Need Flying Insect Control? Learn About Colony Collapse Disorder And The Importance Of Bees
So you’ve decided you need flying insect control. Not only have you spotted bees, wasps or hornets buzzing around your backyard, but you also have negative childhood associations with them.
Sure, flying insects are undoubtedly one of the most annoying pests around. However, you should also know that bees are incredibly important to the ecosystem. But did you know that a bee’s role is at risk by a disease called Colony Collapse Disorder?
What Is Colony Collapse Disorder?
Colony Collapse Disorder is a mysterious phenomenon where the majority of worker bees will simply abandon their hive and their queen at once. This is an act that goes against all their genetic programming. As of yet, scientists still don’t know the exact reason for Colony Collapse Disorder. Nevertheless, they are examining many possible Colony Collapse Disorder causes and how they interact.
What Are The Effects Of Colony Collapse Disorder In North America?
According to a recent article from the Washington Post, half of our 40 species of bumblebee in North America are in decline. With over 3,600 species of native bees in North America, between 2007 and 2013, an estimated 10 million beehives died due to Colony Collapse Disorder. Over the years, the loss of bees has become so severe that in some regions of North America, farmers have resorted to renting bees in order to pollinate their crops.
What Causes Colony Collapse Disorder?
Firstly, there are numerous possible Colony Collapse Disorder causes. Scientific studies have isolated a number of Colony Collapse Disorder causes that are the most likely culprits.
Many scientists believe that some types of pesticides might be a primary cause of Colony Collapse Disorder. For instance, pesticides like neonicotinoids, which is chemically similar to nicotine. Species like honeybees come into contact with substances like these as they pollinate crops.
Elsewhere, climate change and associated extreme weather have also been cited as likely Colony Collapse Disorder causes in a variety of different ways. Not only does climate change cause plant life to dwindle. Additionally, bees’ foraging patterns are intimately linked to the weather. For instance, bees do not go out in the rain and seek out liquid instead of nectar during extreme heat. As such, prolonged rainy periods or drought conditions might be disturbing their ingrained routines in ways we don’t fully understand.
Ultimately, drought conditions in particular, which have been on the rise in the North America, have been negatively affecting bees’ diets due to the loss of plant life.
The Importance Of Bees Despite Flying Insect Control
Bees are important to our world because:
- One third of the food we eat on a daily basis is pollinated by honeybees
- The worth of bee-pollinated crops is around $200 billion yearly worldwide.
- Bees pollinate 75 per cent of plant species that contribute to human consumption.
All of this is to say, bees are extremely important. Sure, they’re a prime annoyance in summer months like these but they have a crucial role to play.
What Can We Do To Combat Dwindling Bee Populations?
Carefully select your plants in the garden. Bee species that are unfamiliar can still pollinate these plants. This is according to 2018/19 research from Mt. Cuba Center in Delaware, United States.
Director of Conservation and Research, Eileen Boyle recruited Sarver to survey their 1,000-acre estate’s native bee populations. Of the 3,493 bees collected, representing 135 species, 15 bee species hadn’t previously been found in the state of Delaware. The overriding conclusion was that if you plant it, bees will come.
Need Flying Insect Control? Terminix Canada Provides Bee, Wasp & Hornet Removal
Here at Terminix Canada, our technicians understand the importance of bees, wasps and hornets, as well as the dangers they cause in and around your property. Rest assured, we use special insecticidal dust and aerosols to neutralize hives and environmentally-friendly insecticides to make underground wasp nests uninhabitable. Contact us today to make the wasps plaguing you buzz off.
Since bee populations are in danger, we often recommend customers contact local beekeepers to safely rehome bees and their bee hives. However, in cases where bee hives are located in an area that poses a danger to human safety, especially in cases of allergies, we are able to control the threat and safely remove bees from your property. Contact us today and see your flying insect control problems buzz off for good!