Bee Populations: A Case Study

There have been crestfallen decreases in the population of bees because of pests and of our pesticides. While you may hate bees because of their stingers, they are an enormous part of the pollination process. To be sure, one of the crops that depend on their pollination the most are the almond crops, these crops would go extinct without bees. Without bees, a lot of our prices would sky rocket. They help grow a lot of our food but all they get in response are the disastrous effects of our pesticides. In the interim, the sharp increase of bee-fatal pesticides isn’t getting any better. At the same time, the bees are subjects to the deadly varroa mites and colony collapse disorder. Simultaneously, bees are a huge help agriculture, without them we would be in a huge predicament. There would be as many of diverse crops because when bees pollinate , they cross breed plants at the same time. Then we would have to pollinate most of the crops. In effect, I believe that we should care about bees more. Like Albert Einstein said, “If the bee disappeared off the face of the earth, man would only have four years left to live.”

Before we started researching this project we didn’t know how important bees are to our environment. In general, we can help solve this problem in our environment by limiting the use of pesticides. Creating regulations and laws limiting and controlling the use of neonicotinoid and coumaphos pesticides would greatly help the bees population. We can also reward farmers for practices that help wild bee populations thrive, such as leaving habitat for bees in their surrounding fields, alternating crops so bees have food all year long, and not using harmful

The economic worth of global food production supported by animal pollination is at a whopping $265 billion dollars. Bee’s themselves are responsible for the harvest of crops such as nuts, melons and berries, and plays varying roles in the production of citrus fruits, apples, onions, broccoli, cabbage, sprouts, courgettes, peppers, aubergines, avocados, cucumbers, coconuts, tomatoes and broad beans, as well as coffee and cocoa. ( Yes, that’s right without bee’s you wouldn’t be able to relax to/enjoy the sweet taste of, of a hot cup of chocolate after a long winter day). but with bee’s in consistent decline what does this mean for a growing population. Fewer bee’s would mean most likely result in higher prices for fruits, and vegetables. Less food available for mass consumption. So what can we do? In order to reverse the damage done to our bee populations, it is important that we now as a community make steps to encourage ecologically safe farming practices. That means start grocery shopping regionally, and locally and when the holiday/winter season is over and spring rolls around reduce the everyday use of pesticides, and other stuff while

In a statistical study done it was found; “The economic value of U.S. crops that benefit from honeybee pollination has been estimated at $15 billion annually. In 2006 the California almond export crop alone was valued at $1.9 billion and required more than one million bee colonies for pollination”. (Dainat) With keeping the fact that plants that need honeybees into in mind, the impact of honeybees in modern agriculture is significantly large as many places around the world rely on beekeepers for honey, as well as pollination services (Dainat). A main statement often brought up regarding CCD is Einstein’s assumption about the human race eradicating shortly after the bees. A lot of what humans eat consist of many items that are only produced due to pollination. A Canadian committee regarding agriculture stated; “Approximately a third of the human diet comes directly or indirectly from insect-pollinated plants, with the annual value of bee pollination in Canada an estimated $2 billion. The majority of flowering plants require pollination to reproduce, and bees are responsible for about 70 per cent of that pollination.” In regards to the whole world, it is estimated from the same study that the bees contribution to food production worldwide stands at about two hundred billion. (“Save the bees, save

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

Bees are important pollinators of many plants in the ecosystem (2). Recently, the decline in the number of bees in North America and Europe has shifted the research focus of many ecologists towards pesticide use (2). The impacts of pesticides on bees and other pollinators can have a major influence on honey production and biodiversity.

Bees pollinate one third of the world’s food, they do this by landing on a plant once on the plant the pollen is unknowingly transferred on the bee’s feet and between plants. If bees don’t pollinate it will put millions of farmers and beekeepers out of business, this will put a strain on the economic growth of Australia as the Australian economy is highly dependent upon agricultural exports.

Another research, conducted by Simon Potts, is also critical about the disappearance of bees, claiming that they are responsible for 80% of the fruits pollination and 75% of the crops around the world and that a possible extinction is dangerous because pollination would totally rely on butterflies. However, the latter states that there are no clear studies on the impact of pollination on crop yields so it is not possible to claim that crops growth will become unsustainable if there ever is an extinction. He finally qualified the economic value of bee’s pollination, by estimating their production to 253 billion of euros. Therefore, an extinction would lead to a global market crash and influence the economy of many countries that rely on agriculture as a predominant economic activity. Potts’ work allows understanding that the current honeybee crisis is not only dangerous for mankind because of its environmental consequences, but also for the economic impact that would occur.

Collecting data from farms 30 with 15 representing conventional farming, and the other half organic farms, the study concludes that in the long run, “[t]he organic farming system is found to be more profitable” due to minimal spending on pesticides, and close care (Abdus Samie). Clean agriculture does indicate a more time-consuming cultivation, something that is not an issue with modern farming, but in the long run an organic cultivation method is beneficial to both the bees and the environment (Hidden Costs). Utilizing natural means instead of artificial inputs like pesticides that produce runoff and harm the bees will stimulate the economy, allowing smaller farms to re-enter the market, bringing with them diverse crops and healthier

Bee extinction is an important topic for the beekeepers to discuss. It could prove fatal if it continues over a period of time. These bees are decreasing by thousands every month and beekeepers are having to do double time on their work. Honeybees pollinate more than 90 percent of all crops so without bees food would decrease by approximately 90 percent. For every 3 bites we eat ⅓ of the food is pollinated by bees. Scientist call this The Colony Collapse Disorder. More than 15$ billion dollars a year in U.S crops are

My following idea could promote bee population regrowth and overall hive health. Over time this will enable crop growth and stimulate the industry as well as secure food for the world even with our self-destructive environmental habits. Bees are very essential to pollination and almost all of our food depends on it weather its fruit, vegetables, or meat. This importance is obvious in the food chain as plants themselves depend on pollination to spread their generations and many animals depend on those plants for food and many other animals depend on those animals for food. We eat the fruits of plants and vegetables and we eat both the predator animals and the prey, even if the predators are not so evident in our day to day diets. Although plants

Goulson shows a battle in whether pesticides , which are regarded as the materials that can harm crop pollinator should be forbidden.According to his research ,the chemicals in the pesticides can spread widely through pollinators , and little of the toxin may lead to the death of the bees. What's more ,if the exposure of the chemical to very low levels of neonicotinoids that are not sufficient to kill the bees but can influence the abilities and the behaviors .There are also some other researches but they are not convincing because of some obvious shortcomings.On the other hand , neonicotinoids can provide economic benefits and those are difficult to substitute. As a result, it is still a controversy should those pesticides can be

With bees being responsible for nearly one-third of all crop production, the decimation of bee species will cripple the agricultural economy (CITE). Large plantation owners and farmers will face hardship on a global scale, whereas everyone else will suffer extreme food scarcity. Humans require a certain amount of nutrients and vitamins daily to be healthy; therefore, without the fruits and vegetables sold in large quantities, the concept of “survival of the fittest” will become active (CITE). It is quite possible that everyone could develop their own farm and pollenate the plants by hand, but imagine the amount of land required to feed a family. According to a report on the Farmland LP website, it takes roughly one acre of farmland just to feed one single person, but this can be decreased with

One of the benefits of keeping endangered species around is to help the economy. This can be seen in industries such as fishing and agriculture. Food crops depend on pollinators in order to grow. About $10 billion worth of crops in the U.S. are pollinated by honeybees, which are facing a decline in population (Mazzotti). For bees and other pollinators to survive, the ecosystem must also have biodiversity in the flowers they pollinate and other organisms they interact with –

The local honey bee population (natural and farm raised) has been negatively affected which has reduced not only the honey bee population, but has also decreased honey production. Many of the factors contributing to the decrease in the honey bee population and decrease honey production include: pathogens (pesticides) and parasites (hive beetles, mites, and wax moths). Not only is this a local concern, but is also a state and national concern as well. Considering sustainable environmental solutions is necessary to prevent further destruction of bee colonies. By increasing the number of green areas, this would be a sustainable solution that could be implemented throughout the local, state, and national levels with minimal effort and cost. Restricting international movement of bees is another sustainable solution on a larger, commercial scale. Being aware of the environmental impact will be the first step in improving the honey bee habitat, but will also improve the environment on a larger level.