1. Honey Bee: Canary in the Ecosystem

2. Ecosystem, Niche, Adaptations, Extinction
The niche of the honeybee in our ecosystem is pollination of flowers! That is the job of the honeybee.
For a species to survive,
it must have individuals who live and reproduce!
It must reproduce sexually in order to adapt to the changes in its environment otherwise, it will go extinct.

3. Survival of any species means they must adapt to environmental conditions. Humans have changed the environment through over population, agricultural practices, importation of plants and animals, etc Smaller animals and plants especially those with large numbers of genomes are more able to adapt but there is a limit. Too much of anything will kill a species.
Are we at that limit?
The California Buckeye tree is poisonous to the Honeybee but they like it! It does not seem to bother native bee species who have adapted to it.
Hey, not everything we like is good for us!

4. Liebig’s Law of the Minimum: Growth/ Survival is controlled
by the scarcest resource.
Climate change means more droughts.
Water is a very scare resource in areas of drought!
Lack of water leads to starvation in Honeybees.
Could that be the limiting resource
that the honeybees cannot adapt to?

5. is the scarcest resource
Bees eat nectar!
Plants make nectar from water !
Without water, no nectar!
In a drought, the nectar season is short!
Water then
is the scarcest resource

6. This honeybee is drinking up nectar
from the plant to take back to the hive.
* Rain dilutes nectar.
* Honeybees don’t go out in the rain.
* Short rainy season means limited nectar.
Honeybees eat nectar and pollen. That is their food!
All plants have pollen
but ………
Not all plants have nectar!

7. Honeybees and flowering plants have evolved together
Honeybees and flowering plants have evolved together. They are dependent on each other for survival.

8. Honeybee Reproduction
1. The Virgin Queen mates with 10 to 20 males.
2. She has all the sperm in her body that she will have for the rest of her life.
3. The female eggs are fertilized with sperm (diploid).
4. The male eggs are not fertilized (haploid).
The worker bees live 1-4 months
The drones live days
The queen live from 2-5 years
Why is this important?
Genetics

9. Reproduction in a Flower

10. Cross-Pollination by Insects
Pollination is the only chance for maximum yield, eliminate the honeybee and agriculture would be permanently diminished!

11. What is the final product of pollination?
One out of three bites
of our food comes
from plants pollinated by bees

12. Flowers need to attract pollinators because Flowers cannot move to find their mates!
65% of all flowering plants require Insects for pollination
Bees are the most important Pollinators
Bees depend on nectar and pollen for food
Bees are attracted to bright color flowers – yellow and blue; red appears dull but can be seen in UV light

13. Bees are an ideal Pollinator
Bees are an ideal Pollinator! They are the only bee that lives all year long in a colony; all other bees hibernate individually!

14. 3 main challenges
the Honeybee faces in today’s world!
1. Pesticides Neonics 2. Pests/ Diseases Varroa 3. Monocultures easier for farmers, Almonds, etc

15. Triple protection for flowering plants, trees and shrubs.
Kills and controls insect pests, cures and
prevents fungal disease and controls spider mites.
Protects up to
2X longer against twice as many pests vs. other brands.
Systemic rainproof protection lasts up to 30 days.
Ready to Spray and Concentrate formula actives:
0.47% imidacloprid,
0.61% tau-fluvalinate and
0.65% tebuconazole.
Ready to use actives:
0.012% imidacloprid,
0.014% tau-fluvalinate and
0.015% tebuconazole.

16. Neonicotinoids
Neonicotinoids are a relatively new class of insecticides
that share a common mode of action
that affect the central nervous system of insects,
resulting in paralysis and death.
They include
imidacloprid, Most popular neonic
acetamiprid, affect ability to navigate
clothianidin, neurotoxic and highly toxic to bees
dinotefuran,
nithiazine,
Thiacloprid , low doses highly toxic to bees
Thiamethoxam, systemic, goes to all parts of plant

17. Despite these uncertainties,
Neonicotinods
can also be persistent in the environment,
and when used as seed treatments,
translocate to residues
in pollen and nectar of treated plants.
The potential for these residues
to affect bees
and other pollinators remain uncertain.
Despite these uncertainties,
neonicotinoids are beginning
to dominate the market place,
putting pollinators at risk.

18. The Varroa Mite is a sucking parasite like a tick.
It weakens its victim by sucking the hemolymph
And carries diseases like Nosema.
Weakens the
bees
immune system
Major economic
impact
on Agriculture,
world wide!!

19. Monoculture:
Honeybees like monoculture because
they like to go for large areas of the same crop!
Honeybees are active year round but
a lot of bees are not. Many go into a type of hibernation.
Monoculture is easier for farmers and orchards,
easier to spray and easier to harvest BUT ….
Monoculture is also easier for the beekeepers!
More money and seasons are predictable, and
it is easier to treat them and feed them. BUT… .
Monoculture is good for large corporations and
commercial beekeepers but it is not good for the bees!

20. Genetics takes time….
Genetics happen better with a long growing season
Evolution takes time
Adaptation takes time
Animals and plants need time
to change their genomes and
adapt to the environment.
Tropical flora and fauna are more diverse than those in temperate zones. WHY?
365 days of growing versus 180 (more or less)

21. Genetic changes that beekeepers and bees are studying:
Hygienic behaviors: detecting Varroa in Drone Larvae
Population in Fall of bees vs Varroa
Requeening in the summer/ late fall (young queens seem
to do better; eggs are stronger?)
Drone congregation areas – Male genetics really matter
Swarms: Genes from three different fathers studied
a difference in scouts vs non scouts…
nature genes vs nurture genes
Splitting of hives:
local gene pools adapted locally

22. Yikes, Humans as Pollinators!
A province in China with no bees!
If we could see green
house gases, carbon foot prints, and acid rain, maybe people would get the message!

23. Changes need to be made and include every area of life:
economics, agriculture, politics, religious, etc.
There are things you can do:
Plant Gardens, home, community and school gardens
Especially with plants
for ALL SEASONS!
3. Don’t use Pesticides
4. Become a Beekeeper
5. Buy Organic
6. Eat Local Honey
7. Don’t over mulch
8. Become leaders
9. Report swarms
10. Educate your
extended families

24. Can Climate Change cure Capitalism?
Our economy is based on endless growth.
Klein feels that what is needed is a “managed degrowth”
but it will take a world wide effort in all countries, rich and poor.

25. Education is Exponential:
Educate your Parents and your extended family.