Bees, The ‘Soul Of Summer,’ Helped Shape The Natural World
August 13, 2018 at 3:10 p.m.
By Max [email protected]
Bees began mysteriously vanishing in 2006, first in North America, and then Europe. According to Thor Hanson in his recent book, “Buzz: The Nature and Necessity of Bees,” seemingly healthy bees would simply fly away and never come back. Scientists dubbed the phenomenon "colony collapse disorder" and launched a massive research effort. So far, little progress has been made and bees continue to die even though collapse disorder peaked quickly and has been on the decline.
Experts believe that multiple factors are at play. The main suspects are referred to as the four Ps: parasites, poor nutrition, pathogens and pesticides. Parasites include tiny mites that feed on bees’ body fluids. Poor nutrition reflects a widespread loss of flowers in rural landscapes because of the rise of industrial farming practices. The list of pathogens carried by bees includes fungal infections and wing-deforming viruses, many of which get moved around with international trade. Pesticides have received the most attention, and the European Union cited bee concerns in their recent ban of a popular class known as neonicotinoids that are widely used on crops, lawns, gardens and forests.
Environmentalists blame climate change as well. It affects the bees in several ways, including increased temperature and precipitation extremes, increased drought, early snow melt and late harvest events.
There are roughly 20,000 species of bees, and several American bee species have been classified as endangered. In the span of just seven years, the United States saw an approximate average rate of 1.6 million bees die off each year. Bumblebees are an example: Their population has plunged almost 90 percent since the 1990s; the species is the key pollinator of blueberries, tomatoes and wildflowers.
Bees greatly contribute to pollinating agricultural crops. It is estimated that they and other insects pollinate almost 90 percent of flowering plants and 70 percent of the 124 world's main crops. Without bees these numbers would begin to decline rapidly. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, honeybee pollination alone is valued at more than $14 billion annually. Fortunately, honeybees are not endangered.
In symbolism and in daily life, the value of bees to people lies rooted in their biology. The modern bee is a marvel of engineering, with wraparound ultraviolet vision; flexible, interlocking wings; and a pair of hypersensitive antennae capable of sniffing out everything from rose blossoms to bombs to cancer.
Bees evolved alongside the flowering plants, and their most remarkable traits all developed in the context of that relationship. Flowers provide bees with the ingredients for honey and wax as well as the impetus for navigation, communication, cooperation and, in some cases, buzzing itself. In return, bees perform what is their most fundamental and essential service. Yet, oddly, it’s one that people didn’t begin to understand — let alone appreciate — until the 17th century with discoveries by the great Dutch savant, Jan Swammerdam.
Swammerdam founded the true methods of scientific investigation: he helped to invent the microscope, contrived injections to ward off decay, was the first to dissect the bees, and by the discovery of the ovaries and the oviduct definitely fixed the sex of the queen, hitherto looked upon as a king, and threw the whole political scheme of the hive into most unexpected light by basing it upon maternity. Finally, he produced woodcuts and engravings so perfect that to this day they serve to illustrate many books on apiculture (beekeeping).
One of the best books about bees was written long ago by Maurice Maeterlinck and published in 1901. In “The Life of the Bee,” he describes them as follows: "They are the soul of the summer, the clock whose dial records the moments of plenty; they are the untiring wing on which delicate perfumes float; the guide of the quivering light-ray, the song of the slumberous, languid air; and their flight is the token, the sure and melodious note, of all the myriad fragile joys that are born in the heat and dwell in the sunshine. They teach us to tune our ear to the softest, most intimate whisper of these good, natural hours. To him who has known them and loved them, a summer where there are no bees becomes as sad and as empty as one without flowers or birds."
According to the aforementioned Thor Hanson, bees helped shape the natural world where our own species evolved, and their story often comingles with our own. To understand them, and ultimately to help them, we should appreciate not only where bees came from and how they work, but also why they’ve become one of the only insects to inspire more fondness than fear.
Max Sherman is a medical writer and pharmacist retired from the medical device industry. He has taught college courses on regulatory and compliance issues at Ivy Tech, Grace College and Butler University. Sherman has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge on all levels. Eclectic Science, the title of his column, will touch on famed doctors and scientists, human senses, aging, various diseases, and little-known facts about many species, including their contributions to scientific research. He can be reached by email at maxsherman339@ gmail.com.
Bees began mysteriously vanishing in 2006, first in North America, and then Europe. According to Thor Hanson in his recent book, “Buzz: The Nature and Necessity of Bees,” seemingly healthy bees would simply fly away and never come back. Scientists dubbed the phenomenon "colony collapse disorder" and launched a massive research effort. So far, little progress has been made and bees continue to die even though collapse disorder peaked quickly and has been on the decline.
Experts believe that multiple factors are at play. The main suspects are referred to as the four Ps: parasites, poor nutrition, pathogens and pesticides. Parasites include tiny mites that feed on bees’ body fluids. Poor nutrition reflects a widespread loss of flowers in rural landscapes because of the rise of industrial farming practices. The list of pathogens carried by bees includes fungal infections and wing-deforming viruses, many of which get moved around with international trade. Pesticides have received the most attention, and the European Union cited bee concerns in their recent ban of a popular class known as neonicotinoids that are widely used on crops, lawns, gardens and forests.
Environmentalists blame climate change as well. It affects the bees in several ways, including increased temperature and precipitation extremes, increased drought, early snow melt and late harvest events.
There are roughly 20,000 species of bees, and several American bee species have been classified as endangered. In the span of just seven years, the United States saw an approximate average rate of 1.6 million bees die off each year. Bumblebees are an example: Their population has plunged almost 90 percent since the 1990s; the species is the key pollinator of blueberries, tomatoes and wildflowers.
Bees greatly contribute to pollinating agricultural crops. It is estimated that they and other insects pollinate almost 90 percent of flowering plants and 70 percent of the 124 world's main crops. Without bees these numbers would begin to decline rapidly. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, honeybee pollination alone is valued at more than $14 billion annually. Fortunately, honeybees are not endangered.
In symbolism and in daily life, the value of bees to people lies rooted in their biology. The modern bee is a marvel of engineering, with wraparound ultraviolet vision; flexible, interlocking wings; and a pair of hypersensitive antennae capable of sniffing out everything from rose blossoms to bombs to cancer.
Bees evolved alongside the flowering plants, and their most remarkable traits all developed in the context of that relationship. Flowers provide bees with the ingredients for honey and wax as well as the impetus for navigation, communication, cooperation and, in some cases, buzzing itself. In return, bees perform what is their most fundamental and essential service. Yet, oddly, it’s one that people didn’t begin to understand — let alone appreciate — until the 17th century with discoveries by the great Dutch savant, Jan Swammerdam.
Swammerdam founded the true methods of scientific investigation: he helped to invent the microscope, contrived injections to ward off decay, was the first to dissect the bees, and by the discovery of the ovaries and the oviduct definitely fixed the sex of the queen, hitherto looked upon as a king, and threw the whole political scheme of the hive into most unexpected light by basing it upon maternity. Finally, he produced woodcuts and engravings so perfect that to this day they serve to illustrate many books on apiculture (beekeeping).
One of the best books about bees was written long ago by Maurice Maeterlinck and published in 1901. In “The Life of the Bee,” he describes them as follows: "They are the soul of the summer, the clock whose dial records the moments of plenty; they are the untiring wing on which delicate perfumes float; the guide of the quivering light-ray, the song of the slumberous, languid air; and their flight is the token, the sure and melodious note, of all the myriad fragile joys that are born in the heat and dwell in the sunshine. They teach us to tune our ear to the softest, most intimate whisper of these good, natural hours. To him who has known them and loved them, a summer where there are no bees becomes as sad and as empty as one without flowers or birds."
According to the aforementioned Thor Hanson, bees helped shape the natural world where our own species evolved, and their story often comingles with our own. To understand them, and ultimately to help them, we should appreciate not only where bees came from and how they work, but also why they’ve become one of the only insects to inspire more fondness than fear.
Max Sherman is a medical writer and pharmacist retired from the medical device industry. He has taught college courses on regulatory and compliance issues at Ivy Tech, Grace College and Butler University. Sherman has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge on all levels. Eclectic Science, the title of his column, will touch on famed doctors and scientists, human senses, aging, various diseases, and little-known facts about many species, including their contributions to scientific research. He can be reached by email at maxsherman339@ gmail.com.
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