Researcher(s):
Mikaela Dibble-Kahn
ENVS course(s): 220 Initiated: September 2015 Completed: Go to project site
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In this project I will be looking at the causes of Colony Collapse Disorder as it pertains to the Portland area. Colony Collapse Disorder has only been a serious issue in the United States for ten years, but just because this is a relatively recent problem doesn't mean that it is less important than other issues we are facing. CCD is dramatically reducing bee numbers around the world and I want to help explore the more immediate and long term impacts of the bee population decline. From key literature, I have derived that these are some big questions around CCD such as: What are the key factors that lead to CCD, is it v. destructor mites, viruses, or something else? How is the beekeeping and agricultural industry being impacted economically? Will there be social implications as the limit to resources cuts off access to bee products as well as the food they help pollinate? What is the best way to stop this disorder and how can we spread education about this issue?
My focus question is: What are the biological factors (eg. mites, viruses), chemical factors (pesticides, air toxins), governmental regulations and broader cultural factors that contribute to the health level of honeybee hives within the city limits of Portland, OR? Portland is an ideal and interesting place to situate this project because we have a large number of urban beekeepers, which is unusual. Most beekeeping are not done within cities, but rather on farmland. Perhaps different pathogens in the city could impact the health of hives. Also doing my project in PDX will allow me to do some hands on research and go out to beekeeping farms where I can observe the state of different hives. There are many beekeeping groups in Portland that will hopefully help answer this question by giving me personal insights on what has been happening to their hives over the past decade. The comprehensive PNWal survey will also be a useful tool for me to investigate CCD causes here and using this data I can deploy some of our Envs220 tools such as ArcGIS and statistical analysis. The causes of this disorder is the first step to helping to prevent or reverse the damage.