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Kurzgesagt (In a Nutshell), The Death Of Bees Explained – Parasites, Poison and Humans

The Death Of Bees Explained – Parasites, Poison and Humans

Human society is extremely complex and fragile,

built upon various pillars.

One of them is the honey bee.

One out of three meals eaten by humans is made possible by honey bees.

They are so important that if all the honey bees were to die out,

thousands of plants would follow,

which could lead to millions of people starving in the following years.

On top of that, honey bees have a huge economic impact.

The dollar value of plants pollinated by them each year

is around $265 billion.

Food we take for granted would just stop existing without them,

or there would be a massive decrease in productivity.

Food including apples, onions, pumpkins, and also plants used for feeding livestock

and thus extremely important for our milk and meat.

Einstein is often quoted as having said,

“If honey bees die out, humans will follow a few years later.”

Actually, he probably didn't say that,

but there might be some truth in the statement.

It's unsettling, but honey bees have started to disappear.

Millions of hives have died in the last few years.

Beekeepers all over the world have seen an annual loss of 30–90% of their colonies.

In the US alone, bees are steadily declining. [01:10.560] Since 2006, a phenomenon called “colony collapse disorder”

has affected honey bees in many countries.

And we're not entirely sure what's causing it.

All we know is that it's pretty serious.

Over the last few decades bees have seen an invasion of very dangerous foes.

Parasites straight out of a horror movie, like Acarapis woodi,

microscopic mites that infect the tracheae (that's the breathing tubes) of bees.

Here, they lay their eggs and feed from the fluids of their victims,

weakening them considerably and spending their whole life inside the bees.

Or Varroa destructor, a fitting name because they can only reproduce

in honey bee hives and are one of the bees' greatest enemies.

The female mite enters a honey bee brood cell and lays eggs on the bee larva

before it's about to pupate and

before the hive bees cover the cell with a wax capping.

The eggs hatch and the young mites and their mother feed on the developing bee

in the safety of the capped cell.

The bee is not normally killed at this stage, just weakened,

so it still has enough strength to chew its way through the wax capping

and release itself from the cell.

As it does, it releases the mother mite and her new offspring from the cell,

and these are free to spread across the hive,

starting the process over again in a cycle of about 10 days.

Their numbers grow exponentially, and after a few months,

this can lead to the collapse of the entire bee hive.

Once outside of the cell, adult mites also suck the bodily fludis of bees

and weaken them considerably.

To make things worse, they also transmit viruses that harm the bees even more

and can lead to birth defects like useless wings.

But there are other threats too, such as viruses and fungi.

Under normal circumstances, these phenomena should be manageable

and are not enough to explain

the horrendous amount of dying going on in bees.

Over recent years new insecticides have been introduced

that are deadly to bees.

Neonicotinoids, a chemical family similar to nicotine,

was approved in the early 1990s as an alternative to chemicals like DDT.

They attack insects by harming their nervous systems.

Today, they are the most widely used insecticides in the world.

Globally, they saw sales of €1.5 billion in 2008,

representing 24% of the global market for insecticides.

In 2013, neonicotinoids were used in the US on about 95% of corn and canola crops,

and also on the vast majority of fruit and vegetables,

like apples, cherries, peaches, oranges, berries, leafy greens, tomatoes, potatoes,

cereal grains, rice, nuts, grapes, and many more.

Bees come into contact with the toxin

while collecting pollen or via contaminated water,

often bringing material into the hive,

where it can accumulate and slowly kill the whole colony.

The toxins harm bees in a variety of horrible ways.

In high enough doses, it quickly leads to convulsions, paralysis, and death.

But even in small doses, it can be fatal.

It may lead to bees forgetting how to navigate the world,

so bees fly into the wild, get lost, and die alone, separated from their hives.

If this happens often enough, a hive can lose its ability to sustain itself.

We know that neonicotinoids are harmful to bees

and that we urgently need an alternative to it,

but there are billions of dollars to be made in delaying this.

Studies sponsored by the chemical industry magically appear to prove

a much lower toxicity to bees, compared to those produced by independent scientists.

There are even more factors contributing to the demise of bees,

like too much genetic uniformity, crop monocultures,

poor nutrition due to overcrowding, stress because of human activities,

and other pesticides.

Each of those factors on its own is a major problem for bees,

but together, they probably account for colony collapse disorder.

With parasites upping their game in recent decades,

the honey bees are now fighting for survival.

It would be a catastrophe if they lost this fight.

This is a conundrum we have to solve if we want to continue living

with a relative abundance and diversity of food.

Humanity is deeply interconnected with Earth and the other lifeforms on it,

even if we pretend that we're not.

We have to take better care of our surroundings,

if not to preserve the beauty of nature, then at least to ensure our own survival.

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which promotes and supports excellence in science.

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The Death Of Bees Explained – Parasites, Poison and Humans Der Tod der Bienen erklärt - Parasiten, Gift und Menschen The Death Of Bees Explained – Parasites, Poison and Humans Explicación de la muerte de las abejas - Parásitos, veneno y seres humanos La morte delle api spiegata - Parassiti, veleni e uomini ミツバチの死についての説明 - 寄生虫、毒、そして人間 꿀벌의 죽음에 대한 설명 - 기생충, 독, 그리고 인간 De dood van bijen uitgelegd - parasieten, gif en mensen A Morte das Abelhas Explicada – Parasitas, Veneno e Humanos Arıların Ölümü Açıklandı - Parazitler, Zehir ve İnsanlar Пояснення смерті бджіл - паразити, отрута та людина 蜜蜂之死的解釋——寄生蟲、毒藥和人類

Human society is extremely complex and fragile,

built upon various pillars. construída sobre vários pilares.

One of them is the honey bee. Um deles é a abelha.

One out of three meals eaten by humans is made possible by honey bees. Uma em cada três refeições ingeridas por humanos é possibilitada pelas abelhas.

They are so important that if all the honey bees were to die out,

thousands of plants would follow,

which could lead to millions of people starving in the following years.

On top of that, honey bees have a huge economic impact.

The dollar value of plants pollinated by them each year O valor em dólares das plantas polinizadas por eles a cada ano

is around $265 billion.

Food we take for granted would just stop existing without them, Los alimentos que damos por sentados dejarían de existir sin ellos, A comida que tomamos como certa deixaria de existir sem eles,

or there would be a massive decrease in productivity.

Food including apples, onions, pumpkins, and also plants used for feeding livestock Alimentos, incluindo maçãs, cebolas, abóboras e também plantas usadas para alimentar o gado

and thus extremely important for our milk and meat.

Einstein is often quoted as having said, Einstein é frequentemente citado como tendo dito:

“If honey bees die out, humans will follow a few years later.”

Actually, he probably didn't say that,

but there might be some truth in the statement. mas pode haver alguma verdade na afirmação.

It's unsettling, but honey bees have started to disappear. É inquietante, mas as abelhas começaram a desaparecer.

Millions of hives have died in the last few years.

Beekeepers all over the world have seen an annual loss of 30–90% of their colonies. Apicultores de todo o mundo têm visto uma perda anual de 30 a 90% de suas colônias.

In the US alone, bees are steadily declining. [01:10.560] Somente nos EUA, as abelhas estão em declínio constante. [01:10.560] Since 2006, a phenomenon called “colony collapse disorder” Desde 2006, um fenômeno chamado “desordem do colapso das colônias”

has affected honey bees in many countries.

And we're not entirely sure what's causing it.

All we know is that it's pretty serious.

Over the last few decades bees have seen an invasion of very dangerous foes. Nas últimas décadas, as abelhas viram uma invasão de inimigos muito perigosos.

Parasites straight out of a horror movie, like Acarapis woodi, Parasieten rechtstreeks uit een horrorfilm, zoals Acarapis woodi, Parasitas saídos de um filme de terror, como Acarapis woodi,

microscopic mites that infect the tracheae (that's the breathing tubes) of bees. ácaros microscópicos que infectam as traqueias (que são os tubos respiratórios) das abelhas.

Here, they lay their eggs and feed from the fluids of their victims, Aqui, eles colocam seus ovos e se alimentam dos fluidos de suas vítimas,

weakening them considerably and spending their whole life inside the bees. enfraquecendo-as consideravelmente e passando a vida inteira dentro das abelhas.

Or Varroa destructor, a fitting name because they can only reproduce O Varroa destructor, un nombre apropiado porque sólo pueden reproducirse Of Varroa destructor, een passende naam omdat ze zich alleen kunnen voortplanten Ou Varroa destructor, um nome apropriado porque eles só podem reproduzir

in honey bee hives and are one of the bees' greatest enemies. en las colmenas de abejas melíferas y son uno de los mayores enemigos de las abejas. nas colmeias de abelhas e são um dos maiores inimigos das abelhas.

The female mite enters a honey bee brood cell and lays eggs on the bee larva El ácaro hembra entra en la celda de cría de la abeja melífera y pone huevos en la larva de la abeja. O ácaro fêmea entra em uma célula de ninhada de abelha e põe ovos na larva de abelha

before it's about to pupate and antes de que esté a punto de pupar y antes de ser pupa e

before the hive bees cover the cell with a wax capping. antes de que las abejas de la colmena cubran la celda con un tapón de cera.

The eggs hatch and the young mites and their mother feed on the developing bee Los huevos eclosionan y los ácaros jóvenes y su madre se alimentan de la abeja en desarrollo. Os ovos eclodem e os jovens ácaros e sua mãe se alimentam da abelha em desenvolvimento

in the safety of the capped cell. en la seguridad de la célula tapada. in de veiligheid van de afgedekte cel. na segurança da célula tampada.

The bee is not normally killed at this stage, just weakened, Normalmente, la abeja no muere en esta fase, sólo se debilita, A abelha não é normalmente morta nesta fase, apenas enfraquecida,

so it still has enough strength to chew its way through the wax capping por lo que todavía tiene suficiente fuerza para masticar su camino a través de la tapa de cera por isso ainda tem força suficiente para abrir caminho através da tampa de cera

and release itself from the cell. e se libertar da célula.

As it does, it releases the mother mite and her new offspring from the cell, Al hacerlo, libera de la célula al ácaro madre y a sus nuevas crías, Ao fazê-lo, ele libera o ácaro-mãe e sua nova prole da célula,

and these are free to spread across the hive, e estes são livres para se espalhar pela colmeia,

starting the process over again in a cycle of about 10 days. iniciando o processo novamente em um ciclo de cerca de 10 dias.

Their numbers grow exponentially, and after a few months,

this can lead to the collapse of the entire bee hive. isso pode levar ao colapso de toda a colméia de abelhas.

Once outside of the cell, adult mites also suck the bodily fludis of bees Una vez fuera de la celda, los ácaros adultos también succionan los fludis corporales de las abejas Eenmaal buiten de cel zuigen volwassen mijten ook de lichaamswolken van bijen op Uma vez fora da célula, os ácaros adultos também sugam os fluidos corporais das abelhas

and weaken them considerably.

To make things worse, they also transmit viruses that harm the bees even more Para empeorar las cosas, también transmiten virus que perjudican aún más a las abejas Para piorar as coisas, eles também transmitem vírus que prejudicam ainda mais as abelhas

and can lead to birth defects like useless wings. y puede provocar defectos de nacimiento como alas inútiles. e pode levar a defeitos congênitos como asas inúteis.

But there are other threats too, such as viruses and fungi. Mas também existem outras ameaças, como vírus e fungos.

Under normal circumstances, these phenomena should be manageable En circunstancias normales, estos fenómenos deberían ser manejables Em circunstâncias normais, esses fenômenos devem ser gerenciáveis

and are not enough to explain y no son suficientes para explicar e não são suficientes para explicar

the horrendous amount of dying going on in bees. la horrenda cantidad de muertes que se producen en las abejas. a quantidade horrenda de mortes acontecendo nas abelhas.

Over recent years new insecticides have been introduced En los últimos años se han introducido nuevos insecticidas

that are deadly to bees. que son mortales para las abejas. que são mortais para as abelhas.

Neonicotinoids, a chemical family similar to nicotine, Neonicotinoides, una familia química similar a la nicotina,

was approved in the early 1990s as an alternative to chemicals like DDT. foi aprovado no início de 1990 como uma alternativa a produtos químicos como o DDT.

They attack insects by harming their nervous systems. Atacan a los insectos dañando su sistema nervioso. Eles atacam insetos prejudicando seus sistemas nervosos.

Today, they are the most widely used insecticides in the world. Hoy en día, son los insecticidas más utilizados en el mundo.

Globally, they saw sales of €1.5 billion in 2008, Globalmente, eles viram vendas de € 1,5 bilhão em 2008,

representing 24% of the global market for insecticides.

In 2013, neonicotinoids were used in the US on about 95% of corn and canola crops, In 2013 werden in de VS neonicotinoïden gebruikt voor ongeveer 95% van de maïs en koolzaadgewassen,

and also on the vast majority of fruit and vegetables, y también en la gran mayoría de frutas y verduras,

like apples, cherries, peaches, oranges, berries, leafy greens, tomatoes, potatoes, como maçãs, cerejas, pêssegos, laranjas, bagas, folhas verdes, tomates, batatas,

cereal grains, rice, nuts, grapes, and many more. grãos de cereais, arroz, nozes, uvas e muito mais.

Bees come into contact with the toxin Las abejas entran en contacto con la toxina As abelhas entram em contato com a toxina

while collecting pollen or via contaminated water, al recoger polen o a través de agua contaminada, durante a coleta de pólen ou através de água contaminada,

often bringing material into the hive, a menudo trayendo material a la colmena,

where it can accumulate and slowly kill the whole colony. donde puede acumularse y matar lentamente a toda la colonia.

The toxins harm bees in a variety of horrible ways. Las toxinas dañan a las abejas de varias formas horribles.

In high enough doses, it quickly leads to convulsions, paralysis, and death. En dosis suficientemente altas, provoca rápidamente convulsiones, parálisis y la muerte.

But even in small doses, it can be fatal.

It may lead to bees forgetting how to navigate the world, Puede hacer que las abejas olviden cómo desenvolverse en el mundo, Pode levar as abelhas a esquecerem como navegar pelo mundo,

so bees fly into the wild, get lost, and die alone, separated from their hives. así que las abejas vuelan a la naturaleza, se pierden y mueren solas, separadas de sus colmenas.

If this happens often enough, a hive can lose its ability to sustain itself. Si esto ocurre con suficiente frecuencia, una colmena puede perder su capacidad de sostenerse. Se isso acontecer com bastante frequência, uma colmeia pode perder sua capacidade de se sustentar.

We know that neonicotinoids are harmful to bees Sabemos que los neonicotinoides son perjudiciales para las abejas

and that we urgently need an alternative to it, y que necesitamos urgentemente una alternativa a ella,

but there are billions of dollars to be made in delaying this. pero se pueden ganar miles de millones de dólares retrasándolo. mas há bilhões de dólares a serem feitos para adiar isso.

Studies sponsored by the chemical industry magically appear to prove Estudos patrocinados pela indústria química parecem magicamente provar

a much lower toxicity to bees, compared to those produced by independent scientists. una toxicidad mucho menor para las abejas, en comparación con los elaborados por científicos independientes. uma toxicidade muito menor para as abelhas, em comparação com os produzidos por cientistas independentes.

There are even more factors contributing to the demise of bees, Hay aún más factores que contribuyen a la desaparición de las abejas, Há ainda mais fatores que contribuem para o desaparecimento das abelhas,

like too much genetic uniformity, crop monocultures, como demasiada uniformidad genética, monocultivos de cultivos, como muita uniformidade genética, monoculturas,

poor nutrition due to overcrowding, stress because of human activities, mala alimentación por hacinamiento, estrés por actividades humanas,

and other pesticides.

Each of those factors on its own is a major problem for bees, Cada uno de estos factores constituye por sí solo un grave problema para las abejas, Cada um desses fatores por si só é um grande problema para as abelhas,

but together, they probably account for colony collapse disorder. pero juntos, probablemente sean la causa del colapso de las colonias. mas juntos, eles provavelmente são responsáveis pelo distúrbio do colapso das colônias.

With parasites upping their game in recent decades, Con los parásitos mejorando su juego en las últimas décadas, Com os parasitas aumentando seu jogo nas últimas décadas,

the honey bees are now fighting for survival. as abelhas agora estão lutando pela sobrevivência.

It would be a catastrophe if they lost this fight.

This is a conundrum we have to solve if we want to continue living Este es un enigma que tenemos que resolver si queremos seguir viviendo Este é um enigma que temos que resolver se quisermos continuar vivendo

with a relative abundance and diversity of food. con una relativa abundancia y diversidad de alimentos.

Humanity is deeply interconnected with Earth and the other lifeforms on it, La humanidad está profundamente interconectada con la Tierra y las demás formas de vida que hay en ella,

even if we pretend that we're not. aunque finjamos que no lo somos. mesmo se fingirmos que não somos.

We have to take better care of our surroundings, Tenemos que cuidar mejor nuestro entorno, Temos que cuidar melhor do nosso entorno,

if not to preserve the beauty of nature, then at least to ensure our own survival. si no para preservar la belleza de la naturaleza, al menos para garantizar nuestra propia supervivencia. se não para preservar a beleza da natureza, pelo menos para garantir nossa própria sobrevivência.