The Bee’s Knees Question
What Do The Years Of
992, 1443, 1853, And 1903
Have In Common ?!?!
June 17th, 2014
Norm Benson
Science 2.0
Selected And Adapted Excerpts
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Overview ― Bee Crises
Historically, bee crises are nothing new since heavy losses have been reported for a long time.
Wasn’t so-called Bee Colony Collapse Disorder first identified in, what, 2006 ?!?! YES ! But the first evidence for such disappearances goes back centuries.
And, isn’t the Modern Bee-Keeping Industry actually THRIVING ?!?! YES !
Have there been ancient and historical bee crises ?!?! YES !
So, is there a modern bee crisis ?!?! NO !
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It’s time once again for everyone’s favorite game show ― Environmental Whack-A-Mole !
Author ―
What Black and White, Manichaean Green scare do we have for scientific experts to bat down with nuanced arguments today, Johnny ?!?!
Johnny ―
This time it’s Bee Colony Collapse Disorder ( BCCD ) that’s in the news once again.
Many greens want to ban a particular class of synthetic pesticide they say leads to BCCD.
Bee Colony Collapse Disorder is a mysterious loss of most or all worker bees from the hive of the European honey bee ( Apis mellifera ), where only a small number of young workers and the queen remain, and, even more baffling, the ample food supplies left behind are not raided by pests for several weeks after the collapse. [1]
Author ―
I see. Wasn’t Bee Colony Collapse Disorder first identified in, what, 2006 ?!?!
Johnny ―
Yes. But the first evidence for such disappearances GOES BACK CENTURIES.
That’s longer ago than 2006.
Author ―
Wow, nothing gets by you, does it, Sherlock ?!?!
Johnny ―
Yes. In Ireland, there was a great mortality of bees in 950, entomologist Joe Ballenger notes, and again in 992 and 1443. [2]
In 1853, Lorenzo Langstroth, the father of American bee-keeping, described colonies that were found to be utterly deserted. The comb was empty, and the only symptom of life was the poor queen herself. [3]
In 1868, an anonymous reporter told of abandoned hives with lots of honey still in them.
In 1891 and 1896, many bees vanished or dwindled to tiny clusters with queens in the month of May, hence the name ― May Disease. [4]
In 1903 an outbreak occurred in Cache Valley in Utah. [5]
The Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom saw three epidemics between 1905 and 1919, 90 per cent of the honey bee colonies there died. [6]
In 1918 and 1919, there were occurrences in the United States. [7]
There were more mysterious bee disappearances in the 1960s in California, Louisiana, and Texas.
Another, in 1975, in Australia, Mexico, and 27 U.S. states. [8]
In 1995, Pennsylvania bee-keepers lost 53 per cent of their colonies. [9]
The term Bee Colony Collapse Disorder was coined and defined around 2007.
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FOOTNOTES ― REFERENCES
[1] Underwood, Robyn M, and Dennis vanEngelsdorp. Colony Collapse Disorder – Have We Seen This Before ?!?! 2007.
EXCERPTS ―
The losses that have been occurring for over 100 years could be completely separate events or part of a cycle of disappearance.
So far, we can only speculate.
The cause of the recent honey bee colony losses, termed Colony Collapse Disorder, is still unknown [ see MAAREC.org for the latest information ].
Scientists are working hard to determine what is killing our bees.
It is hoped that, armed with many new tools, such as a complete mapping of the honey bee genome and modern molecular techniques, the cause of this latest outbreak will be determined.
Table 1. Past years of large-scale colony losses
Year Location Citation
1868 Kentucky, Tennessee
1872 Australia
1906 Isle of Wight
1910 Australia
1915 Portland, Oregon
1915 Florida to California
1917 United States
1917 New Jersey, Canada
1960’s Louisiana, Texas
1960’s Louisiana, Texas
1960’s Louisiana
1963-64 Louisiana
1964 California
1970’s Mexico
1970’s Seattle, Washington
1974 Texas
1975 Australia
1977 Mexico
1978 Florida
1995-1996 Penn
REFERENCE — PCP & BEES — 2007 00 00 — CRISES IN ANCIENT & HISTORICAL TIMES — COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER – HAVE WE SEEN THIS BEFORE ?!?! — UNDERWOOD & VANENGELSDORP
[2] Ballenger, Joe. Colony Collapse Disorder – An Introduction. 2007. Accessed May 18, 2014.
EXCERPTS ―
For as long as we’ve been keeping good records, we’ve recorded [ bee ] losses.
One of the articles announcing the Colony Collapse problem appeared in PLOS Biology in 2007, and described these ancient losses in quite a bit of detail :
Some winter losses are normal, and because the proportion of colonies dying varies enormously from year to year, it is difficult to say when a crisis is occurring and when losses are part of the normal continuum.
What is clear is that about one year in ten, apiarists suffer unusually heavy colony losses.
This has been going on for a long time.
In Ireland, there was a « great mortality of bees » in 950, and again in 992 and 1443.
One of the most famous events was in the spring of 1906, when most bee-keepers on the Isle of Wight ( United Kingdom ) lost all of their colonies.
American bee-keepers also suffer heavy losses periodically.
In 1903, in the Cache valley of Utah, 2000 colonies were lost to a mysterious « disappearing disease » following a « hard winter and cold spring ».
More recently, there was an incident in 1995 in which Pennsylvania beekeepers lost 53 per cent of colonies.
Often terms such as « disappearing disease » or « spring dwindling » are used to describe the syndrome in which large numbers of colonies die in spring due to a lack of adult bees.
However in 2007, some bee-keepers experienced 80 to 100 per cent losses.
This is certainly the extreme end of a continuum, so perhaps there is indeed some new factor in play.
REFERENCE — PCP & BEES — 2007 00 00 — CRISES IN ANCIENT & HISTORICAL TIMES — COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER – AN INTRODUCTION — BALLENGER
[2] Oldroyd, Benjamin P. What’s Killing American Honey Bees ?!?! PLoS Biol 5(6): e168. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0050168
EXCERPTS ―
Some winter losses are normal, and because the proportion of colonies dying varies enormously from year to year, it is difficult to say when a crisis is occurring and when losses are part of the normal continuum.
What is clear is that about one year in ten, apiarists suffer unusually heavy colony losses.
This has been going on for a long time.
In Ireland, there was a « great mortality of bees » in 950, and again in 992 and 1443.
One of the most famous events was in the spring of 1906, when most bee-keepers on the Isle of Wight ( United Kingdom ) lost all of their colonies.
American bee-keepers also suffer heavy losses periodically.
In 1903, in the Cache valley of Utah, 2000 colonies were lost to a mysterious « disappearing disease » following a « hard winter and cold spring ».
More recently, there was an incident in 1995 in which Pennsylvania bee-keepers lost 53 per cent of colonies.
Often terms such as « disappearing disease » or « spring dwindling » are used to describe the syndrome in which large numbers of colonies die in spring due to a lack of adult bees.
However in 2007, some bee-keepers experienced 80 to 100 per cent losses.
This is certainly the extreme end of a continuum, so perhaps there is indeed some new factor in play.
REFERENCE — PCP & BEES — 2007 06 12 — CRISES IN ANCIENT & HISTORICAL TIMES — WHAT’S KILLING AMERICAN HONEY BEES ?!?! — BENJAMIN
[3] Nordhaus, Hannah. An Environmental Journalist’s Lament. 2011. Accessed March 30, 2013.
EXCERPT ―
Honey bees have also disappeared before.
In 1853, Lorenzo Langstroth, the 19th century bee-keeper who invented the modern hive, described colonies that were « found, on being examined one morning, to be utterly deserted. »
« The comb was empty, and the only symptom of life was the poor queen herself. »
In 1891 and 1896, large clusters of bees vanished in a case known as « May Disease ».
In the 1960s, bees vanished mysteriously in Texas, Louisiana, and California.
In 1975, a similar epidemic cropped up in Australia, Mexico, and 27 US states.
There were heavy losses in France from 1998 to 2000 and also in California in 2005, just two years before CCD was first diagnosed.
REFERENCE — PCP & BEES — 2011 06 00 — CRISES IN ANCIENT & HISTORICAL TIMES — AN ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALIST’S LAMENT — NORDHAUS
[4] Underwood, Robyn M, and Dennis vanEngelsdorp. Colony Collapse Disorder – Have We Seen This Before ?!?! 2007.
[5] Ballenger, Joe. Colony Collapse Disorder – An Introduction. 2007. Accessed May 18, 2014. Oldroyd, BP.
[5] Oldroyd, Benjamin P. What’s Killing American Honey Bees ?!?! PLoS Biol 5(6): e168. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0050168
[6] Underwood, Robyn M, and Dennis vanEngelsdorp. Colony Collapse Disorder – Have We Seen This Before ?!?! 2007.
[7] Oldroyd, Benjamin P. What’s Killing American Honey Bees ?!?! PLoS Biol 5(6): e168. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0050168
[8] Nordhaus, Hannah. An Environmental Journalist’s Lament. 2011. Accessed March 30, 2013.
[9] Ballenger, Joe. Colony Collapse Disorder – An Introduction. 2007. Accessed May 18, 2014. Oldroyd, BP.
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ANCIENT & HISTORICAL BEE CRISES ― REFERENCE
REFERENCE — PCP & BEES — 2014 06 17 — CRISES IN ANCIENT & HISTORICAL TIMES — WHAT DO THE YEARS OF 992, 1443, 1853, & 1903 HAVE IN COMMON ?!?!
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