Page 4 - WCBM JAC 2020 Proceeding Book

The 8th WCBM Junior Academic Competition, November 7th, 2020

I. Introduction

Honey Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) are the most widely commercially kept insects in the world. Of these, the
majority is Apis mellifera, the Western Honey bee. According to the FAO(United Nations Food and Agriculture
Organization), about 90 million commercial colonies are documented, and an equal number of colonies are
expected to exist in the wild. Honeybees are social insects, as are some other species of the family Hymenoptera.
Each colony consists of thousands of workers, a few male alates, and a single egg-laying queen.
A. mellifera plays a vital role in the apicultural economy, providing honey and honey-based products: beeswax,
royal jelly, and propolis. In particular, with the increased interest of beauty and public health, honey-based
products in cosmetics and medical industries are magnified. In addition, the global honey food market anticipates
to record a CAGR(Compound Annual Growth Rate) of more than 6%. In sum, the global honey market size was
9.08 billion USD in 2019 and is expected to reach 9.79 billion USD in 2020. The apiculture market is estimated
to register a CAGR(Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 4.3% during the forecast period of 2020 to 2025.
In addition to the growth of the apicultural product market, the economic value of honey bees as pollinators is
significant. According to the FAO, 35% of globally grown crops rely on honeybees as pollinators. In the U.S
alone, such pollination by bees annually contributes 15 billion USD to the agricultural economy, resulting in ca.
9% of the U.S’s total agricultural yield. Moreover, 12% of all wild flowering plants rely on insect pollination, of
which bees are the most significant contributors. When accounting for all these values, the economic value of
honeybees as pollinators vastly exceeds their apicultural yields.
Colony collapse disorder(CCD) is currently the most severe problem in the apicultural industry. CCD is a
phenomenon where the majority of a colony disappears or dies in a relatively short amount of time. The
phenomenon itself has a long history: some occurrences date back to the 19th century. Such occurrences were,
however, seasonal. Starting from 1972, a series of reductions in honeybee populations have been recorded.
Various suggested causes include Varroa mite infections, navigation disruptions due to radio waves, and bacterial
infections. However, although CCD is the main topic of research by entomologists, no specific cause has been
determined.
CCD is a disease that could negatively influence the economy and ecology. In order to aptly resolve such
hardships, the research initially analyzes the existing economic and ecological troubles and makes predictions on
how it can be exacerbated in the near future.
This research will analyze current trends of CCD and the resulting impact on economy and ecology. This
research's primary objective is to elucidate the bees' overall economic importance and predict further financial
damage by CCD. The research will also suggest a potential remedy of CCD through a series of scientific
experiments and estimate the economic benefits from it.

II. Main Body

1. Research Hypothesis and Method
1) Hypothesis
Hypothesis 1: Honey bees play a significant role in the agricultural industry.
Hypothesis 1a: CCD will lead to a substantial economic loss.
Hypothesis 2: The symbiotic bacteria of the honey bees’ social stomach help maintain the bees’ health.
Hypothesis 2a: A probiotic supplement derived from symbiotic bacteria will increase the bees’ survival rate by
3 days (total of 13 days).
2) Method
(1) Economic Analysis.
Applying the method of Morse and Calderone , the authors calculated the Average Market Production Value
1
Attributable to the Honeybees. (Morse and Calderone, 2000) The Average Production Value of 26 different major

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