...and present the possibility of further human development on earth. » Did you know that bees pollinate the majority of our fruits and vegetables? > Global Research of CA has found that just within the last five years, “30% of the national bee population has disappeared and nearly a third of all bee colonies in the U.S. have perished.” (Statistic, Global Research Of California) • Bees are going extinct at this high rate due to climate change, pesticides, diseases, and parasites. > Honeybees and the other pollinators have the invaluable job of pollinating that provides us with “approximately one-third of everything we eat!” according to OneGreenPlanet.org (Statistic, Tucker) • Yet we still take advantage and continue to let their population decline. » Today I will be talking about how pollination works, the benefits bees have on our world, and what people are doing to prevent the decline of the bee population any further. Transition: The most important thing that bees do is pollinate. Pollination is needed for plants to reproduce, and so many plants depend on bees as pollinators. (Explanation) Body #1 » When a bee comes to collect nectar and pollen from the flower of a plant, some pollen sticks to the hairs of their bodies. > When the bee travels to the next flower, some of the pollen, on its body, is rubbed off and fertilization is made possible. » Plants rely on bees and other insects to reproduce, so they have adapted to become more attractive to them. > Bees are drawn...
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...“If the Bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would only have 4 years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals and no more man”- Albert Einstein Have you ever considered where we would be without bees? I am sure that many people would have thought why do we need nasty stinging creatures, however, as far as the list of important creatures go, bees are there on top of the list as they are critical pollinators. To be frank, a world without bees just wouldn’t sustain, considering the fact that they technically feed over 7 billion people globally. Without bees, our markets would have about half the fruits and vegetables they have at the moment. That would mean no lime, no coconuts, no honey and most importantly not enough grapes for wine. Even in the most artificial farm one can...
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...Bee Highway Problem Due to an increase of pesticides and urban sprawl bee populations have be decreasing in recent years. In Pennsylvania and New Jersey beekeepers have recorded winter loses of 26-48% and 17-40% in PA and NJ between 2006 and 2009 (SITE xerces) Solution & Goal The idea for the bee highway is to help maintain and increase the current bee population in Philadelphia. Through the use of vacant or abandoned lots throughout the city, recycling wood scraps from building sites and integrating green storm water infrastructure along with planting favored native plants for the bees, an educational and sustainable garden can be created to both educate the public and help the bees. Bee Species With over 4000 native species in North American and over 300 different species in Pennsylvania, bees provide an invaluable workforce for the world that is often over looked. (SITE) It is estimated that the local bee population in PA and NJ facilitate the reproduction and seed improvement of the top fruit and vegetable farms, accounting for a pollination service range from $6-263 million yearly. While not...
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...consumers that Wendy’s hamburger had more meat than its competitors. However, in today’s society this question should be taken very literally, due to the declining population of bee colonies, our food supply is slowly diminishing. What we don’t realize is that bees account for a third of our food supply, that is one in every three bites of food you eat! That may not seem like a big deal, I mean we would still have food, but let me show you the reality of this situation. You are driving to have dinner with your family at...
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...Introduction Bees are essential organisms of almost all of the world’s terrestrial ecosystems. Bees are flying insects that are in the same class as the ants and wasps among others. These small insects are responsible for pollination and wax production and honey production. They inhabit every continent except for a continent known as Antarctica. Importance of bees The insects are known for its role in pollinating a large percentage of the flowering plants. They participate in sexual reproduction that ensures cross pollination. This process ensures genetic diversity in the food chain that ensures that there is flow of energy from the primary producers to higher levels of consumers. Since green plants are source of food for other organisms, the reduction of one of the primary pollination agents, or even their possible disappearance, is of concern. The bees are on the decline due to various reasons that will be considered later on. I believe the there more pros than cons that can be obtained from the bees. Factors for reduction of bees The disappearance of bees is a very frightening scenario that is subject to an explanation. There various reasons as to why there has been a reduction of bees. This are explained as follows: The sustainability of agriculture is a healthy function of ecosystem services ensures as that it intensifies to meeting growing demands for food production. Climate change, however, may have major influence on the main ecosystem functions...
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...Medical Use of Honey Bee Products Apitherapy is the use of honey bee products in treating illnesses and diseases. Apis means “bee” while “therapy” is a treatment intended to relieve or heal a disorder. The different products derived from the beehive which can be used in apitherapy are: honey, pollen, propolis, venom, wax and royal jelly. Being from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, we all have been exposed to honey bees and their products in unique ways. Despite our differences, collectively, we share great interest in the application of honey, bee venom (BV) and propolis in contemporary medicinal practices. In the following paragraphs each member shares their personal exposure with bees and why they have an interest in the medicinal use of BV. Mai As a young boy, my father intentionally interfered with bees in order to get stung. Now, being an adult, he is immune to bee stings, showing no signs of inflammation after a bee sting. The first time I got stung by a bee I was 7 years old. It hurt so badly and one thing was sure: “I would not walk in my father’s footsteps, when it comes to the subject bee stings.” In university, a classmate mentioned that BV contains certain chemicals which are beneficial to multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Although my first experience was unpleasant, I started to believe that bees can be useful. Good story: it reveals the sources of your curiosities and it draws out social issues. Morayo “They sting! Keep away!” this was my...
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...position and evidence to support your reasons. Bees basically provide our food source, without bees we will not be able to get the food, fibers or shelter. In October of 2016, some species of land bees in the United States were put on the endangered list for the first time in U.S history. We can not keep up the food supply without bees. We need to be doing everything in our power to bring back up the population of bees in the United States before they are gone forever....
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...significant the honey bees are as a species. People reap benefits from them spanning from agricultural to medical, yet many still do not know how intricate their behaviors are, or how much they influence a human’s life, or even how they make honey. For being such a significant figure in many fields, why is it that humans know so little relating to these remarkable insects? A way to change this lack of knowledge is through educating oneself on the facts of honeybees, which can then stem a deeper appreciation...
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...Expert Bee Removal If you've spent any time outdoors during summer months then you know all about bees. They are yellow and black and the often induce more fear into people than the situation warrants. Bees do sting, and people with allergies can be affected seriously. If a colony of bee’s sets up a hive around your property, children playing nearby, mowing the lawn or outdoor activities near that hive can be seen as aggression and stings can happen. Beehives should not be messed with without the right equipment and safety measures. Western Exterminator are bee control and bee removal experts and we safely remove hives, prevent their return, and use environmentally sound methods that will not interfere with commercial hives and pollinators....
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...Honey Bees and Bumblebees are currently being poisoned by your garden, causing their mass extinction. There are many causes of bee life decline, some being: Pesticides, drought, habitat destruction, nutrition deficit, air pollution, and global warming. We are at fault for so many of these death traps, but the biggest harm is pesticides. Everytime you spray your garden with any pesticides (especially those containing neonicotinoids), the poison seeps into the pollen and the bud of the flower. The bee, who’s collecting the pollen from the flower, is now collecting the poison you fed your yard with. These little workers ingest the insecticides, which intoxicates their central nervous system, causes paralysis and then kills them. The issue...
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...Bees are miraculous in their own ways. Humans are intrigued by their social structures, their mechanisms and how within a hive each bee has their very own role. Within a hive there is only one queen that lays eggs and keeps reproducing. There are also drone bees, or male bees, that have one purpose and that is to fertilize new queens. Lastly, the most essential and largest quantity of bees are the workers. They forage for pollen and nectar, contribute to the care of the queen and drones, feed larvae, protect the hive and perform other tasks to ensure the survival of the colony. Overall, each bee works together in a very organized and harmonic way to strive for survival every day. Every since bees were put on this planet, they have been a vital...
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...Systemic Pesticides and the Honeybee Population Beekeepers have been experiencing a large decline in their honeybee populations for the past decade at a startling rate. The disappearance of the honeybees has a much larger impact on daily life in the United States as well as around the world than many would believe, as they are cornerstones in a healthy and prosperous ecosystem. The extremely complex yet small honeybee is responsible for a large majority of the food we consume everyday. While there are multiple theories surrounding the disappearance of the bees, the use of systemic pesticides is leading the way as the culprit. The use of systemic pesticides needs to be banned in the United States due to the negative impact they are having on the honeybee population. As the population of the United States continues to grow exponentially annually, so does the need for an increased food supply. Monocultures have been the answer to this need due to the fact that they allow farmers to mass-produce a single item much cheaper and easier than traditional farming in which multiple crops are grown on a single plot of land. There are many possibilities for the types of plants that can be found in a monoculture but typically wheat, corn, and soy are the main monocultures crops in the United States due to the wide use of these plants in countless products on the grocery store shelves. These monocultures have caused the use of pesticides to reach levels never seen before by the agricultural...
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...services. These pollinators have helped produce approximately $19 billion worth of agricultural crops in the United States alone in 2010. (Arnold). The BeeBase, operated by the National Bee Unit (NBU) in England, has been operating since 1991 and was created to set out to protect and sustain the national bee stocks. A new initiative called, Healthy Bees Plan, encourages the 20,000 beekeepers in England and Wales to register and stay in close contact with the NBU. The database will play a key role in allocating the new funds allotted to honey bee protection. (National Bee Unit). Honey bee colonies are collapsing because of colony collapse disorder or CCD. There are many factors that cause CCD, such as parasites, viruses, chemicals, bacteria, and the environment, but many experts disagree on what combination of these factors actually cause CCD. Despite being considered a pest, nuisance, and some may say, dangerous, the bees are still a necessary part of agriculture. As humans, we should respond to their disappearance by helping re-populate the honey bees since many plants rely on them for pollination. Different ways to help re-populate the bees are by planting a diversity of plants around your home to lessen the potential contamination of plants, avoid the use of any pesticides, and lastly, take up bee keeping as a hobby. Without bees, cross pollination of plants would lessen and plants will be more susceptible to diseases. Honey bees are essential to the human survival because honey...
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...The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that out of some 100 crop species which provide 90% of food worldwide, 71 of these are bee-pollinated. In Europe alone, 84% of the 264 crop species are animal pollinated and 4 000 vegetable varieties exist thanks to pollination by bees. The production value of one tonne of pollinator dependent crop is approximately five times higher than one of those crop categories that do not depend on insects. There is only a handful of plant species that do not need pollen transfer from other plants to reproduce and are not likely to be affected by changes in the health of bee populations but the majority of plants on Earth however need animal pollination to produce seeds and fruits....
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...disadvantaged producers, non-discrimination, better environmental practices and the application of responsible methods of production Important Issues • Happy Valley understands the urgent and real need for healthy bees as pollinators for food production. We are actively seeking new and improved solutions to improve honey bee health. • To ensure the ongoing healthy status of our bees we strictly limit crop protection products and specifically curtail unnecessary chemical pest treatments which could hurt the health or affect the growth of healthy bees. We only use crop protection products that are effective in managing pests, excellent operator safety with relatively favourable environmental profiles. • Scientists and health regulatory authorities agree that bee health is a complex issue especially as in recent times it has been put forward that bee populations are on the incline. The need to be resolute and proactive in management practices is even more important now. Such is the delicate balance we strive to manage all factors including pests and parasites, microbial diseases, inadequate diet and climate change whereas we can make a difference. • In normal bee lifecycle during the summer season. Approximately 2200 worker bees may leave the hive to perish naturally. This is due to the average lifespan worker bees enjoy of four to six weeks. The expired bees are replaced daily by...
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