"Keep the Hives Alive" Reflection: Bees and Colony Collapse Disorder

Reflection Essay
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Colony collapse disorder is a worrying phenomenon where the worker bees in a colony disappear. The disappearance leaves behind the queen, food, and very few nurse bees to take care of the immature bees and the queen. Pollinator bees are dying at an unprecedented rate which could breed great problems for both humans and other forms of life on the planet. Over the years, bees do a great job at ensuring that pollination occurs. It is through pollination that plants are able to reproduce and bear fruit. Prior to the industrial revolution, the bee population was okay and assisted in pollinating plans. Life for the bees went on well unperturbed. After the industrial revolution, however, things started to change. One of the major things about the revolution that negatively affected bees is the use of pesticides in farming. Pesticides have received great blame for reducing the bee population around the world. Evidence reveals that the number of pollinator bees that die annually from pesticides could fill a football stadium 7 feet deep (Keep The Hives Alive, 2021). There is no doubt that that is an enormous number of bees. Unless some measures are taken to reduce this phenomenon, the future could be catastrophic since the bee population may significantly dwindle.
In addition to killing pollinator bees, pesticides have also been shown to have other negative effects on global health. For instance, it is estimated that the use of pesticides in foods leaves some residues. Scientists have shown that when these pesticide residues are consumed by humans, the likelihood to develop cancer increases. Cancer is already a global health concern. The continued use of pesticides is only likely to aggravate the situation. Agricultural experts observe that in addition to pesticides, the disturbance of the soil ecology has also contributed to colony collapse disorder. Ever since the industrial revolution, farming lands are tilled almost every year. These experts argue that tilling is not healthy for the bees. Other items added to the soil such as fertilizers also influence the declining population of pollinator bees. If no measures are taken to ensure that regenerative agriculture is practiced, bees are likely to continue dying. Therefore, the solution to the problem of the declining population of pollinator bees should be w...