A presentation detailing the economic and social importance of bees, including possible reasons for their population decline.

1. "If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man
would have no more than four years to live.“
Albert Einstein

2. The Facts
“Every third bite of food you take, thank a bee or other pollinator.”
E.O. Wilson 1996
o In the UK around 70 crops are dependent on, or benefit from bees.
o Huge Economic Value
o If the UK were to replace the work of bees with people it would take
over 30 million workers.
BBC, 2009a; BBC, 2009b; NRDC, 2011

3. The Facts
o In the winter of 2008/2009 one fifth of honey bee hives were lost
o In the USA one third of honeybee hives were lost in two years
o 25 Native Species in the UK
Vanishing Bees, 2013

4. Crops Pollinated by Bees
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Alfalfa
Allspice
Almonds
Apples
Artichoke
Asparagus
Avocado
Blackberries
Blueberries
Broccoli
Brussel sprouts
Cabbage
Cacao
Cantaloupe
Caraway
Cardamom
Carrots
Cashew
Cauliflower
Celeriac
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Celery
Cherries
Chicory
Chives
Cinnamon
Citrus
Coriander
Cotton
Cranberries
Cucumbers
Currants
Dill
Flax
Fennel
Garlic
Gooseberries
Kale
Kiwi
Leek
Macadamia
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Mango
Mustard
Nutmeg
Onion
Parsley
Parsnip
Passion fruit
Peaches
Pears
Plum
Pumpkin
Radish
Raspberries
Squash
Sunflower
Tangerine
Tea
Watermelon
NRDC, 2011; Vanishing Bees, 2013

5. Colony Collapse Disorder
(CCD)
o Majority of worker bees leave the hive
o Abandoning the Queen
o Inadequate number of worker bees left to do the job
o Queen and workers starve and die
vanEngelsdorp, 2006

6. Why?
o Disposable Cups
o Parasites
o Poor Nutrition
o Loss of Habitat
o Genetically Modified Crops
o Pesticides
o Stress

7. Or…
Returning to their home planet Melissa Majoria in sense of the coming
doom…
Doctor Who, 2008

8. Disposable Cups
o Bees are lured by the sugar left in disposable
cups
o 25,211 dead bees in 30 days
o 680 bees per day are manually killed at recycling
centres
o 1.3billion – 800million cups of tea and coffee
consumed daily using disposable cups
Chandrasekaran et al. (2011)

9. Parasites
o Bumblebees imported from Europe carry pathogens
o Varroa mite
BBC, 2013c; BBC, 2010; Martin, et al. 2012; Science Daily, 2012

10. Poor Nutrition
o Honey bees require:
o Carbohydrates (sugars in nectar or honey)
o Amino acids (protein from pollen)
o Lipids (fatty acids)
o Vitamins and minerals
o Water
o All these nutrients can be obtained by bees in a
natural setting
Huang, 2010

11. Loss of Habitat
“The decline in wild habitat and forage is the most
significant long-term threat to honey bee
populations in Europe and the US”
Professor Ratniek, UK’s only Professor of Apiculture (2010)
o Healthy bees need abundant food supplies
Ecologist, 2010

12. Genetically Modified Crops
o GM Crops resistant to pest and herbicides
Global Research, 2011

13. Genetically Modified Crops
o James and Pitts-Singer (2008)
o Bt protein is of no harm to bees
o Herbicide resistant crops pose no direct toxicity
effects to bees
o Professor H. Kaatz (2009)
o Found that bee colonies fed pollen with the Bt
protein collapsed after 3 weeks
o “Since they are something no one wants to hear it is
difficult to find an adequate place for them”
GM Watch, 2009

14. Pesticides
o Neonicotinoid pesticides;
o Imidacloprid
o Clothianidin
o Thiamethoxam
o Targets the bees central nervous system

15. Pesticides
o Researchers treated 16 hives with different levels
of Imidacloprid
o Exposure to the pesticides lowers brain activity
BBC, 2013d; BBC, 2013e; Genersche, 2010; Monbiot, 2013; Mongabay, 2012

16. Stress
o The colony depends on the efficient cooperation
of the individual worker bees for essential tasks
o If too many bees get sick, it increases the work
load on the other bees
Discovery Communications, 2013; Royal Holloway University of London, 2013; Woody, 2013;

17. Stress
o Bees begin life as a larvae
o They mature into ‘hive’ bees, for 21 days they;
o Maintaining the temperature of the
hive, building, cleaning and ventilating
o They mature into ‘forager’ bees and collect
nectar and pollen
o After 21 days they die, and hive bees replace
them
Discovery Communications, 2013; Royal Holloway University of London, 2013; Woody, 2013;

18. Stress
o Dead bees are quickly replaced, however
impaired bees carry on attempting to work just
at a far slow rate, hindering the colony
o A tipping point is reached when more bees die
(of natural causes) than are being born
Discovery Communications, 2013; Royal Holloway University of London, 2013; Woody, 2013;

19. Stress
o“Exposing bees to pesticides is a bit like adding more
Pesticides such as neonicotinoids have been
and more be oneon someone’s shoulders. A person
found to weight of the major contributing factor
can stress walking normally under a bit of weight, but
to keep in bees
when it gets too much – they collapse.”
o Other factors John Bryden, Royal Holloway (2013)
Dr such as;
o Poor nutrition/Habitat loss
o Parasites
Discovery Communications, 2013; Royal Holloway University of London, 2013; Woody, 2013;

20. Why Should We Care?
o Significant drops in the level of pollination
o Reduced availability of certain fruits and
vegetables
o Increased food prices
o Harder to get a healthy balanced diet
Bumblebee Conservation Trust, 2013; Natural Resource Defence Council, 2011

21. Why Should We Care?
o Non-Consumable products of bees
o Wax
o Cosmetic companies
o Candle makers
o Pharmaceutical companies
o Dentists
o Chewing gum companies
University of Illinois, 2007

22. "If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man
would have no more than four years to live.“
Albert Einstein

23. Bibliography
BBC (2013a) Banned Pesticides May Be Having Wider Environmental Impacts. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/scienceenvironment-22893619 (Accessed: 18 October 2013).
BBC (2013b) Bee Colony Failure ‘From Pesticide Stress’. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24426398
(Accessed: 20 October 2013).
BBC (2013c) Imported Bumblebees pose ‘Parasite Threat’ to Native Bees. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment23347867 (Accessed: 17 October 2013).
BBC (2013d) Government Rejects the Science Behind Neonicotinoid Ban. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment24024634 (Accessed: 17 October 2013).
BBC (2013e) Neonicotinoid Pesticides ‘Damages Brains of Bees. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21958547
(Accessed: 16 October 2013).
BBC (2009a) The Economic Value of Honeybees. Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8015136.stm (Accessed: 17 October 2013).
BBC (2010) The Honey Bee and the Varroa Mite. Available at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/sheffield/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8886000/8886387.stm (Accessed: 17 October 2013)
BBC (2009b) Why Have Bees Been Buzzing Off?. Available at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/cambridgeshire/hi/people_and_places/arts_and_culture/newsid_8338000/8338262.stm (Accessed: 17 October
2013)
Biesmeijer, J. C., Roberts, S. P. M., Reember, M., Ohlemuller, R., Edwards, M., Peeters, T., Schaffers, A. P., Potts, S.
G., Kleukers, R., Thomas, C. D., Settele, J. and Kunin, W. E. (2006) ‘Parallel Declines in Pollinators and Insect-Pollinated Plants in Britain
and the Netherlands’, Science, 313(5785), pp. 351 – 354. [Online]. DOI: 10.1126/science.1127863.
Brad Plumer (2013) ‘Why are the bees dying? The U.S. and Europe have different theories’, Wonkblog, 3 May. Available at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/05/03/why-are-bees-dying-the-u-s-and-europe-have-different-theories/
(Accessed: 12 October 2013).
Bumblebee Conservation Trust (2013) Why Bees Need Our Help. Available at: http://bumblebeeconservation.org/about-bees/why-beesneed-help (Accessed: 17 October 2013).
Capinera, J. K. (2010) Insects and Wildlife: Arthropods and their Relationships with Wild Invertebrate Animals. Chichester: WileyBlackwell.

24. Bibliography
Chandrasekaran, S., Nagendran, N. A., Krishnankutty, N., Pandiaraja, D., Saravanan, S., Kamaladhasan, N. and Kamalakanna, B. (2011)
‘Disposed Paper Cups and Declining Bees’, Current Science, 101(10), pp. 1262.
Ecologist (2010) Loss of Forage Biggest Long-Term Threat to Bees. Available at:
http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/393835/loss_of_forage_biggest_longterm_threat_to_bees.html (Accessed: 18 October
2013).
Doctor Who (2008) BBC One Television, 28 June.
Escapist Magazine (2013) Bees Are Dying, Scientists Have Found Out Why. Available at:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126375-Bees-Are-Dying-Scientists-Have-Found-Out-Why (Accessed: 15 October 2013).
Farmers Daily (2009) Habitat Loss and Disease are Bees’ bane, not Pesticides. Available at:
http://www.fwi.co.uk/articles/12/11/2009/118744/habitat-loss-and-disease-are-bees39-bane-not-pesticides.htm (Accessed: 19 October 2013).
Garth Sullivan (2007) ‘Are the Bees the Next Mass-Extinction Species?’, The Daily Galaxy, 17 October. Available at:
http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2007/10/are-bees-the-ne.html (Accessed: 15 October 2013).
Genersche, E. (2010) ‘Honey Bee Pathology: current Threats to Honey Bees and Beekeeping’, Applied Microbiology
Biotechnology, 87(1), pp. 87 – 97. [Online]. DOI: 10.1007/s00253-010-2573-8 (Accessed: 22 October 2013).
Monbiot, G. (2013) ‘Neonictinoids are the New DDT Killing the Natural World’, GeorgeMonbiot’s Blog, 5 August. Available at:
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/georgemonbiot/2013/aug/05/neonicotinoids-ddt-pesticides-nature (Accessed: 16 October
2013).
Global Research (2011) Death of the Bees: Genetically Modified Crops and the Decline of Bee Colonies in North America . Available at:
http://www.globalresearch.ca/death-of-the-bees-genetically-modified-crops-and-the-decline-of-bee-colonies-in-north-america (Accessed:
17 October 2013).
GM Watch (2009) Interview by Christof Potthof with the bee researcher Prof. Dr. Hans-Hinrich Kaatz, University of Halle-Wittenberg.
Available at: http://www.gmwatch.org/latest-listing/1-news-items/11621-gm-crops-and-honey-bee-research (Accessed: 17 October 2013)
Huang, Z. Y. (2010) ‘Honey Bee Nutrition’, American Bee Journal, 150, pp. 773 – 776.
James, R. and Pitts-Singer, T. L. (eds.) (2008) Bee Pollination in Agricultural Ecosystems. USA: Oxford University Press.

25. Bibliography
Lemelin, R. H. (ed) (2013) The Management of Insects in Recreation and Tourism. USA: Cambridge University Press.
Martin, S. J., Highfield, A. C., Brettel, L., Villalobos, E. M., Budge, G. E., Powell, M., Nikaido, S. and Schroeder, D. C. (2012) ‘Global
Honey Bee Viral Landscape Altered by a Parasitic Mite’, Science, 336(6086), pp. 1304 – 1306.
Mongabay (2012) Researchers Recreate Bee Collapse with Pesticide-Laced Corn Syrup. Available at:
http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0405-hance_colonycollapse_pesticides.html (Accessed: 18 October 2013).
National Resources Defense Council (2011) Why We Need Bees: Nature’s Tiny Workers Put Food on Our Tables. Available at:
http://www.nrdc.org/wildlife/animals/files/bees.pdf (Accessed: 16 October 2013).
Pegg, J. R. (2013) ‘Beekeepers Struggling to Find Answers for Declining Bee Health’, Pesticide and Chemical Policy Week in
Review, 41(11), pp. 1, 15.
Potts, S. G., Biesmeijer, J. C., Kremen, C., Neumann, O. S. and Kunin, W. E. (2010) ‘Global Pollinator Declines: Trends, Impacts and
Drivers’, Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 25, pp. 345 – 353. [Online]. DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2010.01.007 (Accessed 18 October 2013).
Ratnieks, F. L. W. and Carreck, N. L. (2010) ‘Clarity on Honey Bee Collapse’, Science, 327(5962), pp. 152 – 153.
Royal Holloway, University of London (2013) Stress a Key Factor in Causing Bee Colonies to Fail [Press Release]. 7 October. Available at:
http://www.nerc.ac.uk/press/releases/2013/76-stress.asp?cookieConsent=A (Accessed: 20 October 2013).
Royal Horticultural Society (2013) Bees: Decline in Numbers. Available at: http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=528
(Accessed: 15 October 2013).
Schiffman R. (2012) ‘Mystery of the Disappearing Bees: Solved!’, The Great Debate, 9 April. Available at: http://blogs.reuters.com/greatdebate/2012/04/09/mystery-of-the-disappearing-bees-solved/ (Accessed: 17 October 2013).
Schowalter, T. D. (2013) Insects and Sustainability of Ecosystem services. Boca Raton, FL.: Taylor & Francis Group.
Science Daily (2013) Parasites Change Bees Brains, but Not Their Behaviour. Available at:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130717051738.htm (Accessed: 19 October 2013).
Steffan-Dewenter, I., Potts, S.G. and Packer, L. (2005) ‘Pollinator Diversity and Crop Pollination Services are at Risk’, Trends in Ecology
and Evolution, 20, pp. 651 – 652. [Online]. DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2005.09.004 (Accessed: 22 October 2013).

26. Bibliography
Stokstad, E. (2006) ‘Pollinator Diversity Declining in Europe’, Science, 313(5785), pp. 286. [Online]. DOI: 10.1126/science.313.5785.286a.
Sustain (2013) Why Are Bees Important? Available at: http://www.sustainweb.org/foodfacts/bees_are_important/ (Accessed: 12 October
2013).
Tapparo, A., Marton, D., Zanella, A., Solda. L., Marzaro, M., Vivan, L. and Girolami, V. (2012) ‘Assessment of the Environmental
Exposure of Honeybees to Particulate Matter Containing Neonicotinoid Insectides Coming From Corn Coated Seeds’, Environmental
Science Technology, 46(5), pp. 2592 – 2599.
The British Beekeepers Association (2013) Importance of Bees. Available at: http://www.bbka.org.uk/kids/importance_of_bees
(Accessed: 15 October 2013).
The Co-operative (2013) The Vanishing Bees. Available at: http://vanishingbees.co.uk/learn/vanishing_bees/index.html (Accessed: 20
October 2013).
The Daily Green (2011) Major Paper Repeats Bogus Einstein Bee Quote. Available at: http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmentalnews/latest/einstein-bees (Accessed: 15 October 2013).
The New York Times (2012) Two Studies Point to Common Pesticide as a Culprit in Declining Bee Colonies . Available at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/30/science/neocotinoid-pesticides-play-a-role-in-bees-decline-2-studiesfind.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1382351303-KWLma6NSIeqObJArvpAB8Q&_r=0 (Accessed: 19 October 2012).
The Telegraph ( 2011) Einstein was Right- Honey Bee Collapse Threatens Global Food Security. Available at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/ambroseevans_pritchard/8306970/Einstein-was-right-honey-bee-collapse-threatens-globalfood-security.html (Accessed: 15 October 2013).
The Weather Network (2013) Scientist Uncover Why Millions of Bees are Dying. Available at:
http://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/articles/millions-of-bees-are-dying-but-scientists-have-finally-found-out-why/10151/ (Accessed:
18 October 2013).
University of Illinois (2007) Bee Products. Available at: http://www.uni.illinois.edu/~stone2/bee_products.html (Accessed: 25 October
2013).
Whitehorn, P. R., O’Connor, S., Wackers, F. L. and Goulson, D. (2012) ‘Neonicotinoid Pesticide Reduces Bumble Bee Colony Growth
and Queen Production’, Science, 336(6079), pp. 351 – 352.

27. Background Image
• Autan (2013) European Honey Bee Touching Down. Available at:
http://thebigfoto.com/bee-powered#photo24 (Accessed: 14 October
2013).