This map explores how Honey Bees are essential organisms for a multitude of actors. Bees are necessary for ecosystem stability, pollination of crops and plants, honey production as well as many other purposes.
6. EPA: BEE-OBJECT OF REGULATION AND PROTECTION EPA's role is to protect bee populations through conducting risk assessments for pesticides and other contributing factors to CCD. Specifically the EPA enforces mandatory labeling on pesticides which reveal the level of toxicity to bees.
7. USDA: BEE-OBJECT OF STUDY FOR AGRICULTURE USDA has organized and participated in research projects and workshops which conduct research on the causes of CCD and the processes needed to put into action to tackle the issues surrounding CCD. They are also an active participant in the creation of the CCD Action Plan which is a collaboration of researchers, agencies and universities which have formed report analyzing research and formatting a plan to address specific impacts.
8. HUMANS/CONSUMERS: BEE-OBJECT OF FOOD We (humans) as food consumers are related to CCD through the need for bees which pollinate the food we eat. Without natural pollinators, our food prices will skyrocket, due to the farmers increased labor costs to artificially pollinate crops.
9. Universities: University of Landau (Germany), Penn State, Washington State, Colorado State, University of Delaware
10. Apiary Managers/Bee Keepers
11. Food/ Cosmetic Companies:
11.1. Haagen-Dazs
11.2. Burts Bees
12. Farmers/ Agriculture Industry
13. UNIVERSITIES: BEE-OBJECT OF RESEARCH Universities conduct research and analyze the data to determine the factors which lead to CCD and what actions can be taken to reduce these impacts.
14. FARMERS: BEE-OBJECT OF CROP PRODUCTION(POLLINATION) Farmers are directly related to CCD because without bees, their crops will not get pollinated naturally. If bees are lost, farmers will have to hire laborers to pollinate each crop manually.
15. APIARY MANAGERS: BEE- OBJECT OF LIVELIHOOD/PROFIT Bee keepers jobs are to manage bee hives for farmers to ensure that crops get pollinated, without the success of bee hives due to the effects of CCD, bee keepers will loose their profits and may become considered an unreliable source of pollinators. Some bee keepers manage hives for honey production, in this case due CCD honey yields have been an all time low this year.
16. FOOD/COSMETIC COMPANIES: BEE-OBJECT OF PROFIT Food and cosmetic companies are directly related to bees and the issue of CCD because bees pollinate the fruit, vegetables, nuts and plants which are contained and used in many food products and cosmetics. Companies may loose profit as pollination of crops becomes more difficult and prices of these commodities rise.
