The case of the vanishing honeybees - Emma Bryce

Slučaj nestanka pčela - Ema Brajs (Emma Bryce)

Prevodilac: Tereza Ivanovic Lektor: Mile Živković

There is an environmental mystery afoot,

U toku je ekološka misterija,

and it begins with a seemingly trivial detail

koja počinje naizgled beznačajnim detaljem

that reveals a disaster of global proportions.

koji otkriva katastrofu globalnih razmera.

One day, you notice that the honey you slather on your morning toast

Jednog dana primećujete

is more expensive.

da je med koji trošite za tost poskupeo.

Instead of switching to jam,

Umesto da pređete na džem,

you investigate the reason for the price hike.

istražujete razlog poskupljenja.

What you find is shocking.

Naići ćete na nešto šokantno.

The number of domesticated honeybees in the US

Broj domaćih pčela u SAD

has been decreasing at an alarming rate.

se alarmantno smanjio.

This decline appears too big

Ovo smanjenje je preveliko

to be explained by the usual causes of bee death alone:

da bi moglo da se objasni uobičajenim razlozima uginuća pčela:

disease, parasites or starvation.

bolesti, paraziti ili glad.

A typical crime scene has almost no adult bees left in the hive,

Na mestu zločina skoro da nema odraslih pčela u košnici,

except, perhaps, a lonely queen and a few other survivors.

osim možda usamljene matice i još nekoliko preživelih.

It's full of untouched food stores and a brood of unborn larvae,

Košnica je puna netaknutih zaliha hrane i legla nerođenih larvi,

suggesting that the adults vacated without waiting for them to hatch.

što sugeriše da su odrasli otišli ne čekajući da se larve izlegnu.

But what's particularly eerie

Posebno je strašno to

is that there's no tell-tale mass of dead or dying bees nearby.

što u blizini nema hrpe pčela koje su uginule ili izdišu.

Either they have forgotten their way back to the hive,

Ili su zaboravile put nazad do košnice,

or they have simply disappeared.

ili su jednostavno nestale.

These mysterious disappearances aren't new.

Ovi misteriozni nestanci nisu novost.

Humans have been collecting honey for centuries.

Ljudi su vekovima sakupljali med.

But it wasn't until European settlers in the 1600's

Do 1600. godine, dok evropski doseljenici

introduced the subspecies, Apis mellifera,

nisu predstavili podvrstu Apis Mellifera,

that we domesticated bees.

nismo gajili pčele.

Since the 19th century,

Od 19. veka pčelari su beležili

beekeepers have reported occasional mass disappearances,

povremena masovna nestajanja

giving them enigmatic names

i davali im zagonetne nazive,

like disappearing disease, spring dwindle disease

kao što je bolest nestajanja, prolećno išćeznuće

and autumn collapse.

i jesenji kolaps.

But when in 2006 such losses were found to affect

2006. su gubici obuhvatili

more than half of all hives in the US,

više od polovine svih košnica u SAD,

the phenomenon got a new name:

tada je ova pojava dobila novi naziv:

colony collapse disorder.

kolaps kolonija.

The most frightening thing about this mystery

Najstrašnija stvar oko ove misterije

isn't that we'll have to go back to using regular sugar in our tea.

nije to da ćemo ponovo morati da koristimo šećer u čaju.

We farm bees for their honey,

Uzgajamo pčele zbog meda,

but they also pollinate our crops on an industrial scale,

ali one takođe i oprašuju useve

generating over 1/3 of America's food production this way.

i generišu trećinu američke proizvodnje hrane.

So, how can we find the culprit behind this calamity?

Kako da nađemo krivca za ovu nesreću?

Here are three of the possible offenders.

Evo tri moguća krivca:

Exhibit A: Pests and Disease.

Dokazni predmet A: štetočine i bolest.

Most infamous is the varroa mite,

Najozloglašenija je varoa,

a minuscule red pest that not only invades colonies and feeds on bees,

minijaturna crvena štetočina koja napada pčele i hrani se njima

but also transfers pathogens that stunt bee growth

i prenosi patogene koji zaustavljaju rast pčela

and shortens their life span.

i skraćuju njihov životni vek.

Exhibit B: Genetics.

Dokazni predmet B: genetika.

The queen is the core of a healthy hive.

Matica je srž zdrave košnice.

But nowadays, the millions of queen bees distributed

Danas, od milion matica koje se distribuiraju

in commercial hives are bred from just a few original queens,

u košnice, samo malo njih potiče od originalnih matica,

which raises the worry about a lack of genetic diversity

i zato se javlja sumnja o manjku genetske različitosti,

which could weaken bees' defenses against pathogens and pests.

što može da oslabi otpornost protiv patogena i štetočina.

Exhibit C: Chemicals.

Dokazni predmet C: hemikalije.

Pesticides used both on commercial beehives

Pesticidi koji se koriste u komercijalnim košnicama

and agricultural crops to ward off parasites

i na usevima, za odbijanje parazita,

could be getting into the food and water that honeybees consume.

mogu dospeti u hranu i vodu koju pčele koriste.

Researchers have even found that some pesticides

Istraživači su otkrili da neki pesticidi

damage the honeybees' homing abilities.

oštećuju pčelinju sposobnost orijentacije.

So we have a file full of clues

Imamo mnogo indicija

but no clear leads.

a nemamo jasne tragove.

In reality, scientists, the actual detectives on this case,

U stvarnosti, naučnici koji istražuju slučaj

face disagreement over what causes colony collapse disorder.

suočavaju se sa neslaganjem u vezi sa uzrocima propadanja kolonija.

For now, we assume that several factors are the cause.

Zasad se smatra da su više faktora uzrok tome.

Honeybees aren't necessarily in danger of extinction,

Ne mora da znači da pčele izumiru, ali zbog njihovog manjka

but fewer bees overall means less pollination and higher food costs,

oprašivanje je slabije, a cena hrane raste.

so it's crucial that scientists solve the case of the vanishing bees.

Stoga je od ključnog značaja da se reši problem nestajanja pčela.

Because while having less honey might be a buzzkill,

Manjak meda bi mogla da bude neprijatnost

crop shortages are something that would truly sting.

ali manjak useva bi nas stvarno štrecnuo.