Colony Collapse disorder
Introduction to CCD:
Honey Bees (Apis) have been in charge of pollinating 30% of all crops on Earth. If you’re a fan of almonds, honey bee’s are your saviors as they are in charge of 100% of pollinating almond crops. They are also in charge of pollinating $14 Billion worth of crops in the U.S. alone and also make up the 80% of the flowers in our country. Because the honey bee population is decreasing, the need for an understanding of the cause is crucial. Colony Collapse disorder, known as ‘CCD’ has been documented all the way back to the year of 1869. CCD has been known as the “disappearing disease,” because of the many bees literally vanishing from the hive. In October of 2006, a beekeeper reported losses up to 30-90% in their hive.
Varroa Mites, a suspected cause to CCD, have been reported for killing off hives. Introduced to the hives in the 1990’s, the mites have added additional stress to the honey bee population. The parasites have only been located in the hives of bees suffering from Colony Collapse Disorder. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, “Annual losses from the winter of 2006-2011 averaged about 33 percent each year, with a third of these losses attributed to CCD by beekeepers. The winter of 2011-2012 was an exception, when total losses dropped to 22 percent.” Majority of these losses have been caused by the mites attaching to the bees and sucking the blood from their insides. Overall, Varroa Mites have been suspected leaders in the disappearance of honeybees.
Although some pesticides are used for treating the mites in hives, their effects can cause more than just that. In fact, pesticides are responsible for ‘harming the hive health.” With over 130 different types, pesticides are moderately or severely toxic to honey bees. Majority of the pesticides come from plants that the bees collect nectar from. The pollinated pollen ten enters the hive and kills. According to the Environmental News Network, “Pesticides such as as neonicotinoids are already under close scrutiny because research appears to show that, certainly for honey bees at least, they may interrupt the insect’s normal behaviors and they are suspected to play a part in colony collapse disorder.” If there is a way to dispose of the harmful pesticides, many hives will continue to grow and the bee population will replenish itself.
Honey Bees are a delicacy to the agricultural world. Majority of crops are dependant on the work of bees. Even beef products depend on bees to produce the food for them. All in all, a world without Honey Bees is a world without food.
Honey Bees (Apis) have been in charge of pollinating 30% of all crops on Earth. If you’re a fan of almonds, honey bee’s are your saviors as they are in charge of 100% of pollinating almond crops. They are also in charge of pollinating $14 Billion worth of crops in the U.S. alone and also make up the 80% of the flowers in our country. Because the honey bee population is decreasing, the need for an understanding of the cause is crucial. Colony Collapse disorder, known as ‘CCD’ has been documented all the way back to the year of 1869. CCD has been known as the “disappearing disease,” because of the many bees literally vanishing from the hive. In October of 2006, a beekeeper reported losses up to 30-90% in their hive.
Varroa Mites, a suspected cause to CCD, have been reported for killing off hives. Introduced to the hives in the 1990’s, the mites have added additional stress to the honey bee population. The parasites have only been located in the hives of bees suffering from Colony Collapse Disorder. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, “Annual losses from the winter of 2006-2011 averaged about 33 percent each year, with a third of these losses attributed to CCD by beekeepers. The winter of 2011-2012 was an exception, when total losses dropped to 22 percent.” Majority of these losses have been caused by the mites attaching to the bees and sucking the blood from their insides. Overall, Varroa Mites have been suspected leaders in the disappearance of honeybees.
Although some pesticides are used for treating the mites in hives, their effects can cause more than just that. In fact, pesticides are responsible for ‘harming the hive health.” With over 130 different types, pesticides are moderately or severely toxic to honey bees. Majority of the pesticides come from plants that the bees collect nectar from. The pollinated pollen ten enters the hive and kills. According to the Environmental News Network, “Pesticides such as as neonicotinoids are already under close scrutiny because research appears to show that, certainly for honey bees at least, they may interrupt the insect’s normal behaviors and they are suspected to play a part in colony collapse disorder.” If there is a way to dispose of the harmful pesticides, many hives will continue to grow and the bee population will replenish itself.
Honey Bees are a delicacy to the agricultural world. Majority of crops are dependant on the work of bees. Even beef products depend on bees to produce the food for them. All in all, a world without Honey Bees is a world without food.
Management plan:
- Encourage Home Depot to stop selling pesticides from the neonicotinoid family
- Public education about how local beekeepers can treat their hives effectively for varroa mites
- Launch public service announcement on KDUR to encourage the act of planting flowers
The plan proposed to change Home Depot policy about selling neonicotinoid pesticides is to write letters to the CEO of Home Depot and lobby legislatures who represent the state of Colorado and the Federal Government.
The target date for letters to be sent to CEO of Home Depot is is May 20, 2015.
The target for laws to be changed in favor of eliminating neonicotinoid pesticides at Home Depot is the year of 2020.
The method of educating the public about how local beekeepers can treat their hives for varroa mites is to hold a conference at Fort Lewis College inviting beekeepers for all around the county. Beekeepers will be informed by the ‘4 Corners Beekeepers Association,’ about methods and ways that the parasites can be tested for and exterminated within the hives. Those methods including: Using a drone cone to collect mites, “sugar coating” the hive with powdered sugar to control the varroa, and inserting a strip in hive called Apistan*, that will kill mites.
The target date for the educational conference is June 10, 2015 at Fort Lewis College. It will be open to the public.
The plan proposed to encourage the act of planting flowers will be reported on the KDUR radio station. The broadcast will include the benefit of honey bees to our everyday lives and how planting flowers allows them to thrive.
This plan will take action on May 30th, 2015 and will be broadcasted on the KDUR Radio Station.
Letter to ceo of home depot:
Dear Craig A. Manear,
On behalf of Animas High School’s student body, I am writing to express my worries concerning the effects of pesticides from the neonicotinoid family (example: round up) on the Honeybee population. Although these pesticides aren’t directly targeted towards the bees, the chemicals are deadly and have been a greatly suspected cause of Colony Collapse Disorder.
Bees pollinate over 30% of all crops on Earth and their presence is crucial for the continuation of the planet. Potential triggers of CCD are: Varroa Mites within the hives, stressors, development (roads, highways, houses, etc.), pesticides and other miscellaneous factors. Because pesticides have such an effect on the decreasing population, we are very concerned with the plant and parasite killers you sell at your stores. A very impactful chemical is called ‘Round Up’. This ‘Weed and Grass Controller’ is highly toxic to honey bees and their hives.
In the mean time, I plan to educate the public on methods of living that can benefit bees. Those including: Planting flowers, cutting down on driving and biking more, and to be more cautious of which pesticides to use. My goal is to have an entire community aware of the importance of bees and ready to help.
I believe very strongly that Home Depot is accountable for the decrease in the Honeybee population because the chemicals you sell are deadly. I propose that your business does not continue to promote pesticides of the neonicotinoid family because they are killing a salient population that are in charge of keeping the planet pollinated and in growth.
I am very grateful for all that your business undertakes and the many materials you provide. I’ve used your products countless times and I couldn’t be more thankful that we have a supplier for those necessities in our small town. At the same time, I don’t appreciate that harmful chemicals you sell at your store. Coming from an outdoorsy town, animals and insects are apart of our everyday lives and we are saddened to see them disappearing. Getting rid of your pesticides would only help and create a healthier environment overall.
Thank you for your time and for reading my concerns. I hope to see change before all of the bees are gone.
Sincerely,
Ellie Duke
Dissection Reflection
During this project, we chose an animal to dissect (shark pig or cat). I chose the cat for a variety of reasons. First of all, I’ve never dissected a cat and it looked very similar to the human’s system. Also, I was hoping that my cat had babies because that would be super cool to find and dissect further. Luckily my cat did end up having a couple babies and I was able to see what it looked like. Throughout the dissection, I learned that organs in a cat are almost impossible to find. It would always take me a while to locate the specific organ and see how it functioned. Something I learned about myself throughout this dissection was that I am able to withstand digging through a dead cat. It never really phased me (besides the smell) and I was able to get ‘hands on’ in this project.
Honeybee Reflection
In my opinion, Honeybees are very important. They pollinate our crops and keep them growing. Without them, our diets would mainly consist of just corn and all other plants would die off. We should be concerned about bees because they are disappearing and without them our world won’t ever function the same.
Research Notes:
"Related Topics." ARS : Honey Bee Health and Colony Collapse Disorder. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2015.
This source explains the effects of Colony Collapse Disorder and what some of the factors are that come with it. It also touches on the history of CCD and why bees are so important in our everyday lives.
This source will help me develop my project because it gives me lot’s of great insight on the issue and ways I can add to my work. Something interesting that I learned was that cellphones have no effect on the survival of honey bees. Many people are sure that cellphones are what’s causing the dying out of the population but in fact, they have no effect. This source gives me insight about my research project because I now have more knowledge about what the suspected factors are that are contributing to CCD.
“Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), which is syndrome defined as a dead colony with no adult bees or dead bee bodies but with a live queen and usually honey and immature bees still present. No scientific cause for CCD has been proven.”
“In California, the almond industry requires the use of 1.4 million colonies of honey bees, approximately 60 percent of all managed honey bee colonies in the United States.”
“If losses continue at the 33 percent level, it could threaten the economic viability of the bee pollination industry. Honey bees would not disappear entirely, but the cost of honey bee pollination services would rise, and those increased costs would ultimately be passed on to consumers through higher food costs.”
Ellis, Jamie. "Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) in Honey Bees1." EDIS New Publications RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.
This source goes into detail about the symptoms of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). In the article, it says, “the work force is composed of younger adult bees.” This article also explains the causes of the “disappearing disease.” Jamie says, “synergisms between and above the stressors.” Lastly, the author touches on why bees are important for the public. “The benefits and honeybees are undeniable and under appreciated,” says the author.
Something interesting I learned while reading this was that the disease is truly a mystery. The bees literally vanish. The article says, “ Beekeepers report that colonies with CCD do not contain any dead bees, nor are there dead bees on the ground outside of the colonies. The adult bees simply vanish.” This source connects to my prior source because they both talk about the causes of CCD and why honeybees are so incredibly important. Overall, this source gave me lot’s of new information.
“Colony Collapse Disorder: A Descriptive Study.” PLOS ONE: Google Scholar, 3 Aug. 2009. web. 21 Apr. 2015
This source is a scientific article that runs through different simulations and tests that display the data of different topics dealing with honeybees. Some of those topics being:
Some new ideas I have for my project is to focus mainly on mites and pesticides because that’ll give me the most data and that's what's affecting the bees the most. I think that if I just stick to two sources, it’ll make my paper a lot more organized and thorough.
“Levels of the synthetic acaricide coumaphos (used by beekeepers to control the parasitic mite Varroa destructor) were higher in control colonies than CCD-affected colonies.”
“We present evidence that this condition is contagious or the result of exposure to a common risk factor.”
“the rapid loss of adult worker bees from affected colonies as evidenced by weak or dead colonies with excess brood populations relative to adult bee populations”
For this project, I chose to focus on Colony Collapse Disorder and what’s causing it. Overall, I learned about the many causes (human development, varroa mites, stressors, pesticides, etc.) that have contributed the decrease in bee population. I also learned about the importance of bees and their importance in my everyday life. For exhibition, I chose to create a management plan for saving bees and I wrote a letter to the CEO of Home Depot pleading for change in the pesticides they sell. I was most proud of my management plan because I thought that each solution was very doable and relevant. Something I wish I did better was my letter to the CEO of Home Depot. I didn’t have anogh time to make it my best work and I wish I could’ve spent a little more time on it.
Crime Scene Investigation Reflection
In this project, our mission was to detect what had happened to the victim in a crime scene we were assigned to with a partner. Before we began the initial investigation, we learned about how exoneration and DNA play a role in our justice system. We watched a few videos having to do with victims in the past that had been wrongfully convicted. The videos showed us the process of exoneration and how forensic science (mainly DNA) is important to determining the truth of the crime scene. Beyond that, a man visited our class who had been wrongfully convicted of killing his step son. He was in prison for 21 years and he told us all about his experiences. After we finished learning about the justice system, we began our crime scene project. There were 3 separate crime scenes that each class was assigned to equally. I got Crime Scene #1 and my partner was TJ Rifkin. Throughout the past month, we learned how to perform basic forensic techniques for solving the crime.
Some of the techniques I learned how to do was: detecting the blood spatter, superglue fuming, blood typing, and conducting an autopsy. To find the blood spatter, you connect the point of origin to each and every spatter found on the wall either above, behind, below, or to the side of the victim's body. Once you’ve done that, it’s easier to find which angle the bullet or other weapon had shot the body from. Superglue fuming, also know as fingerprinting, is simple as well. You take the evidence that you are getting evidence from and then put it in a chamber where the evidence sits and the vapor takes over, revealing the fingerprints. Afterwards, many people prefer to add color to the prints to make them even more visible and easier to make out. Blood evidence is soaked in a serum and is determined by the color of the stain while blood typing. Conducting an autopsy is simply the dissection of the victim's body which I sadly did not get to perform but I did get all of the basic knowledge behind the process.
The most interesting science, in my opinion, that we worked on was conducting an autopsy. Although we weren’t physically able to dissect a real human body, it was still awesome to read about how it works. Dissection has always interested me and that was certainly my favorite part. During this project, I think that I was really strong in the writing part. We had to write about 5 reports and I feel really confident with each. Writing in general is my favorite subject so it was very helpful for me that we got to tie that in with this project. Something I wish that I’d done better was my awareness tile. I finished it super quickly and turned it in. I just recently refined it and I feel a lot better now. Overall, this project was awesome and I learned a lot about the justice system as well as the human anatomy.
During this project, we chose an animal to dissect (shark pig or cat). I chose the cat for a variety of reasons. First of all, I’ve never dissected a cat and it looked very similar to the human’s system. Also, I was hoping that my cat had babies because that would be super cool to find and dissect further. Luckily my cat did end up having a couple babies and I was able to see what it looked like. Throughout the dissection, I learned that organs in a cat are almost impossible to find. It would always take me a while to locate the specific organ and see how it functioned. Something I learned about myself throughout this dissection was that I am able to withstand digging through a dead cat. It never really phased me (besides the smell) and I was able to get ‘hands on’ in this project.
Honeybee Reflection
In my opinion, Honeybees are very important. They pollinate our crops and keep them growing. Without them, our diets would mainly consist of just corn and all other plants would die off. We should be concerned about bees because they are disappearing and without them our world won’t ever function the same.
Research Notes:
"Related Topics." ARS : Honey Bee Health and Colony Collapse Disorder. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2015.
This source explains the effects of Colony Collapse Disorder and what some of the factors are that come with it. It also touches on the history of CCD and why bees are so important in our everyday lives.
This source will help me develop my project because it gives me lot’s of great insight on the issue and ways I can add to my work. Something interesting that I learned was that cellphones have no effect on the survival of honey bees. Many people are sure that cellphones are what’s causing the dying out of the population but in fact, they have no effect. This source gives me insight about my research project because I now have more knowledge about what the suspected factors are that are contributing to CCD.
“Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), which is syndrome defined as a dead colony with no adult bees or dead bee bodies but with a live queen and usually honey and immature bees still present. No scientific cause for CCD has been proven.”
“In California, the almond industry requires the use of 1.4 million colonies of honey bees, approximately 60 percent of all managed honey bee colonies in the United States.”
“If losses continue at the 33 percent level, it could threaten the economic viability of the bee pollination industry. Honey bees would not disappear entirely, but the cost of honey bee pollination services would rise, and those increased costs would ultimately be passed on to consumers through higher food costs.”
Ellis, Jamie. "Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) in Honey Bees1." EDIS New Publications RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.
This source goes into detail about the symptoms of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). In the article, it says, “the work force is composed of younger adult bees.” This article also explains the causes of the “disappearing disease.” Jamie says, “synergisms between and above the stressors.” Lastly, the author touches on why bees are important for the public. “The benefits and honeybees are undeniable and under appreciated,” says the author.
Something interesting I learned while reading this was that the disease is truly a mystery. The bees literally vanish. The article says, “ Beekeepers report that colonies with CCD do not contain any dead bees, nor are there dead bees on the ground outside of the colonies. The adult bees simply vanish.” This source connects to my prior source because they both talk about the causes of CCD and why honeybees are so incredibly important. Overall, this source gave me lot’s of new information.
- “Do not combine collapsing colonies with otherwise healthy ones - the cause of CCD has not been identified so it is possible that combining a sick colony with a healthy one will "contaminate" or "infect" the healthy colony.”
- “The final symptom is that small hive beetles, wax moths, and other nearby honey bees ignore the empty hives even though the hives contain foodstuffs on which they ordinarily feed.”
- “In a country where honey bees contribute billions of dollars in added revenue to the agriculture industry, these bee losses cannot be taken lightly.”
“Colony Collapse Disorder: A Descriptive Study.” PLOS ONE: Google Scholar, 3 Aug. 2009. web. 21 Apr. 2015
This source is a scientific article that runs through different simulations and tests that display the data of different topics dealing with honeybees. Some of those topics being:
- “Levels of synthetic acaricide coumaphos,”pathogen levels, and different pesticides.
- An interesting thing that I learned while reading this paper, was that CCD is caused by mainly mites and pesticides. Overall, there are no other links to the causes of CCD which is very interesting because that goes against all of the other sources I’ve read.
Some new ideas I have for my project is to focus mainly on mites and pesticides because that’ll give me the most data and that's what's affecting the bees the most. I think that if I just stick to two sources, it’ll make my paper a lot more organized and thorough.
“Levels of the synthetic acaricide coumaphos (used by beekeepers to control the parasitic mite Varroa destructor) were higher in control colonies than CCD-affected colonies.”
“We present evidence that this condition is contagious or the result of exposure to a common risk factor.”
“the rapid loss of adult worker bees from affected colonies as evidenced by weak or dead colonies with excess brood populations relative to adult bee populations”
For this project, I chose to focus on Colony Collapse Disorder and what’s causing it. Overall, I learned about the many causes (human development, varroa mites, stressors, pesticides, etc.) that have contributed the decrease in bee population. I also learned about the importance of bees and their importance in my everyday life. For exhibition, I chose to create a management plan for saving bees and I wrote a letter to the CEO of Home Depot pleading for change in the pesticides they sell. I was most proud of my management plan because I thought that each solution was very doable and relevant. Something I wish I did better was my letter to the CEO of Home Depot. I didn’t have anogh time to make it my best work and I wish I could’ve spent a little more time on it.
Crime Scene Investigation Reflection
In this project, our mission was to detect what had happened to the victim in a crime scene we were assigned to with a partner. Before we began the initial investigation, we learned about how exoneration and DNA play a role in our justice system. We watched a few videos having to do with victims in the past that had been wrongfully convicted. The videos showed us the process of exoneration and how forensic science (mainly DNA) is important to determining the truth of the crime scene. Beyond that, a man visited our class who had been wrongfully convicted of killing his step son. He was in prison for 21 years and he told us all about his experiences. After we finished learning about the justice system, we began our crime scene project. There were 3 separate crime scenes that each class was assigned to equally. I got Crime Scene #1 and my partner was TJ Rifkin. Throughout the past month, we learned how to perform basic forensic techniques for solving the crime.
Some of the techniques I learned how to do was: detecting the blood spatter, superglue fuming, blood typing, and conducting an autopsy. To find the blood spatter, you connect the point of origin to each and every spatter found on the wall either above, behind, below, or to the side of the victim's body. Once you’ve done that, it’s easier to find which angle the bullet or other weapon had shot the body from. Superglue fuming, also know as fingerprinting, is simple as well. You take the evidence that you are getting evidence from and then put it in a chamber where the evidence sits and the vapor takes over, revealing the fingerprints. Afterwards, many people prefer to add color to the prints to make them even more visible and easier to make out. Blood evidence is soaked in a serum and is determined by the color of the stain while blood typing. Conducting an autopsy is simply the dissection of the victim's body which I sadly did not get to perform but I did get all of the basic knowledge behind the process.
The most interesting science, in my opinion, that we worked on was conducting an autopsy. Although we weren’t physically able to dissect a real human body, it was still awesome to read about how it works. Dissection has always interested me and that was certainly my favorite part. During this project, I think that I was really strong in the writing part. We had to write about 5 reports and I feel really confident with each. Writing in general is my favorite subject so it was very helpful for me that we got to tie that in with this project. Something I wish that I’d done better was my awareness tile. I finished it super quickly and turned it in. I just recently refined it and I feel a lot better now. Overall, this project was awesome and I learned a lot about the justice system as well as the human anatomy.