Project Reflection
During this project we learned about ecology and how it affects every aspect of our planet. I chose to focus specifically on Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD. I chose this because it intrigued me that honeybees were disappearing without a trace, but as the project progressed I learned that there wasn't a definitive answer as to what was going on with the bees. This intrigued me even further so I started to do more in depth research about Colony Collapse Disorder and still didn't find anything that was definitive. This project taught me about how everything works together. I learned about the saying, "diversity is stability," which means that the more species there are in a certain area the more healthy that area is. When the project started we went to Durango Nature Studies and measured the biodiversity among plants and animals, which was healthy but wasn't exceptional. After that we started learning about our individual topics which lead up to the final project.
The strongest part of my management plan is the part about getting rid of the Varroa Mites. These are the leading theory as to what is making the bees disappear because they attach to the bees and when the bee flies back to the hive the mite quickly makes more mites and they infest the hive and end up killing every bee. This problem can be solved by individual bee keepers putting essential oils, such as wintergreen oil, patchouli oil, or tea tree oil on the hives and it will kill any existing mites and prevent them from coming back and spreading. There are many benefits to this method, such as the bees aren't affected at all, and the oil is cheap because you don't need a ridiculous amount of it. Cons to using the oil are things like other mites could be affected, which may make you think, "that's not such a bad thing," but as I said before, diversity is stability. This is the biggest con to the plan so I think that it is the strongest plan that I had.
During this project one of the most valuable skills that I learned was using Excel. I think that this is important because it is a useful tool that could help me in the future with other projects that require data to be neat and organized. Through this project I learned that ecology is a thing that encounters problems every day. One saying that says a lot about ecology is "Diversity is stability." This saying means that the more species there are the healthier the ecosystem is. This project made me think different about the environment as a whole. I used to think that the environment would fix itself and that it didn't matter a whole lot, but after this project I realized that the environment and ecosystems are a fragile thing that both need to be taken care of by every species.
The strongest part of my management plan is the part about getting rid of the Varroa Mites. These are the leading theory as to what is making the bees disappear because they attach to the bees and when the bee flies back to the hive the mite quickly makes more mites and they infest the hive and end up killing every bee. This problem can be solved by individual bee keepers putting essential oils, such as wintergreen oil, patchouli oil, or tea tree oil on the hives and it will kill any existing mites and prevent them from coming back and spreading. There are many benefits to this method, such as the bees aren't affected at all, and the oil is cheap because you don't need a ridiculous amount of it. Cons to using the oil are things like other mites could be affected, which may make you think, "that's not such a bad thing," but as I said before, diversity is stability. This is the biggest con to the plan so I think that it is the strongest plan that I had.
During this project one of the most valuable skills that I learned was using Excel. I think that this is important because it is a useful tool that could help me in the future with other projects that require data to be neat and organized. Through this project I learned that ecology is a thing that encounters problems every day. One saying that says a lot about ecology is "Diversity is stability." This saying means that the more species there are the healthier the ecosystem is. This project made me think different about the environment as a whole. I used to think that the environment would fix itself and that it didn't matter a whole lot, but after this project I realized that the environment and ecosystems are a fragile thing that both need to be taken care of by every species.
Management Plan
1. Public Awareness Campaign
Details
The USDA will run ads on television to inform the public about the issue occurring.
The United States Department of Agriculture will run the ads
It aims to inform the public about the issue and help them understand why bees are helpful to our economy and way of living and what they can do to help.
It will be done nationally to inform people about the issue and tell them what they can do to help the problem
Benefits
This will take less time to create and use as opposed to other methods
There is less physical work than some other methods
There is very little work required after the ad is aired on television
Cons
It will cost a lot of money to produce and use the ads
There is no guarantee that the public will care about the issue or pay attention
There isn’t an accurate timeline
2. Stop Pesticides From Being Used in Excess
Details
Manage the amount of pesticides that one person can buy at a time.
Everyone that uses pesticides in the United States because the sales of pesticides would be controlled from a federal stand point, not from an individual county stand point.
It aims to reduce the amount of pesticides being used in the area, thereby helping stabilize bee colonies in the area.
It will be done in and around the Durango area, specifically on farms where pesticides are used frequently and in large amounts.
Benefits
Reducing the amount of pesticides being used should also help prevent colonies from collapsing (ARS).
Requires less work than other plans
Less honeybees will disappear due to pesticides
Cons
Limiting the amount of pesticides one can buy will make it difficult for people with farms and other large operations to continue their business
Limiting the amount of pesticides that one person can buy will be difficult due to the growing need for it
3. Manage the Amount of Varroa Mites
Details
Use essential oils like wintergreen, patchouli, or tea tree oil in hives to prevent an infestation of Varroa Mites that will ultimately kill every honeybee in the hive.
The bee keepers and other people with hives near their houses.
It aims to kill the Varroa mites in and around the bee hives to keep the bees from dying.
It will be done in and around Durango, specifically in bee keeping operations.
Benefits
Without Varroa Mites the bee colonies have a better chance of surviving and thriving in the area (Evans-Pritchard)
Colonies will stop collapsing around Durango.
Cons
The oil could kill or affect other species of animals
The oil is expensive
Details
The USDA will run ads on television to inform the public about the issue occurring.
The United States Department of Agriculture will run the ads
It aims to inform the public about the issue and help them understand why bees are helpful to our economy and way of living and what they can do to help.
It will be done nationally to inform people about the issue and tell them what they can do to help the problem
Benefits
This will take less time to create and use as opposed to other methods
There is less physical work than some other methods
There is very little work required after the ad is aired on television
Cons
It will cost a lot of money to produce and use the ads
There is no guarantee that the public will care about the issue or pay attention
There isn’t an accurate timeline
2. Stop Pesticides From Being Used in Excess
Details
Manage the amount of pesticides that one person can buy at a time.
Everyone that uses pesticides in the United States because the sales of pesticides would be controlled from a federal stand point, not from an individual county stand point.
It aims to reduce the amount of pesticides being used in the area, thereby helping stabilize bee colonies in the area.
It will be done in and around the Durango area, specifically on farms where pesticides are used frequently and in large amounts.
Benefits
Reducing the amount of pesticides being used should also help prevent colonies from collapsing (ARS).
Requires less work than other plans
Less honeybees will disappear due to pesticides
Cons
Limiting the amount of pesticides one can buy will make it difficult for people with farms and other large operations to continue their business
Limiting the amount of pesticides that one person can buy will be difficult due to the growing need for it
3. Manage the Amount of Varroa Mites
Details
Use essential oils like wintergreen, patchouli, or tea tree oil in hives to prevent an infestation of Varroa Mites that will ultimately kill every honeybee in the hive.
The bee keepers and other people with hives near their houses.
It aims to kill the Varroa mites in and around the bee hives to keep the bees from dying.
It will be done in and around Durango, specifically in bee keeping operations.
Benefits
Without Varroa Mites the bee colonies have a better chance of surviving and thriving in the area (Evans-Pritchard)
Colonies will stop collapsing around Durango.
Cons
The oil could kill or affect other species of animals
The oil is expensive