To Bee or not to Bee

To Bee or not to Bee

            With talk all across the country of the severe downfall in populations of honeybees all across America, many scientists, farmers and other theorists have offered explanations of what might be leading to the sudden loss of honey producing bees. While most say it is directly related to certain types of chemicals, still others believe it is directly related to disease within a species of insect that is highly social with each other only greater increasing the effectiveness of the disease. Amidst all of this, there is even a new type of business that has emerged; bee outsourcing. A select number of beekeepers have began traveling the United States with their hives and for pay will help crop farmers pollinate the plants that would normally be pollinated by wild honey bees. All across the southwest though, a new species of bee has made its way up from South America, the Africanized Bee. One cannot help but wonder if this new species has played a part in the catastrophe that is harming the bees’ native to this country.

            Originally produced by cross-breeding African honey bee with a European honey bee, this particular species has made its name in the U.S. as being a highly aggressive species. The Africanized bee has a larger than usual number of soldier bees and thus is more likely to be protective of its hive that houses a queen bee lethal enough to kill off the queen bees of other species. The spread of this bee in the U.S. began in the early 90’s in south Texas and just 13 years later can now be found in 7 states and essentially all of the southwest. So what, if any, connection is there between this species and the dying off of the American honey bee?

            Since I am not an Etymologist and have done no research on the matter I can only speculate on the matter. But if there is a connection to Africanized bee and the decline of the American honey bee, then perhaps this it. If you are Darwinist, then this might fall right in line with your thoughts. When settlers came to America from England, they brought along a number of things that were foreign to Native Americans. From silverware to clothing, large boats to books, oh and do not forget disease. Yes, the settlers brought over diseases that the Indians had never experienced before and because of this, their immune systems could not handle the new infections which often times resulted in death. My point is, is it possible that the Africanized bee has done the same to our native species? Perhaps this new disease that our bees have no protection against has spread like a wildfire in a drought? As the range that this new bee covers expands, so has the American bees population declined; maybe they are linked. And if you are a Darwinist, then you would say that it is simply natural selection running its course. If the species is meant to survive, it will go on as such.