| |
| author |
Nicolina Lentine
| | title |
Colony Collapse Disorder: An Exploration of Bee Population Decline and Ways to Prevent Future Losses
| | abstract |
Bees are some of the most important animals on the planet due to how
ecologically crucial they are to the produce we consume. However, the bee population is
declining at an alarming rate, and competing theories exist to explain this sudden decline.
One theory is Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Scientists have yet to arrive at a
consensus on the causes of CCD, but several contributing factors have been widely
researched. This thesis analyzes CCD and quantifies its impact on the honeybee
population (Apis genus), specifically in the US. Five possible causes of CCD are
identified and explored: pesticides, habitat loss, mites, diseases and climate change. Data
from the National Agricultural Statistics Service from 2015-2018 are summarized and
visualized spatially to assess the relative impact of potential causes of CCD on overall
bee populations. Lastly, existing policy actions to reduce the impacts of CCD are
reviewed and compared. The results demonstrate that CCD is one contributing factor to
bee losses. However, the causes of CCD contribute not only to bee deaths, but also
widespread deaths among the larger insect population. This implies that potential
solutions to CCD are also potential solutions to other serious environmental concerns.
Future research should thus focus on multinational collaborations to address the pressing
environmental issue of honey bee collapse.
| | school |
The College of Liberal Arts, Drew University
| | degree |
B.A. (2019)
|
| advisor |
Lisa Jordan
|
| committee |
Alan Rosan
Jason Jordon
|
| full text | NLentine.pdf |
| |
