The role that bees play in enhancing human life cannot be overstated. They facilitate pollination which is a crucial process in farming. It has emerged that the bee population in the world is declining at an alarming rate (Morris, 2015). Bee keepers have been most affected as they are losing the income that they earned through the sale of honey. Farmers have also registered a decline in yields as the pollination process has been compromised. The decline of the bee population is referred to as colony collapse disorder (EPA, n.d). This disorder has had a wide range of economic impacts. Human recklessness is the chief cause of this disorder. If the bee population is to be restored and farming revived, urgent action must be taken.
The colony collapse disorder is a problem that mankind is confronted with today. This problem involves a frightening decline in the bee population. To be more precise, this disorder occurs when worker bees abandon hives and leave behind the queen and younger bees that are unable to maintain the hives (EPA, n.d). The colony collapse disorder adversely affects the economy and the larger society. One of the impacts is lost income. Bee keepers rely on bees for economic sustenance. With the bees gone, they are forced to identify other avenues for economic engagement. Farming has also suffered. As already noted, the bees are heavily involved in the pollination process. Their disappearance means that the process does not occur smoothly (Morris, 2015). The result is that farmers report declines in productivity. There are farmers who have attempted to address the disorder through ingenious approaches. They are bringing bees in from other areas to pollinate their farms. While this approach allows the pollination process to take place, farmers still incur huge costs for a process that bees can execute at no cost. The colony collapse disorder also threatens global food security (Papas, 2013). With the decline in their population, it is feared that the amount of food that farmers are able to bring to the market will reduce. The threat of food shortage is frightening and should serve as a call to action. Mankind must institute measures to boost the bee population.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Efforts have been dedicated to understanding why the colony collapse disorder is occurring. A number of factors have been identified as being responsible for this disorder. The use of harmful pesticides is among these factors. Certain pesticides which contain DDT are known to adversely affect bees (EPA, n.d). Pests and diseases are other factors that are to blame for the decline in bee population. Such diseases as Israeli acute paralysis wipe out many bees, thereby significantly reducing their population. The stress that bees endure as a result of such practices as being moved to different locations has also been pointed out as among the causes of the disorder (EPA, n.d). Poor nutrition is yet another cause of the disorder. It is true that some of these causes are natural and are not the result of human involvement. However, others are the direct result of human action. Focus should be given to the latter type since it is much easier to control human action that natural processes.
Mankind bears primary responsibility for the colony collapse disorder. It is mankind that uses harmful pesticides. It is also mankind that employs poor bee management practices that have led to the decline. The various harmful practices that mankind has adopted indicate that humans are primarily responsible for the colony collapse disorder. For the sake of fairness, it is important to recognize that other actors are also responsible for the disorder. Nature is among these actors. In the discussion above, it has been pointed out that certain pests and diseases are to blame for the disorder. These pests and diseases occur naturally and have little to do with human action.
It is imperative for the entire human nation to join forces and develop a solution to the colony collapse disorder. One issue that could derail the development of a solution is funding. To ensure that funding does not impede the solution development process, the government should take center stage in the process. It should provide the funding needed to find a solution. Such government agencies as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have expressed concern about the disorder and made it clear that they are committed to finding a solution (EPA, n.d). The goodwill that such agencies have expressed can be taken as indication that the government will provide the funding that is needed to tackle the problem. Other actors should also become involved since the problem affects all. For example, the private sector can help through fundraising. The wider public can also contribute. Basically, all capable individuals should join the effort to raise finances required to find a solution.
In conclusion, the colony collapse disorder is cause for concern. Bees are too important to be ignored. Their declining population compromises global food security and threatens the incomes of farmers and bee keepers. Natural processes are mainly to blame for this problem. However, such human activities as the use of harmful pesticides and poor management of the bees also share blame for this problem. There is need for mankind to move beyond assigning blame. Focus should be given to identifying solutions. The government should lead the campaign to solve this problem. It should also serve as the main provider of financing. Other parties such as the private sector and the general public should also become part of this campaign to save bees and to protect humanity.
References
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). (n.d). Colony Collapse Disorder. Retrieved 8th July 2017 from https://www.epa.gov/pollinator-protection/colony-collapse-disorder
Morris, A. (2015). What is Killing America’s Bees and what does it mean for us? Retrieved 8th July 2017 from http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/what-is-killing-americas-bees-and-what-does-it-mean-for-us-20150818
Papas, M. (2013). Economics of Food Security Challenge. Colony Collapse Disorder: Current And Future Effects on U.S. Food Production. Retrieved 8th July 2017 from http://mcee.umn.edu/sites/mcee.umn.edu/files/papas-cloquet_high_school-for_website.pdf
