Ask questions via twitter! Message any question to @answers on twitter. We'll publish the question and send you a reply each time there's a new answer.
Next Question

Answered Question

 
M$3.54 August 09, 2009 09:51 PM

Is Colony Collapse Disorder something that will seriously affect the worlds food supply?

Would hand pollination of crops previously pollinated by bees be a solution in a worst case scenario? Will new medicines to prevent C.C.D. be enough to keep the bees from dropping in numbers enough to affect the food supply?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqPtLQzfJ74
Interesting Question?  Yes (4)   No (0)   

Interesting: jeffhoard M$0.99, bunnyphuphu M$0.50, brian san M$1.00, mahaloguru M$0.05

RSS
 
 

Best Answer  Chosen by Asker

 
August 10, 2009 04:10 AM
It's too early to tell what the long-term effects of CCD will be. First of all, the cause is still unknown, and there are many possibilities. The most likely suspects are pesticide exposure, the presence of a new pathogen or parasite, and the cumulative effect of multiple relatively minor environmental stresses. A strong correlation has been found between CCD and the presence of a particular virus (Israeli acute paralysis virus, or IAPV) in affected hives. A vaccine against IAPV has been developed, and time will tell whether (a) the vaccine is effective at preventing IAPV and (b) IAPV is the cause of CCD. However, it's interesting to note that there have been previous unexplained mass honeybee disappearances at roughly 40-year intervals (the previous ones were in the 1880s, 1920s, and 1960s) along with other similar events on a smaller scale. Perhaps the current outbreak of CCD is similarly self-limiting and will resolve within a few years...or perhaps not.

http://www.ars.usda.gov/News/docs.htm?docid=15572
http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?id=80025

If honeybee populations do collapse, native pollinators can make up some, but not all, of the difference. Hand pollination is the last resort, but for some crops it is the only alternative to honeybees. In parts of China, honeybees have been replaced by thousands of villagers wielding feather dusters to pollinate pear trees one flower at a time. To call this technique "labor-intensive" would be a bit of an understatement. If honeybees were to disappear completely with no replacement, the economic cost to US farmers would be about $15 billion per year. However, the cost of hand pollination to replace the bees is estimated at over $90 billion. It could be done, but would there still be a market for these crops at six times their current prices?

http://www.newsweek.com/id/141461/output/print
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/may/28/hayfestival2008.guardianhayfestival4

The economic impact might be greater than the affect on the world's food supply as a whole if honeybees disappear, since most of the essential grain and tuber crops don't need bees for pollination. However, many common fruits and vegetables could become exotic and expensive (as would honey, of course), and our diets could become more monotonous.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_crop_plants_pollinated_by_bees
Asker's Rating:
• Badaspie, again thank you for your time and insight, another stellar answer.

Permalink | Report
   Reply  
 
 
 
August 10, 2009 05:58 AM
Congrats! You have been nominated for (yet another) Answer of the Day!

Report
 
 
 
August 10, 2009 06:13 AM
Thanks! As long as there are interesting questions, I'll try to come up with interesting answers.

Report
 
 

Answer this Question

How tips and payments work

This question has already been resolved. You may add an answer to it but you will not be eligible to win best answer or any associated tips.

Ask a Question


140 characters left
Top of Page
Buy Mahalo Dollars with Credit Card or PayPal

Top Members

This Week All Time
  • buddawiggi
    buddawiggi
    2nd Degree Black Belt
    27184 Points
    M$783.09 Earned
  • opher
    opher
    Purple Belt
    4186 Points
    M$192.17 Earned
  • annelisle
    annelisle
    Purple Belt
    2726 Points
    M$82.97 Earned
   See All
 

Most Popular Tags

mahalo(1614)
iphone(464)
music(459)
google(357)
food(320)
online(295)
beer(279)
money(262)
movies(255)
apple(251)
aotd(235)
health(219)
video(207)
dog(205)
free(203)
   See All
 

Categories

Welcome New Members


 
 
Mahalo Dollars are the currency of Mahalo Answers.

Each Mahalo Dollar costs $1.

Once you earn more than 40 Mahalo Dollars, you can request to be paid via PayPal. Each Mahalo Dollar is currently worth $0.75 when paid out via PayPal. Learn More

 
 

Please log in to use this function.