A different take on the disappearance of bees

The bee topic is hot this year. There is concern among beekeepers and researchers about a recent upsurge in honey bee colonies dying (see The search for missing bees.).

The major theory in the decline of honey bee populations is a mite problem. (Minnesota researcher helps fight an invasion of mites.)

Others think that cell phones are to blame (see Gather.com post the strange disappearance of bees.)

Many are claiming that humans will lose their entire food supply from the loss of the honeybee.

Whatever the problem, honeybees are the only species of bee affected. North America has 1500 other species of bees that can take over the pollination. In fact, many of these bees have been endangered by the introduction of the European honeybee (yes, these are not supposed to be here.)

By all definitions, honeybees are an introduced invasive species. They steal the food meant for native bees, like the bumble bee. Unfortunately, Americans have displaced the native bees for so long that everyone thinks the ecosystem revolves around honeybees.

It is still survival of the fittest out there in nature land. Introduced bees have no defenses to ward off local mites. Local mites are being fed too well. Their numbers are increasing. Equilibrium will be reached when the honeybee numbers dwindle enough to let other species have their fill.

It is funny to me that we have a disconnect with seeing all invasive species as the same thing; we like the honey that we get from honeybees, so we excuse them and their keepers for all the damages that they have done to the local ecosystems. The current die-off can be seen as a good thing: we won’t lose the local species and bio-diversity.

Farmers and growers would do well to create native bee habitats to pollinate their crops, and stop shipping honeybees around the country into territories where they don’t belong. It is really along the same principles of organic and natural gardening.