Running head: SAVE THE HONEY BEES!

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Save the Honey Bees Ryan Lovett Northern Illinois University

SAVE THE HONEY BEES!

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Save the Honey Bees! Breaking news! Honey bees turn into zombies! Honey bees are disappearing because of colony collapse disorder. Honey bees are the most important insect to the survival of the human race because honey bees pollinate about one third of the fruits and vegetables used as food (Genersch, 2010, p. 87). In order to save the honey bees from extinction, it is important to first understand what honey bees do. It is also important to know how beekeepers take care of bees so that more beekeepers may be trained for future bees to thrive and for others to be knowledgeable of the bees. Commercial beekeepers transport their bees all around the United States to pollinate the US food supply. Research of colony collapse disorder or CCD, which is the reason for the bees disappearing, is important so bee keepers and scientists can prevent further cases of CCD. Understanding What Honey Bees Do. Honey bees are an important creature that balances the ecosystem. Understanding what bees do is important to maintaining their survival, as well as ours. The major objective of any bee is to form a nest; in the case of honey bees their nest is a hive. In order to build their house, a queen bee and some workers begin making the foundation. Once the house is completed, the workers get the queen settled in and she begins laying eggs. In captivity, the queen is confined to her quarters, which is the brood nest, where she is to lay eggs (p. 8). Where did the queen and her workers come from? If they are in the wild, they most likely came from an old hive by swarming, which is splitting and forming a new hive (Burns, 2010, p. 4). Swarming is “a normal and healthy activity in the beehive” the majority of beekeepers try and prevents it because it