Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), in which bee colonies mysteriously disappear but queen bees and immature bees remain, is thought to have caused the recent decline in the number of honeybees. Honeybees are often considered to be indirectly necessary for human survival because their pollination activities are responsible for the growth of an estimated one-third of all agricultural crops.
Since CCD was first identified in 2006, various bee colonies have experienced population declines of 30% to 90%, with no proven cause. This has sparked concern about the effects of the diminished bee population on humans. Many environmentalists fear that bee extinction would reduce the number of available crops and cause food scarcity worldwide.
More about bees:
- The economic value of honeybees is estimated to be between $15 billion and $30 billion (USD) each year.
- “If the bee disappears from the surface of the Earth, man would have no more than four years left to live.” This quote is often (incorrectly) attributed to Albert Einstein; however, he didn’t have expertise in entomology, or the study of insects.
- The global demand for foods derived from bee pollination grew from 3.6% of total food production in 1961 to 6.1% in 2006.
