C.R. Laine All Abuzz Over Honey Bees
October 14, 2009
Upholstery producer C.R. Laine Furniture is putting the spotlight on the phenomenon of the dying off of the honey bee.
The use of honey as a classic, nature-inspired, eco-friendly color will be used throughout the company's showroom at H-1004 in the International Home Furnishings Center to draw attention to the plight of the bees. The showroom will house a stunning presentation of chairs in honey comb fabrics nestled under a full-size tree dripping with fabric honey bees and burlap bee hives.
"Color and patterns are connected to nature," said Holly Blalock, creative director for the company. "We want retailers to be inspired to create their own displays devoted to color trends and world-friendly initiatives.”
The honey bee is facing colony collapse disorder, which has caused the number of honey bee colonies to dwindle. In the 1940s, there were 5.9 million honey bee colonies. Today, there are 2.5 million.
Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), the name given to the die-off of honey bee colonies across the country, was first reported in the fall of 2006. Since then beekeepers around the U.S. have reported the death of hundreds of thousands of honey bees without cause. Otherwise strong colonies are being devastated with the loss of their entire workforce in a matter of a few weeks or even a few days. Should this trend continue, honey bees could cease to exist in the U.S. by 2035.
Not only are honey bees the only insect that produces food for humans, the honey bee pollination is responsible for more than $15 billion in value to about 130 crops, particularly specialty crops like berries, nuts, fruits and vegetables.
A CCD hive will have very little or no adult honey bees present but with a live healthy queen and no dead bees. Often there is still honey and immature bees present. It’s as if the mature worker bees disappear only to die without their queen and colony.
A group of researchers, apiculture extension specialists and government officials from a number of different institutions across the country have come together to work on this problem and share information with beekeepers and the public. This group is called the CCD Working Group.
Four classes of potential causes being studied by the CCDWG include; pathogens, parasites, environmental stresses (including pesticides), and management stresses (including migratory stress and nutrition problems from nectar or pollen insufficiency). Many feel a complex perfect storm of stresses may be unexpectedly suppressing the immune system of colonies and causing their collapse.
For more information about CCD and the decline in the honey bee population click here. To read about the CCD action plan, click here. And for information on reducing risk to pollinators from pesticides, click here.
The use of honey as a classic, nature-inspired, eco-friendly color will be used throughout the company's showroom at H-1004 in the International Home Furnishings Center to draw attention to the plight of the bees. The showroom will house a stunning presentation of chairs in honey comb fabrics nestled under a full-size tree dripping with fabric honey bees and burlap bee hives.
"Color and patterns are connected to nature," said Holly Blalock, creative director for the company. "We want retailers to be inspired to create their own displays devoted to color trends and world-friendly initiatives.”
The honey bee is facing colony collapse disorder, which has caused the number of honey bee colonies to dwindle. In the 1940s, there were 5.9 million honey bee colonies. Today, there are 2.5 million.
Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), the name given to the die-off of honey bee colonies across the country, was first reported in the fall of 2006. Since then beekeepers around the U.S. have reported the death of hundreds of thousands of honey bees without cause. Otherwise strong colonies are being devastated with the loss of their entire workforce in a matter of a few weeks or even a few days. Should this trend continue, honey bees could cease to exist in the U.S. by 2035.
Not only are honey bees the only insect that produces food for humans, the honey bee pollination is responsible for more than $15 billion in value to about 130 crops, particularly specialty crops like berries, nuts, fruits and vegetables.
A CCD hive will have very little or no adult honey bees present but with a live healthy queen and no dead bees. Often there is still honey and immature bees present. It’s as if the mature worker bees disappear only to die without their queen and colony.
A group of researchers, apiculture extension specialists and government officials from a number of different institutions across the country have come together to work on this problem and share information with beekeepers and the public. This group is called the CCD Working Group.
Four classes of potential causes being studied by the CCDWG include; pathogens, parasites, environmental stresses (including pesticides), and management stresses (including migratory stress and nutrition problems from nectar or pollen insufficiency). Many feel a complex perfect storm of stresses may be unexpectedly suppressing the immune system of colonies and causing their collapse.
For more information about CCD and the decline in the honey bee population click here. To read about the CCD action plan, click here. And for information on reducing risk to pollinators from pesticides, click here.
Companies Mentioned:
 |
