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Bees are one of a myriad of other animals, including birds, bats, beetles, and butterflies, a called pollinators. Pollinators transfer pollen and seeds from one flower to another, fertilizing the plant so it can grow and produce food. Crosspollination helps at least 30 percent of the world’s crops and 90 percent of our wild plants to thrive. Without bees to spread seeds, many plants - including food crops -would die off.
Bees are not summertime nuisance, they are small and hard-working insects actually make it possible for many of your favorite foods to reach your table. From apples to almonds to the pumpkin in our pumpkin pies, we have bees to thank. Now, a condition known as Colony Collapse Disorder is causing bee populations to plummet, which means these foods are also at risk.
Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is a new tagname presently being given to a condition that is characterized by an unexplained rapid loss of a Bee colony’s adult population.
Sudden loss of a colony’s worker bee population with very few dead bees found near the colony. The queen and brood (young) remained, and the colonies had relatively abundant honey and pollen reserves. But hives cannot sustain themselves without worker bees and would eventually die. This combination of events resulting in the loss of a bee colony has been called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).
Reduction or loss of bee population has been seen in the history and known by the name such as disappearing disease, spring dwindle, May disease, autumn collapse, and fall dwindle disease
Symptoms
♤ Contain no adult bees, with few to no dead bees around the colony
♤ Contain capped brood
♤ Contain food stores that are not robbed by neighboring bees or colony pest
♤ Worker bees failed to return to colony from flight