Source: AsapSCIENCE Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JilYBVrFiLA

Colony Collapse Disorder occurs when most of the worker bees leave the colony or disappear. The queen is left behind with a lot of food and a few nurse bees, who cares for the young and the queen remaining in the hive. Ultimately, it leads to the death of the queen and the collapse of the hive as there aren’t any worker bees to continue getting more food when the food runs out.

Bees abandoning their hives is not a new phenomenon, but the rate at which such cases have occurred began to increase exponentially in the 1970s, reaching alarming proportions around 2006 (Mack, 2017).

While there have been many proposed theories on why such an occurrence is happening, from increased pesticide use to the introduction of genetically modified (GM) foods. One particular theory has stood out amongst the rest: the use a particular type of pesticide named Neonicotinoids.

Many crops and plants are treated with neonicotinoids pesticides. As these plants are coated with neonicotinoid pesticides, the chemicals are taken in into the plants’ leaves and roots, making the plant toxic to pests that may come to munch on it. (Makes us wonder how much of these toxic chemicals are taken into our systems when we consume these fruits or veggies.) Although bees do not eat these plants, the chemicals from the pesticides are also expressed in the plant’s pollen and nectar, which the bees collect. This results in various detrimental effects on the bees, from decreased egg broods, to increase susceptibility to invasive mites which carry viruses.

The colony collapse disorder can cause a domino effect because, as mentioned before, bees are responsible for the pollination of many plants. Without bees, many plant species may die out, which may lead to many more unthinkable detriments such as the extinction of other flora and fauna.