preview

Decline Of Honey Bees Essay

Decent Essays

Bees are some of the most hardworking insects on the planet, but unfortunately, their diligence is often overlooked, leaving these creatures extremely underappreciated. Not only are bees the sole producers of honey, they also responsible for pollinating around one-sixth of the flowering plant species worldwide and approximately 400 different types of plants. Without the pollination of bees, a large portion of the world’s food supply would vanish; different studies have shown that between 50-80% of the world’s food supply being directly or indirectly affected by the honey bee population. From the pollination of apples, or of the seeds used to produce grain for livestock, the food chain is strongly linked to honey bees. Furthermore, bees also provide us with beeswax, propolis, pollen, royal jelly, apitherapy, and an income for bee keepers; they certainly have a lot to offer. This paper will discuss the mysterious decline of the bees over the past few decades and why they are disappearing. There are many endangered species around the world, and the honeybee may become the …show more content…

One pesticide in particular, called neonicotinoid, a new class of insecticides chemically related to nicotine that is used on farmland, is known to have a negative impact on bees and is likely the main cause for CCD. Neonicotinoids were thought to have had a low toxicity level with a low rate of harm towards many insects, but research shows that it is toxic to bees even when exposed to a small amount; it targets their brains, affecting their ability to navigate to and from food sources and disrupting their ability to learn and memorize routes. This diminishes their potential and stops them from doing their job, or even killing them, which has undoubtedly already taken its toll on the bee

Get Access