Bee Pictures

Bee Pictures

Billions of Bees Missing

A beekeeper holds a nearly empty section of honeycomb at an apairy in the United Kindgom. A mysterious, widespread disappearance of bees first noted in the United States has spread to Europe and South America.
- Vanishing Honeybees Mystify Scientists

Over 25 Percent of Bees Already Lost

Beekeepers are losing as much as 50 percent of their bees to the "colony collapse disorder." The Apiary Inspectors of America report that more than 25 percent of the coutry's 2.4 million bee colonies have already been lost. The mysterious problem causes bees to become disoriented and not return to the hive.

Bees and the Human Food Chain

Honey bees are an important component of the human food chain. Each year they are responsible for pollinating $15 billion worth of fruits, nuts and other crops. No system of pollination that rivals bees' effectiveness has been invented, leaving the agrigulture industry vulnerable. Some of the crops that could be affected by the loss of bee pollination are cherries, almonds, apples and blueberries.

Potential Disease Causes

Experts are not sure what is causing colony collapse disorder. Studies have shown that affected bees have fungi commonly found in humans whose immune systems have been disabled by AIDS or cancer. Other likely suspects include viruses or pesticides.

Potential Honey Shortage

Raymond Stevenson samples a sweet piece of honeycomb in Salina, Kan. Colony collapse disorder threatens to disrupt honey supplies. Honey shortages have occurred before, most recently due to the Varroa mite, a honeybee parasite that sucks bees' blood. Analysis suggests that the latest bee reduction has already boosted honey prices significantly.

Honey Bees in the United States

American honeybee populations have been gradually declining for decades. The number of bees has been shrinking since the 1940s, and in some cases, large flucutations in population were observed. Still, researchers believe the recent disappearance of bees is a new problem.

The Life of Bees

Bees are social insects that live together in a hive. There are three types of honeybees: drone bees, worker bees and queen bees. Drones are males, whose chief function is to fertilize the queen's eggs. Worker bees are female bees that gather food, build hives and protect the colony. Finally, queen bees are special females who lay eggs and regulate the hive's activities. There is only one queen in each hive.
Encyclopedia: Bees