Bees are disappearing known to be Colony Collapse Disorder acknowledged in early 2007. The disappearance of bees could have catastrophic affects of our society. By creating awareness around this issue, people will gain more respect for bees and help fight the underlying causes. Through interactive information users are able to embody the task of a bee and feel the consequences of bee extinction.
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What would happen if bees became extinct? Will humans cease to exist after four year without bees as Albert Einstein predicted? Some may agree with this theory but this has not been determined yet. The fact is in the beginning of 2007, thousands of Honeybees began to disappear, this was known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). There are about 20,000 known species of bees that are found on nearly every continent except Antarctica. Bees and human relations can date back to Ancient Egypt as early as 7th century BCE. This relationship has been retained for centuries due to the useful qualities of honey.
What would happen if bees became extinct? Will humans cease to exist after four year without bees as Albert Einstein predicted? Some may agree with this theory but this has not been determined yet. The fact is in the beginning of 2007, thousands of Honeybees began to disappear, this was known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). There are about 20,000 known species of bees that are found on nearly every continent except Antarctica. Bees and human relations can date back to Ancient Egypt as early as 7th century BCE. This relationship has been retained for centuries due to the useful qualities of honey.
Without any bees, honey will cease to exist. Honey is used in many different ways, mostly found in food and cosmetic products. The Honey Association estimates that the U.S. consumes over 25,000 tons of honey each year. Our dependency on honey relays back to the Honeybee. There is approximately 3.2 million Honeybee colonies in the U.S. maintained by beekeepers. On average a single colony consist of about 30,000-60,000 Honeybees. U.S. beekeepers are facing an increasing 40% loss in bees each year. This rapid decline in bees can have catastrophic affects on our society.
Our economy would be greatly affected due to a nationwide increase in produce. Honey is only a byproduct of the beeʼs overall nature to pollinate. Bees make up about 80% of all insect pollinators. Without bees to pollinate, almost all fruits and vegetables we consume will also disappear which in turn will affect other living animals. In the U.S. bees make up about 1/3 of crops. Pollination is key to sustain our need to consume.
For my thesis project my goal is to create awareness around CCD and teach ways to help the cause. During my research I was inspired by a province in Southern Sichuan, China. The inhabitants of Southern Sichuan relay on pear trees as a sustainable income, but due powerful pesticides bees have disappeared from the province for many years. Without pollination, pear trees became scarce so farmers were forced to pollinate each tree by hand. Replacing the job of a bee is labor intensive for humans. We could never yield as many crops as bees would. Pollinating by hand embodies the natural task of bees. I want to recreate this interaction for my project.
In order to address this issue Iʼm interested in creating an interactive information graphic through the use of video motion tracking. Users will be presented with a large screen with a camera that will track their movements. As users interact with elements displayed on the screen information on CCD and bees will be revealed. I want users to have a sense of exploration as elements are uncovered. Throughout the experience users should feel concerned as well as motivated to learn more.
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