...HAPPEN IF BEES WERE TO BECOME EXTINCT Introduction Bees are an integral part of our planet’s ecosystem. They pollinate up to one third of the crops on Earth (Ashraf, 2012) and are responsible for providing us with many of the foods on our dinner table each night. Einstein famously postulated that if bees were to become extinct, mankind would be soon to follow. Bees are facing colony collapse disorder, a situation where they leave their hives by either flying off or dying. This disorder resembles the mysterious disappearance of the Mayans centuries ago; do we want to follow in their footsteps? What Einstein was referring to in his famous quote is the symbiotic relationship of life on the planet. Since we all are part off an interconnected ecosystem where each element of our world plays an important role we should take care of each element. The percentage of bees disappearing is surprisingly high, for example in the U.S. 90% of the wild bees population has died out (Gerber, 2007). The U.S. is just one example - there are many bees dying out in Europe, such as the Netherlands and the United Kingdom where 80 percent of the bee population has gone missing (Gerber, 2007). According to Keith Tignor, the state apiarist for Virginia, beekeepers today are losing 25 percent of the beehive compared to 30 years ago when the rate was between 5 and 10 percent. The phenomenon of colony collapse disorder has now become a global issue; all over the world the instances of bees dying out is...
Words: 1578 - Pages: 7
...without Bees By: Aisha Walker The Current situation: Life without Bees Colony collapse disorder, as situation in which adult bees become crucial to the colony’s survival by abandonment of the hive by either dying or flying off. The disorder was uncannily reminiscent of the mysterious disappearance of the Mayans centuries ago, and as the crisis continued, researches scrambled to learn why our bees were declining and determine what to do. Colony collapse disorders has wiped out over 10 million bee hives percent annually in recent years and there are now about $2 billion over the past six years. The death rate for colonies has hit 30 the U.S; down from 6 million in 1947 and 3 million in 1990. That downward spiral leaves”virtually no cushion of bees for pollination’” the report authors write. In recent years, agricultural pesticides have become a leading suspect in bee deaths. Attention has focused on a class of chemicals called neonicotinoids as global concern grows over the bee population crash, which has affected several European countries too.But scientist increasingly believe several interacting factors from diseases carrying parasites to poor nutrition to pesticides and is responsible for the mass die off. For instance, the report says studies have shown that exposure to even non-fatal levels of neonicotinoids may make bees more susceptible to disease; and as agriculture becomes more industrial and natural habitats that formerly bordered farmland are destroyed, bees are...
Words: 607 - Pages: 3
...For some people bees can be annoying and irritating. They buzz around sometimes stings people and always gets into your food and drinks when you try to eat or have a snack outside. Some even have allergic reactions to the stings. Well like it or not, if it weren’t for bees then we would all be dead. Since the 1900’s, beekeepers have watched the decline of bees. They have reported the dropping rate of the bees. Bee killing pesticides are one of the most biggest reason for this decline. Industrial agriculture, climate change and parasites are also the big reasons for the decline of the bees. Bees play a huge role in the ecosystems. A third of our global food supply is from bees. We depend on their pollination greatly. If we didn’t have the bees then wewould all die. We would have no one to pollinate all of the crops. If we they died we would have to hand pollinate everything, which takes a very long time, very expensive, and laborious. So technically it pays to have the bees naturally pollinate themselves. Since the end of World War II, the use of pesticides have increased greatly. Neonicotinoids have the biggest impact on the bees. Neonicotinoids are a very popular pesticide and are chemically speaking- similar to...
Words: 959 - Pages: 4
...The Colony Collapse Disorder is a mystery that involves bees abandoning their hives which causes hives to fail and therefore bees are dying at alarming rates. About one third of the population of bees gets affected by these diseases that occur. (Walsh) The bees that get infected are the reasons why the hives collapse and lower the population of honey bees. Once the bees are infected they die off and cannot maintain the colony. In some cases bees are experiencing memory loss from contaminates and therefore they can not return to their hives. (Morris)The memory loss is a neurological phenomenon and happens quickly so that the bees can not carry out basic functions. In other cases the bees have deformed wings for no apparent reason and therefore...
Words: 347 - Pages: 2
...disaccharide that undergoes hydrolysis to form two monosaccharaides, glucose and fructose, when it is consumed. Why then should there be any significant difference between consuming sucrose and HFCS-55? A: I believe that when the bees consume HFCS-55 that their body breaks it down and poisons the bees’ body. Q: Can HFCS-55 be considered a natural substance? Explain your reasoning, specifically listing the criteria by which you believe a substance may be considered “natural” as opposed to “unnatural.” A: I would say that HFCS is “unnatural” because HFCS is produced by using an enzyme (Alpha-amylase) to break down corn-starch. This leads me to ask why must we need the enzyme if it were “nature” Q: Both “natural” and genetically modified (GM) forms of corn are available in the United States. Based on the criteria that you have listed for Question 2, does your answer to the previous question depend on whether the HFCS-55 is made from “natural” or GM corn? Explain your reasoning. A: Yes, I believe that HFCS-55 is not “natural” and that it is a genetically modified form of corn. Q: It has been argued that just the process of transporting honeybees from one crop location to another over long distances may contribute to CCD regardless of what the colonies are fed. Is there evidence to support or refute this argument? A: Yes, I think that taking these bees all over the country each year is causing them stress and not to mention the fact that they need to eat...
Words: 949 - Pages: 4
...Honey Bees are Disappearing The drastic decline of honey bees in the United States is a marvel that has many individuals making inquiries. A famous thinker, Albert Einstein, quoted, “If the bees disappear from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live.” Is this true? Need I remind us that these little creatures play an extremely important role in pollinating many, if not most of our food crops. Bees are a primary source for farming over two-thirds of our food by pollinating them, and they are the most important group in moderate climates (Palmer). Without the correct balance, humanity would slowly wane in population, as our food production and supply will decrease. As small as they may seem, they render a critically...
Words: 1782 - Pages: 8
...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...
Words: 1419 - Pages: 6
... Virgil was born. The tree rapidly reached the size of other older trees. Consequently, pregnant women who wished their children to become as successful as Virgil worshiped the tree. (Naumman) Virgil’s family was well regarded but they weren’t wealthy. Virgil’s father, according to some historians was a potter, even though some have stated that he used to work for a Magus, an attendant on the magistrates, and because of his upstanding work his employer allowed him to marry his daughter. He later acquired some land and was dedicated to raise bees. The influence of Agriculture impacted Virgil’s writings. Bees were greatly admired and understood by Virgil. He writes in his Georgics “Bees on the other hand , though very tiny, are admirable community, often taken as exemplary for human society….Virgil handles his bees with affection. They’re little Romans ; they’re intensely patriotic, industrious, selfless, dying gladly for the community. ‘All...
Words: 1562 - Pages: 7
...Stanza 1 Summary Lines 1-2 Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun; * From the title it's clear that the speaker is talking about autumn. The speaker briefly describes the season and immediately jumps into personification, suggesting that autumn and the sun are old pals. * "Mists" often accompany chilly weather because the moisture in the air condenses into a vapor when it's cold. * "Mellow fruitfulness" sounds like something people would say at a wine tasting, doesn't it? "Mmm...this season has a mellow fruitfulness, with just a hint of cherry and chocolate." The word "mellow," meaning low-key or subdued, is a good fit for autumn, with its neutral colors and cool, yet not cold, weather. And it's also the season when many fruits and other crops are harvested, making autumn fruit-full. * Autumn is a close friend of the sun, who is "maturing" as the year goes on. "Maturing" could be a polite way of saying "getting old." The sun is no longer in its prime. * A "bosom-friend" is like that friend you told all your secrets to in junior high school. Lines 3-4 Conspiring with him how to load and bless With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run; * Ah, so now the sun and autumn are "conspiring," eh? Looks like we might have to separate the two of them. What are they whispering about over there? * OK, so not quite as thrilling as we thought. They are planning how to make fruit grow on the vines that curl...
Words: 3356 - Pages: 14
...Secret Life of Bees Reading Log Ch.9 Chapter Summary: The chapter starts with Lily and August hanging around on a scorching hot day and because of the heat they had to go out and make sure the bees had everything they needed so they wouldn’t die. Afterwards, they returned to the house and found Rosaleen and May spraying each other with a hose. They soon after joined in, and then when June came out to see what was going on, Lily sprayed her with the hose drenching her clothes. In spite of her attempts to stay angry, June joined in as well. Afterwards June and Lily finally broke the ice and became friends. Later on within the chapter Zach and his friends were hanging near the theater where the white men were, soon after his friends get out the car and harasses the men and Zach got out of the car to join them while they loudly made fun of the men for thinking Jack Palance was showing up. When one of the men replied back, Jackson who is Zach’s friend threw his Cola bottle at the men and the police showed up and arrested them all... Character Summary: Lily is very charismatic and just an all-out nice person during this chapter, this is shown by her actions such as when her and June finally became friends with each other after the playful incident that occurred during the water fight with the hose. Also Lily shows that she is very charismatic by going to visit Zach in jail and show her support and love for the innocent young man, she appears that she may have feelings for him...
Words: 525 - Pages: 3
...While in Tiburon Lily and a teenage boy named Zach helped to assist August,the beekeeper, with her honey business. On the day Lily got the courage to tell August why she actually came to Tiburon, Zach asked Lily to go into town. In town an incident with some colored boys and a few white men. The interaction ended in all the colored boys going to jail because no one would confess who hit a white man with a coke bottle.Everyone in the house knew that Zach had been in jail except for August’s sister, May.May was a bit unstable before hearing Zach was incarcerated but after receiving the news she just couldn’t handle it. The night May found out about Zach she went down to the river in the woods and put a huge rock on her chest and left a note for May and her other sister June explaining why she killed herself. May killing herself was the result of...
Words: 664 - Pages: 3
...Wild Bees” Abstract: It is a well-known fact that the global population of bees is declining. This is a major concern because bees are the primary pollinators of the world’s crops. Commercial honeybees and wild bees both have significant impacts on the fate of the worlds produce. Without bees, produce would be an impossibility to get because there would be very little to none available. The reasons as to why this is happening have not been completely isolated yet, but scientists are testing multiple factors as to why this could be happening. One of the reasons could be pesticide and insecticide application to crops around the world. Pesticide and insecticide application could be a major contributing factor as to why the bee population is declining. This is very unfortunate because agriculture is expanding throughout the developing and the developed world. Between 1961 and 2006 global agriculture of pollinator dependent crops has increased by 16.7% in the developed world and by 9.4% in the developing world (Brittain & Potts, 2011). With commercial agriculture comes pesticide and insecticide application. Global pesticide application is expected to more than double to 10 million metric tons by 2050 (Brittain & Potts, 2011). This could be a major issue if in fact insecticides are a leading cause of global bee population decline. Neurotoxic insecticides may pose more of a direct threat to honeybees and wild bees than other kinds of pesticides (Thompson, 2003). Bees can...
Words: 4600 - Pages: 19
...The Secret Life Of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd. Book Report, Dorthea Søiland The secret life of bees centres on Lily’s search for clues and connections to her mother, who was killed when Lily was a little girl. We get to follow her journey as she runs away from her abusive father along with her nanny Rosaleen. Lily is longing to be loved, because the lack of it in her past life is destroying her. “People who think dying is the worst thing, don’t know a thing about life” Lily, p2. The novel is an excellent written drama. It explores race, love and the idea of family and home in troubled times. The author of the book, Sue Monk Kidd, is a well-known writer who has written other known books such as “The Mermaid Chair”(2005) and “A Mother-Daughter Story”(2010). She has been on the New York Times bestselling list twice, which one of them were with this very novel. The secret life of bees was published in 2002 by Penguin Books New York. The story takes place in South Carolina in the 1960’s, which we can say is a time were racism was on it’s worst. Time and place has a lot to do with the story, and we get to look into a time were being black wasn’t easy. The main character of the book is fourteen years old Lily. She is a brave and smart girl, whose only wish for a birthday present is to know a little about her mother. Her fear of living a life without being loved is getting her to write poems, which she’s good at. All-tough Lily doesn’t have a mother she has a father, T....
Words: 1924 - Pages: 8
...The mite reproduces in large colonies and lives off the fluids of the honeybees, miticides are gradually encompassing the protection of honeybees and the eradication of the Varroa. Unfortunately, as Benjamin and McCallum describe: “It’s a classic catch 22: don’t use chemicals and risk seeing your bees dying of the varroa infestation (which has claimed millions[of] colonies across the world.); do not use them and risk the chemical build-up damaging the bees in the long term.”. (161). This mite is developing to an equally as great concern to the population of honeybees as the previously mentioned adversaries, only appearing a few centuries ago and already being highly supported throughout the beekeeping industry. The origin of this parasitic mite has been recorded in something of an ecological horror movie, Jacobsen explains: “The mite came from the Far East, where it has always parasitized Apis cerana (the Asian honeybee). But sometime in the twentieth century it made the leap to Apis mellifera, [the Western honeybee].” (Jacobsen, 58). The impact was immensely crippling, with hundreds of thousands of colonies dying a year throughout the 1990s – prior to common knowledge of this scourge. As previously mentioned, there is a delicateness that is required when attempting to control these mites on a global scale, at the risk of destroying bee colonies through an accidental Ecological...
Words: 1330 - Pages: 6
...soil, letting the buried earth meet the sky. We pressed seeds deep down and the garden flourished. A myriad of colours and scents pressed for attention; roses, lavender, lilies, daffodils, peonies, poppies, tulips. When we finished we would lie down on the rich ground together with the worms and ladybugs, birds and bees. “Do you hear it?” she would ask turning towards me. Pressing my ear to the dark earth I did; the steady pulse of the roots, the sighing sound of buds as they curl upwards towards the light. “Magic!” I’d say smiling. And she would smile back “Yes Sera, the magic of life.” It has been a long time since my mother and I spoke of magic. Our garden, withered, from years of neglect, the bed once filled with flowers now the home of weeds. Her hair is also long gone, the price paid for hope as she underwent chemotherapy for the cancer she thought she had beaten. She doesn’t laugh with me anymore either...only with them, in that room where I can never truly belong, where the failing body seems to create a bond stronger than family. I wish I was in that room too. School no longer held answers. People treated me differently. I was the girl whose mother was dying. They smiled at me, asked me how I was doing, but they expected no reply and pity was in their eyes. Friends I once counted on were awkward and they talked to me less and less as I withdrew from the frivolity of boys, shopping and parties. I didn’t care. They were nothing like the supportive group that surrounded...
Words: 973 - Pages: 4
