeybees are responsible for pollinating crops that produce about a third of our food. However over the last few decades the bee population has declined across North America. If bees continue to disappear in record numbers it will have a devastating impact on farmers resulting in the loss of over a billion dollars in revenue (Pollination Canada). As well there will be an obvious impact on beekeepers. After the winter of 2007 Ontario s beekeepers lost about of their hives which were worth over $5 million. These beekeepers not only cultivate bees for honey production but also sell them to farmers. News in Review CBC Learning newsinreview.cbclearning.ca 4

2 Economic impact It is clear that with the decline of bees there will be a shortage of certain foods and an increase in food prices. This will also have an impact on our economy: Declining revenue for farmers which will force more farmers to sell their land. Less crops mean few truck drivers are need to transport food around the country. Less pollination of flowers will reduce the number and variety of flowers which will result in fewer florists. Fewer bees means less delicious honey! Another result of declining bees has been an increase in bee stealing this is when a queen bee is stolen from one hive and placed in someone else s hive. Without a queen bee, there are no worker bees who are responsible for pollinating plants. Some beekeepers have taken to locking their hive storage containers and installing video cameras. It seems only a few groups were concerned about this potential crisis most of us seem to take bees for granted! Colony collapse disorder This might explain why little has been written about the mystery of the disappearing bees. The situation was first recognized in 2005 when beekeepers across North America noticed a drastic decline in bee numbers. Over the next few years beekeepers estimated that 40 to 50 per cent of their hives were destroyed. This phenomena has been called Colony Collapse Disorder. The disorder has resulted in hives being found empty they are just shells instead of thriving center of bee activity. Ever since this crisis was identified, beekeepers, farmers and scientists have been trying to determine the cause. A number of possible causes have been suggested. One focuses on the parasitic mite Varroa. This parasite feeds on bees blood which weakens the bee and makes it susceptible to disease. Another cause could be Nosema which is a fungus that attacks the bees digestive systems causing death. Besides facing natural menaces bees are also experiencing a decline in their forage areas. Bees need a variety of plants to acquire pollen and many areas are either being commercially developed or farmers are using the land for one species of crop. With the destruction of diverse habitat bees are required to search further away from their hives and expend more energy which can weaken them. Neonicotinoids The one possible source of bees disappearing that has garnered the most attention is the use of pesticides. The one pesticide that has received the most attention is neonicotinoids. This pesticide attaches itself to a plant and kills insects which feed on the plant. Usually pesticides act quickly and kill off the insects in a matter of days. Neonicotinoids contaminate insects and the effect could linger for months during which the bees can spread the insecticide throughout the hive. There have been a number of studies on the impact of insecticides on hives including a study by a Quebec student who examined the rate of Colony Collapse Disorder among hives that were located less than three kilometres from fields treated by these insecticides. He found that the hives had a mortality rate three times the normal rate. The study was criticized by some seed producers who claimed the study was more observational than scientific. News in Review CBC Learning newsinreview.cbclearning.ca 5

3 To ban or not to ban? Now that the issue of disappearing bees is being more widely reported, solutions are being examined. Some beekeepers have called for a ban on neonicotinoids and some countries in Europe have taken such action. Critics claim that such a ban would do more harm than good as it would expose many crops, especially corn which is produced in vast quantities for food and fuel, to disease and fungus. Also studies have shown that some countries such as Australia have not experienced such a large decline in bees even though neonicotinoids were sprayed. Also France is still seeing a decline in the bee population even though it banned the insecticide in Supporters of bees are also calling upon governments to restrict urban sprawl in rural areas and encourage farmers to leave sections of their land in a natural diversified state that supports the bee population. Some beekeepers have taken action on their own and have tried supplementing feed for the hives by introducing sugar or corn syrup. However this is an expensive process and may actually weaken the bees and make them vulnerable to diseases. Bee less crops or robo bees? Some scientists are addressing the bee decline by examining alternatives to bees. They have promoted the development of more genetically modified foods that rely less on bee pollination. Technology is also being promoted as a possible option. Scientists at Harvard University are working on developing minute robo-bees that might be able to pollinate plants and in theory replace bees. Is it possible that we could give up on bees and turn our attention only to replacing them? The Ontario government has commissioned a report on this issue and wants recommendations by The initiative is welcomed by bee supporters but is it too little too late? News in Review CBC Learning newsinreview.cbclearning.ca 6

4 VIDEO REVIEW Pre viewing 1. Brainstorm answers to the following question using a graphic organizer of your choice, or you can use the one supplied below. How important are bees? News in Review CBC Learning newsinreview.cbclearning.ca 7

5 Pre viewing, continued 2. Recently governments have moved to ban outdoor chemicals. Does your municipality have such a ban? Do you support the ban? While viewing 1. If bees have been disappearing since 2005, why has it taken so long for the problem to be raised? 2. What reasons are given for farmers using insecticides on their grain crops? Do the benefits outweigh the consequences of using these chemicals? 3. Besides the spraying of insecticides what else might be causing the bees to disappear? 4. Why would Health Canada allow the use of neonicotinoids before a complete study of their effects were completed? 5. Should the government ban the use of neonicotinoids? Would you be willing to pay higher prices for food that could result from such a ban? 6. If food supplies decrease due to lack of pollinating bees, what short- and long-term impact would this have on families, lower income groups, food banks and restaurants? News in Review CBC Learning newsinreview.cbclearning.ca 8

6 Post viewing: Consider an alternate viewpoint 1. This News in Review story outlines the problem of bees disappearing and offers some suggestions on the cause. One of the possible causes is the use of neonicotinoids. Create a chart with two columns. In the first column list the arguments presented against the use of neonicotinoids. 2. Various jurisdictions have banned the use of such chemicals. Do you think these are the real cause of the declining bee population? Is banning the chemicals an effective measure? 3. Examine the following video, produced by PRIDE Seed Company, that presents another side of the issue: In the second column of the chart you created above, list the arguments the company uses. The following questions will help guide your viewing: How does this company view the bee decline? What does the company think is causing Colony Collapse Disorder? Why does the company hesitate to ban the chemicals? News in Review CBC Learning newsinreview.cbclearning.ca 9

7 GAUGING AND RAISING AWARENESS Take a survey If little action is taken to address the issue of bees disappearing the consequences could be drastic. Yet how many people are not only aware of the issue but could be willing to face the challenges that lay ahead? In order to find out what people think you can conduct a survey of your friends and relatives. Your survey could pose the following questions: Are you aware that there has been a steady decline in the bee population? Yes No Can you list three foods that are produced as a result of bee pollination? There have been some suggestions on how to address this issue. Would you be willing to support: A ban on insecticides such as neonicotinoids? Yes No Decreasing urban sprawl to preserve forage areas for bees? Yes No Helping farmers decrease their reliance on insecticides by paying higher prices for food? Please add any other questions you feel are appropriate: Yes No * Possible answers-almonds, apples, asparagus, broccoli, blueberries, onion, cherries, plums Start a campaign In pairs or groups, design an awareness-raising campaign. Your campaign could be a visual representation of the crisis, and you could create a slide show or use bulletin board software such as Pinterest. Your visuals could highlight the plight of the bees, the impact of their loss on our food and the possible causes of their decline. You could even offer some suggestions on what people can do to help the bee population. See the following site for ideas: PBS: The Guardian: Share your campaign with your classmates. See if you can post it on the class or school website. News in Review CBC Learning newsinreview.cbclearning.ca 10