The “plight of the bees” is known scientifically and socially as colony collapse disorder. This is the name for the mysterious disappearance of honey bees. This seemingly disastrous phenomenon first gained popularity and media notability in 2007, and has since been a large topic for discussion and current event. It is well known that honey bees are disappearing, but what about the other species of bees? There are thousands of different species of bees native to North America (the honey bee was introduced to North America from Europe beginning in the 17th century), and these bees by themselves are incredibly important pollinators of our crops. While there are multiple species of birds and other species of insects that aid in pollination of…show more content… These are that bees have parasites and viruses that can kill them (just like humans), a lot of the areas where they would inhabit and feed test positive for the presence of pesticides, and that there is not enough variety of blossoming plants in urban and now rural settings. The Varroa destructor is similar to a mosquito that preys on bees. They latch on to a bee and suck its blood, and also carries and transmits diseases as it goes from bee to bee. The diseases can be spread throughout a whole colony, and eventually result in the death of an entire colony of bees. Pesticides are a commonly thought of contributor to the death of bees because it is a man-made substance. The combination and application of pesticides is tested and monitored, however, when tested, the different species of bees and their corresponding size is often something over looked. An amount of pesticide that is not harmful to one species of bee could be lethal for a smaller species. Because of the extensive amount of monoculture crops, bees are left with very little variety of plants to get food from. Variety is a key component in a healthy ecosystem. The lack of food for bees is also present in urban
