It’s no question that the honey bees are an important species. They are by far the most well-known pollinators, and if they ever were to go extinct, we could say good-bye to crops such as almonds, apples, avocados, and oranges (Good). Beekeepers in North America have been noticing a rapid decline in their honey bee populations since 2006 (Hagopian). No one really knows why the bees are dying, but it’s mainly attributed to a phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder. Colony Collapse Disorder happens when all of the bees in a hive suddenly die, or when the worker bees leave the hive and abandon their queen. It is currently unknown what exactly causes the disorder, though it’s more than likely a mixture of different things like pests or the pesticides that farmers use on their crops. One of the beekeepers I interviewed, Tommy McCaffrey from Purvis, Mississippi, said that it could be because of the problems that beekeepers today have to face that the beekeepers from the late 80s or early 90s didn’t, such as the Varroa Mite, the Tracheal Mite, Small Hive Beetles, and Neonicotinoids.…show more content… They are very small, red parasites that can only reproduce in a honey bee hive. They attach themselves to the adult bees and the developing bees, and feed on their hemolymph, which is the bees’ equivalent to blood. In this way, they are very similar to ticks. If the beekeeper doesn’t take action to cure his beehive from the parasites, the hive could die out in 1-2 years. As of now, there are four medications that a beekeeper can use to treat his hive of this Destructor. (“Honey Bee Disorders: Honey Bee