Warmer weather is fast approaching, trees are turning a leafy green, and flowers are blooming. The chirping of birds is starting to fill the air, but one small sound might be missing, the buzzing of happy bees. Bee keepers are becoming more and more concerned about the status of bee colonies, prompting the question, could bees be in danger of extinction?

Sue Garing is a bee keeper in Kirkwood, New York. Garing is becoming rapidly alarmed by the absence of buzzing bees. The bee keeper blames the growing decline of bees to the Colony Collapse Disorder. This disorder is largely due to the varroa mite, which is similar to a tick, and is a parasite of the honeybee. The varroa mite wounds the honeybee by puncturing the protective outer shell full of holes. This leaves the honeybee vulnerable to bacteria and viruses.

Garing shares that there are more than 50,000 honeybee hives in New York alone, and these hives produce over 2.5 million pounds of honey per year. Garing explains that if bees actually do become extinct, not only would honey production suffer, but the economy, environment, and farms would also suffer. Bees directly affect about two-thirds of the food we eat, […]