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Colony Collapse Disorder-Management Plan
Management and Monitoring Plan: Colony Collapse Disorder
1. Test pesticide synergy
Test pesticides used on bees and plants together in a lab to observe pesticide synergy. All pesticides are tested to see if they kill, but no test is done to see if they are “sub lethal.” Additionally, pesticides are not tested to see how they react to each other. Neonicotinoid and Procure are increased in toxicity by at least a thousand percent when combined (Jacobsen 2008).
a. Details
i. Knowing and regulating the pesticides used on plants and hives
1. Monitoring private farmers pesticides
2. Monitoring beekeepers pesticides
ii. Petition is designed to ensure the EPA as a community begins to test the pesticides and create a regulated set of pesticides for
beekeepers to use. The petition must get 2,000 signatures.
1. Paid for by donations collected at the “Bee Festival”
iii. Purpose: prevent chemicals from mixing and killing off bees or making them impaired.
iv. All towns keeping farms and bees within a 100 mile radius of Durango, downtown Durango being the epicenter, will send
representatives to the festival and will be required to sign a contract to adapt the new regulated pesticides.
1. The bee festival will serve the purpose of informing the public of the bee crisis and hopefully urging them to become more
active towards finding a solution
2. Local representatives of USDA will check farms after six months and twelve months to insure farmers are complying to
standard pesticides
3. This area includes Blanding and Monticello UT, Bloomfield and Farmington NM, Montrose, South Fork, Dulce, Ouray,
Mountain Village, Telluride, Pagosa Springs, Durango and Cortez CO.
b. Benefits
i. Eliminating multiple pesticides, will not only let us see if the pesticides are effecting the bees, but will also decrease the toxins on
our vegetables and in our environment
c. Cons
i. Private farmers and beekeepers may be reluctant to conforming to a regulated set of chemicals.
ii. Ensuring that each farm is compliant to the contract may be difficult.
2. Remove Varroa mites from hives
Varroa mites are tiny parasites found in bee hives that are commonly known as “vampire mites” because these mites can suck the blood of the adult bees. However most of the mites choose to attack the baby bees instead. Mites hide themselves in cells with the larvae and wait until it is capped off. Once this happens, the mite sucks blood from the larvae and reproduces. This process leaves multiple flesh wounds in the larva which makes them susceptible to diseases, viruses, bacteria and fungi. Adults that have a disease or virus are crippled and malnourished and are unable to produce royal jelly, an essential part of feeding the baby bees. Royal jelly is made through the hypopharyngeal glands and when a bee is infected, the bees glands will not grow which causes for multiple generations of malnutrition. (Jacobsen, 2008) We need to determine what climates Varroa destructors live in and what attracts them.
a. Details
i. Entails studying a group of colonies (20-50 colonies) with different climates, specifications and pesticides. Keep the hive
monitored for 6 months to a year to see where mites thrived. If no mites are noticed, new situations and elements of the hive will be
introduced and then those hives will be observed.
ii. At least 10 beekeepers within the area keep hives and monitor the hives with different specifications to see where Varroa mites
begin to grow.
1. Contact and communicate to BuzzClub in the Four Corners area to select beekeepers to monitor their hives and collaborate
with Animas High School to compress data
iii. This will show us what a hive needs for it to harbor mites.
1. Animas High School students will monitor the results and publish them as a school project. Through this the students will
have the chance to do field work as well as processing the data and learning technical writing skills
iv. This will be done throughout the four corners area. (reference map)
b. Benefits
i. Monitoring hives with Varroa mites will illuminate the causes of mites and show beekeepers what environments to avoid
creating mites and eliminate on cause of CCD so that we can narrow it down and target other causes.
c. Cons
i. There may be a lot of work put into it only to discover that Varroa mites require the same climate as bees and we can’t change
that in the hives without killing the bees.
3. More people keep bees so bees don’t have to travel and deal with the stress of transportation. (Colony, 2012)
Bees are rented out to farmers to pollinate fields as well as being fed high-fructose corn syrup loaded with antibiotics while fighting parasites. Like humans, bees suffer from stress as well and these factors are wearing bees thinner and thinner until they cannot perform (Jacobsen, 2008)
a. Details
i. Crop growers and farm owners will start keeping bees as well within the area illustrated on the map.
ii. A poster will be made as well as a letter to advertise the beekeeping workshops. The workshops will be performed by the
BuzzClub and Animas High School will organize the event, in which case BuzzClub will do the workshops for free
1. At the workshops, informational slide shows from MAAREC website (Mid, 2012)
iii. Those aspiring to keep bees must attend a workshop/seminar/festival and get certified
1. Certification through Eastern Apiculture Society insures that beekeepers follow regulations and only use approved
pesticides.
iv. This should be done throughout the 100 mile radius previously established, however it is suggested that the same measures
be taken in other locations.
b. Benefits
i. Less gas will be used to transport bees which will save bees and the earth
ii. Bees will not have to be transported as much or as far
1. This eliminates them picking up a disease or being exposed to a dangerous pesticide during the traveling and the stress
of traveling.
iii. Crop owners will be less reliant on beekeepers whose hives may die because the farmers will be keeping their own bees
c. Cons
i. Crop owners may not want to put extra effort or money into keeping their own bees
ii. Certification process takes dedication and requires five years of beekeeping to be certified (Eastern, 2012)
1. Because the process is so long many farmers may lose patience with it and not complete the five years necessary to get
certified
1. Test pesticide synergy
Test pesticides used on bees and plants together in a lab to observe pesticide synergy. All pesticides are tested to see if they kill, but no test is done to see if they are “sub lethal.” Additionally, pesticides are not tested to see how they react to each other. Neonicotinoid and Procure are increased in toxicity by at least a thousand percent when combined (Jacobsen 2008).
a. Details
i. Knowing and regulating the pesticides used on plants and hives
1. Monitoring private farmers pesticides
2. Monitoring beekeepers pesticides
ii. Petition is designed to ensure the EPA as a community begins to test the pesticides and create a regulated set of pesticides for
beekeepers to use. The petition must get 2,000 signatures.
1. Paid for by donations collected at the “Bee Festival”
iii. Purpose: prevent chemicals from mixing and killing off bees or making them impaired.
iv. All towns keeping farms and bees within a 100 mile radius of Durango, downtown Durango being the epicenter, will send
representatives to the festival and will be required to sign a contract to adapt the new regulated pesticides.
1. The bee festival will serve the purpose of informing the public of the bee crisis and hopefully urging them to become more
active towards finding a solution
2. Local representatives of USDA will check farms after six months and twelve months to insure farmers are complying to
standard pesticides
3. This area includes Blanding and Monticello UT, Bloomfield and Farmington NM, Montrose, South Fork, Dulce, Ouray,
Mountain Village, Telluride, Pagosa Springs, Durango and Cortez CO.
b. Benefits
i. Eliminating multiple pesticides, will not only let us see if the pesticides are effecting the bees, but will also decrease the toxins on
our vegetables and in our environment
c. Cons
i. Private farmers and beekeepers may be reluctant to conforming to a regulated set of chemicals.
ii. Ensuring that each farm is compliant to the contract may be difficult.
2. Remove Varroa mites from hives
Varroa mites are tiny parasites found in bee hives that are commonly known as “vampire mites” because these mites can suck the blood of the adult bees. However most of the mites choose to attack the baby bees instead. Mites hide themselves in cells with the larvae and wait until it is capped off. Once this happens, the mite sucks blood from the larvae and reproduces. This process leaves multiple flesh wounds in the larva which makes them susceptible to diseases, viruses, bacteria and fungi. Adults that have a disease or virus are crippled and malnourished and are unable to produce royal jelly, an essential part of feeding the baby bees. Royal jelly is made through the hypopharyngeal glands and when a bee is infected, the bees glands will not grow which causes for multiple generations of malnutrition. (Jacobsen, 2008) We need to determine what climates Varroa destructors live in and what attracts them.
a. Details
i. Entails studying a group of colonies (20-50 colonies) with different climates, specifications and pesticides. Keep the hive
monitored for 6 months to a year to see where mites thrived. If no mites are noticed, new situations and elements of the hive will be
introduced and then those hives will be observed.
ii. At least 10 beekeepers within the area keep hives and monitor the hives with different specifications to see where Varroa mites
begin to grow.
1. Contact and communicate to BuzzClub in the Four Corners area to select beekeepers to monitor their hives and collaborate
with Animas High School to compress data
iii. This will show us what a hive needs for it to harbor mites.
1. Animas High School students will monitor the results and publish them as a school project. Through this the students will
have the chance to do field work as well as processing the data and learning technical writing skills
iv. This will be done throughout the four corners area. (reference map)
b. Benefits
i. Monitoring hives with Varroa mites will illuminate the causes of mites and show beekeepers what environments to avoid
creating mites and eliminate on cause of CCD so that we can narrow it down and target other causes.
c. Cons
i. There may be a lot of work put into it only to discover that Varroa mites require the same climate as bees and we can’t change
that in the hives without killing the bees.
3. More people keep bees so bees don’t have to travel and deal with the stress of transportation. (Colony, 2012)
Bees are rented out to farmers to pollinate fields as well as being fed high-fructose corn syrup loaded with antibiotics while fighting parasites. Like humans, bees suffer from stress as well and these factors are wearing bees thinner and thinner until they cannot perform (Jacobsen, 2008)
a. Details
i. Crop growers and farm owners will start keeping bees as well within the area illustrated on the map.
ii. A poster will be made as well as a letter to advertise the beekeeping workshops. The workshops will be performed by the
BuzzClub and Animas High School will organize the event, in which case BuzzClub will do the workshops for free
1. At the workshops, informational slide shows from MAAREC website (Mid, 2012)
iii. Those aspiring to keep bees must attend a workshop/seminar/festival and get certified
1. Certification through Eastern Apiculture Society insures that beekeepers follow regulations and only use approved
pesticides.
iv. This should be done throughout the 100 mile radius previously established, however it is suggested that the same measures
be taken in other locations.
b. Benefits
i. Less gas will be used to transport bees which will save bees and the earth
ii. Bees will not have to be transported as much or as far
1. This eliminates them picking up a disease or being exposed to a dangerous pesticide during the traveling and the stress
of traveling.
iii. Crop owners will be less reliant on beekeepers whose hives may die because the farmers will be keeping their own bees
c. Cons
i. Crop owners may not want to put extra effort or money into keeping their own bees
ii. Certification process takes dedication and requires five years of beekeeping to be certified (Eastern, 2012)
1. Because the process is so long many farmers may lose patience with it and not complete the five years necessary to get
certified
Works Cited
Apidologie. Apidologie, n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2012. <http://www.apidologie.org/index.php?option=com_article&access=standard&Itemid=129&url=/articles/apido/full_html/2010/03/m09161/m09161.html>. Management
Colony Collapse Disorder: A Descriptive Study. PLOS One, n.d. Web. 1 Nov. 2012. <http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0006481;jsessionid=F161CA0A9BD005ACB53FB971885BC1AC>. Stress factor
Eastern Apiculture Society. EAS, n.d. Web. 1 Nov. 2012. <http://www.easternapiculture.org/master-beekeepers/certification.html>. certification
Jacobsen, Rowan. Fruitless Fall. First U.S. ed. New York City: Bloomsbury, 2008. Print.
Mid Atlantic Apiculture Research and Extension Consortium. MAAREC, 2012. Web. 1 Nov. 2012. <https://agdev.anr.udel.edu/maarec/beginning-beekeeping-2/>. beginning to beekeeping
NC State University. NORTH CAROLINA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE, n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2012. <http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/entomology/apiculture/pdfs/2.03%20copy.pdf>. varroa mites
PNAS. National Academy of Science, n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2012. <http://www.pnas.org/content/106/35/14790.full>. This site talks about pathogens and genes of the bees.
Predictive Markers of Honey Bee Collapse Disorder. PLOS One, 23 Feb. 2012. Web. 1 Nov. 2012. <http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0032151;jsessionid=F161CA0A9BD005ACB53FB971885BC1AC>. Varroa Mites
Scientific American. Scientific American, 6 Apr. 2012. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. <http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2012/04/06/common-pesticide-implicated-bee-colony-collapse-disorder/>. This site proposed that the issue was the food the bees were being fed.
Scientific American. N.p., 24 July 2012. Web. 1 Nov. 2012. <http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2012/07/24/are-zombie-bees-infiltrating-your-neighborhood/>. information on zombie bees
Scientific American. N.p., 24 Aug. 2009. Web. 1 Nov. 2012. <http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=bee-afraid-bee-very-afraid-09-08-14>. why is it important?
Colony Collapse Disorder: A Descriptive Study. PLOS One, n.d. Web. 1 Nov. 2012. <http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0006481;jsessionid=F161CA0A9BD005ACB53FB971885BC1AC>. Stress factor
Eastern Apiculture Society. EAS, n.d. Web. 1 Nov. 2012. <http://www.easternapiculture.org/master-beekeepers/certification.html>. certification
Jacobsen, Rowan. Fruitless Fall. First U.S. ed. New York City: Bloomsbury, 2008. Print.
Mid Atlantic Apiculture Research and Extension Consortium. MAAREC, 2012. Web. 1 Nov. 2012. <https://agdev.anr.udel.edu/maarec/beginning-beekeeping-2/>. beginning to beekeeping
NC State University. NORTH CAROLINA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE, n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2012. <http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/entomology/apiculture/pdfs/2.03%20copy.pdf>. varroa mites
PNAS. National Academy of Science, n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2012. <http://www.pnas.org/content/106/35/14790.full>. This site talks about pathogens and genes of the bees.
Predictive Markers of Honey Bee Collapse Disorder. PLOS One, 23 Feb. 2012. Web. 1 Nov. 2012. <http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0032151;jsessionid=F161CA0A9BD005ACB53FB971885BC1AC>. Varroa Mites
Scientific American. Scientific American, 6 Apr. 2012. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. <http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2012/04/06/common-pesticide-implicated-bee-colony-collapse-disorder/>. This site proposed that the issue was the food the bees were being fed.
Scientific American. N.p., 24 July 2012. Web. 1 Nov. 2012. <http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2012/07/24/are-zombie-bees-infiltrating-your-neighborhood/>. information on zombie bees
Scientific American. N.p., 24 Aug. 2009. Web. 1 Nov. 2012. <http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=bee-afraid-bee-very-afraid-09-08-14>. why is it important?
Animas High School 3206 North Main Avenue Durango, CO 81301 (970) 247-2474
My Contact Information: [email protected]
Updated on: 12.15.11
My Contact Information: [email protected]
Updated on: 12.15.11