Since 2006, bee colony numbers have been declining at an alarming rate, about 30% per year. Scientist do not have a pin pointed reason this has been occurring, but it is likely due to a combination of poor nutrition, habitat loss, and pesticides. As the human population’s need for space and food has risen, bee population has decreased. It is imperative that we work to end this issue because without bees our food supply will collapse. Earlier in the month, The US Fish and Wildlife Service granted 7 species Hawaiian native yellow faced Bees endangered status. While this represents bad news for bee population numbers, it does help the overall effort to save the bees because protection laws are now in place. Authorities can now implement recovery programs and protect habitat zones. Along with this, …show more content…
As with many species, a vast amount of their natural habitat has been destroyed, which greatly reduces their numbers. A simple way to combat this particular issue is to provide bees with designated hives, or places to build a hive. Even in a major city an anthropogenic hive can thrive. Another aspect of this issue is that Bees don’t get all the nutrients they need because they only have access to one type of crop to pollinate. This may be the easiest issue for the general public to help combat at home. Keeping even just a small pot of flowers helps and now consumers can buy specific packs of seeds that provide Bess all the nourishment they need. Another tactic Americans can use to save the Bess, is using less, or no, pesticides in home gardens. Certain pesticides have been banned in Europe that were proved to harm Bees and have yielded positive results. Since the EPA has not yet banned these chemicals, not using pesticides is the biggest way to reduce their impact on Bee population. It’s going to be a long uphill climb to get Bee numbers back to a healthy place, but every little thing that is done
“Bees need food (nectar, pollen) provided by insect-pollinated plants in order to reproduce and produce more bees” (Corbet, Williams, & Osborne, 1991, p 2). By creating hives and environments that are conducive to bee sustainment, it is possible that strides can be to reverse the downward trend in populations. This is critical as one study showed. It stated that the loss of bees was a domino effect to other species. It stated, “If bee pollinated flowers
Bees are the reason we have jelly, fruit, nuts, coffee and so many other vegetation (Lecture 09/27). Without these creatures we would lose so much more of our biodiversity, which is already suffering from other anthropogenic actions. Our society has a habit of finding the most cost efficient methods to produce goods that please the consumers without considering all the consequences of these actions. More importantly, we do not recognize the harm that we have caused until the damage is outrageous and requires a solution. But, this problem cannot follow those footsteps because it is essential for our ecosystem to thrive. These solution would not only save millions of dollars by being proactive, but would allow us to sustain food sources, biodiversity, and the survival of
The article begins with the statement of how falling population in bees will lead to a decline is crop production for the united states of America. This statement was announced at the American Association for the Advancement of Science or for short the AAAS. The United States relies on these bees for pollination as it is a big part of the economy bringing in over 3 billion dollars annually. It is mention how it is possible to reverse the decline in wild bees by habitat restoration. Bees are a huge part of the crop production in the united states which helps with the income and rotation of crops. In the article maps of troubled zones where placed in over 139 counties in agricultural regions of California, Pacific Northwest, the upper Midwest and Great Plains, West Texas, and Mississippi River Valley. All those places are known for their specialty crops such as almonds blueberries and apples. Those specialty crops
Purpose statement: Persuade my audience that more should be done to reverse the effects of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and other factors that are causing the bee population to decrease.
Bee populations are declining at an alarming rate all around the world, and daily life without bees would be detrimental. Without the bees around to help pollinate our food, 30 percent of which is grown using bees, there is an incredibly high chance that we would starve. “Mankind will not survive the honeybees’ disappearance for more than five years.” (Albert Einstein) By using harmful pesticides in our agriculture, and the excessive use of high fructose corn syrup, we are killing the bees at an alarming rate. One of every three bites of food rely on pollination for a profitable harvest. We must acknowledge everything that the bees provide for humans, then ban pesticides that hard bees, move away from industrial agriculture and put our focus
It is believed that a majority of the bees have died off, but many people still don’t know the direct reason why this has happened. A bee typically dies when it stings a bystander, however, these high percentages of bee deaths aren’t because of this. There are many theories on what has lead to the huge wipeout of this species, for example, some believe global warming has been a leading factor or the pesticides that farmers have been spraying on their crops. While endangered species are important and should be worth saving, the honeybee is different because no other endangered species has this much importance to human existence. Saving and growing the bee population should be a huge priority for all the countries around the
As noted by the White House Press Secretary, in recent decades, bees “have declined from over 6 million, to nearly 2 million managed hives,” and as hives are lost, so is the money invested in them. Parallel to the situation with the crops bees pollinate and the loss of profit there, there is loss of profit for the bees themselves, which is worrisome because soon there will be few people willing to dedicate themselves to the cause. (White House). Before greater funding can make a difference, there must be change to the causes of bee decline. The largest and most beneficial change would be the adjusting agricultural practices to one with less pesticides and and less destructive cultivation methods. Current agriculture techniques were developed during the first stages of the Green Revolution, around 1960-1985, when countries like America were trying to provide for the exponential population growth that was occurring during these decades. Originally, the changes greatly impacted the output levels, “208% for wheat, 109% for rice, [and] 157% for maize” in developing countries like China and India (Pingali). Crops like these are pollinated almost entirely by wind, giving the bees less and less opportunities for the nectar they need to survive, leading to starvation in many colonies due to worker bees travelling greater distances to retrieve the food they
Many factors are causing this decline around the world. In order to fully grasp the honey bee decline is must be understood when this problem started and where it started. Throughout history there have been case of honey bee population decreasing. But most recently according to Encyclopaedia Britannica, an internet encyclopedia, “first reported in the fall of 2006 by a commercial beekeeper from Pennsylvania, U.S.” (Hood 2). This quote shows that the bee problem is happening again and is still going on from 2006, that’s 11 years the bee population is on the down hill.
The oldest known bee fossil is estimated to be over 135 million years old (The Xerces Society). Knowing this, one would certainly realize the importance of the relationship between plants and bees, as they have depended on each other for survival for such an immense period of time. The colossal variety of plant species are around today on behalf of the pollinators that evolved with them. However, this knowledge has not quite convinced society of the dangers the decline in bee populations pose to life as one knows it, as the loss of plants causes a dangerous chain reaction. At the curtains of every winter, a dwindling number of bees are making their debut in the thriving spring. The decrease can be seen in how United States beekeepers have lost 40 percent of their colonies since 2006 (Johnston,
Those who hold gardening as a certified profession have been contacted in relation to the decreasing number of bee colonies. It 's good to know about what is going on and I have built up a brief summary of readings and discussions that I have discovered on the subject of bee colonies. Shelley McNeal, who carries expertise within the bee colonies department, quotes 'The fuzzy little honey bees are the buggies ' when talking about these pollinating bugs. They not only enable your flowers and thus your gardens to flourish but they also play an indispensable part in agronomics. But the scary thing is, these bee colonies are now becoming an endangered specie. Nearly a quarter to one half of bee colonies that are in America have gone within the last twenty or so years. Mites were mainly responsible for the initial loss of bee colonies however another destroyer is looming on the horizon: The Colony Collapse Disorder. The reason is still unknown for the set up of this organization however we have had hints that viral infections or bacteria could be a possible cause. A number of individuals have come together to study the Colony Collapse and is made up of businesses from Pennsylvania. They are currently studying hard; delving into research to look for answers to what could be probable issues causing this, experimenting with CCD colonies so that they may find a way to put an end to the cruelty of bee colonies being collapsed, and instead promoted and enable the next generation of
What are the causes in the decline of HoneyBee populations, and their colonies? Bee extinction, it’s only the bee-ginning. We swat at them, we spray them, we kill them. Has anyone ever thought of the importance of the honeybees people are trying to eliminate?
The population of bees has depleted dramatically. The reason behind this is because us humans are changing the environment in a subtle action. We need bees because they pollinate 70 percent of the crops we eat. Otherwise the food we eat wouldn’t last as long or be as pulp and ripe, if it wasn’t for the bee.
The human population is exploding and demands more food to sustain itself. With the demand for more food we have used vast amounts of land for agriculture to grow everything we need. All of the crops we rely on require pollination from the single greatest pollinator, the honey bee. Honey bees are used all over the world to pollinate just about everything from orchids to almonds. Unfortunately honey bees are under siege and their numbers are dwindling quickly.
Over the last half century bees have been declining as pesticide use in agricultural and urban areas increased. Many growers are concerned on how they are going to pollinate there “Concerned bee researchers recently met to discuss the current pollinator status in North America and to publish a report about it. Since January (2007), there have been a number of reports in the media about the mysterious disappearance of large numbers of honey bees called colony collapse disorder” (Michigan State University, 2018). The worker bees are randomly disappearing and dying as they are going to search for
Bumblebee skilled at ‘buzz pollination’ may soon join the endangered species list by Jessica Roy with The Washington Post talks about the different reasons a very important pollinators’ population is heavily decreasing.This article is focused on the causes and effects of why the bees are dying, more specifically the rusty patched bumblebee. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service formally proposed that the rusty patched bumblebee be placed on the endangered species list. “The bee’s decline can be attributed to habitat loss, climate change, disease, farming and pesticides,” says Roy. These human caused acts are what is killing the most important piece in the production of food. WIthout the bee’s food production and variety would decrease immensely. I was very interested in this article because of the simplicity of it. Although it was only two pages it was able to reach the audience and show them how the loss of something so small could change the entire world as we know it. This article is just another example of how humans make decisions without worrying about the long term consequences it could have. Without the bees, we suffer. When will humans learn to see the that the everyday actions we make are killing off millions of species and permanently harming the environment and start to get up and do something about it? This is the questions that this article is