We can, and most likely will, figure out what is causing CCD. But getting things back into balance will require more than killing off a parasite or banning a pesticide. Scientists know that over-reliance on one species is inherently unstable, limiting our alternatives when things go wrong. However, we do have alternatives. Native, or wild bees, are great pollinators too, but destruction of natural foraging grounds has threatened their population.
Alex Harmon-Threatt, a doctoral student studying wild bee populations at the University of California, Berkeley, believes that in many cases, “wild bees can replace non-native honeybees with a few simple modifications to agricultural systems that promote nesting and offer alternative floral resources.”
She notes that although some areas would require a lot of work to have enough native bees to completely supplant commercial honeybees, making agricultural space friendlier to the natives is a first step. This means bringing nature back into the pollination equation.
I am no longer oblivious to the bees in my garden, and am happy to see the pollinators, though scant, hard at work. While agricultural practices, illness, and development may threaten their environment, I look for ways to keep them around in my own garden. But I am careful to watch my step.
