Save the Bees

Written by Sami Harris, Maria Milnes, and Jordan Cummings

Table of Contents
History

Causes
Consequences
Solution
Opposing Argument
Works Cited

History
For several decades now, there have been reports of disappearing bees and high rates of
decline in honeybee colonies. In the U.S. and Europe, beekeepers have reported annual hive
losses of 30% or higher. Bees are crucial to global food production as they play a huge role in
pollinating the crops. Without the bees and other such pollinating insects, we would lose a third
of all of our food (zucchini, apricots, almonds, spices, edible oils, and much more). The

economic value of bees and their pollination work is estimated to be around 265 billion euros
worldwide. With the declining number of bees and bee colonies, there has been a 40% loss of
commercial honeybees in the U.S. since 2006.

Causes
Some of the most prominent factors for such a decline in the bee population is industrial
agriculture, parasites, and climate change. Pesticides and insecticides are chemicals designed
specifically to kill off insects from cropland areas, which harm the bee population and other
pollinating insect species. These insecticides show clear negative effects on the health of
pollinators. Industrial agriculture has many negative effects on the global bee population.
Chemical intensive agriculture systems can lead to mortality and/or altered foraging abilities for
both wild and managed bees. The chemicals may cause high mortality and levels of stress,

block the ability of the bees to keep their colony and food clean, and weaken their immune
systems and colony as a whole. Many other practices of industrial agriculture are harmful to the
pollinating species, such as tillage, irrigation, and deforestation. They often destroy the sites and
colonies of the pollinators.

Consequences:
Honey bees are essential to the growth of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Without them,
humans wouldnt have enough food to eat in order to survive. If the bees continue to decline, we
will see dramatic effects. Within the span of 10 years, we will see an increase in the price of
produce due to the lack of product in the market. Less bees means less pollination which will
lead to a decrease in productions for farms. In the next 20, 30, and 50 years, the human race will
have to heavily depend on meats rather than fruits and vegetables.

Solutions
The only solution to this bee crisis is ecological farming. We need to stop industrial
agriculture and shift towards healthier, less chemical-intensive farming. This provides us with
healthy food, soil, water, a better climate, and promotes biodiversity. By using ecological
farming and eliminating synthetic chemical pesticides, fertilizers, and other GMOs, we will be
protecting not only honey-bees, but many other pollinating species. One of the worst pesticides is
neonicotinoids which is similar to nicotine and is said to have a wide range of effects such as
scrambling a bees ability to navigate so it cant forage properly and suppressing the immune
system and leaving the bee vulnerable to parasites. The European Union banned this class of
pesticides, and while this is a great advancement in the agricultural world, many fear that the
farmers will turn to more toxic pesticides within the ban.

Opposing Argument
The opposing argument against conservation of Bees is mainly that we need food more
than we need bees. The pesticides and insecticides are necessary to keep important crops alive.
Risking the production of food is not worth the survival of bees to these farmers. There is more
than one way to complete the harvesting of crops without these big industrial machines and
pesticides. The big reason is money. These farmers are running a business and are trying to make
the most money they can without spending a lot. Financial problems is the main reason for the
farmers continuing their harmful harvesting techniques when it is all said and done.

Works Cited
http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/indiana/journeywithnature
/bees-agriculture.xml
http://sos-bees.org/
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/sustainable-agriculture/save-the-bees/
http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/04/living/iyw-5-ways-to-help-bees/