General Purpose: To inform the audience about beekeeping techniques.

Specific Purpose: To have the audience understand the importance of bees and the techniques
used to take care of them.
INTRODUCTION:
Attention Getter: Imagine never being able to drink coffee or eat strawberries, carrots,
watermelon, peppers, and tomatoes ever again.
Topic Credibility: According to an article published in 2013, Christina Sarich, a humanitarian
and published writer, says if beekeepers did not choose to update their techniques through
innovative processes this could have been a reality.
Speaker Credibility: I have done extensive research on this topic through articles, books, and
the internet.
Thesis: Bees are dying for many different reasons and innovative techniques are necessary to
prevent this.
Preview of Main Points: In order to inform about the topic, I will talk about what used to kill
bees and what changes were made in beekeeping to prevent this.
BODY:
I. What factors used to be killing bees.
A. Pesticides that are used on crops are one of the two biggest things that kills bees.
(EVA CRANE citation)
1. World War Two caused in increase in large scale agriculture causing an
increase in pesticide use.
2. This time period was when the majority of farmers began to use pesticides,
and it has not stopped since.
3. The use of pesticides commercially is prevalent in all parts of the world
however, they cause issues with many insects as well as among people.
B. Along with pesticides, Varroa Mites are another major factor that kills large
quantities of bees. (NICK LUCCHESI citation)
1. The Asian Varroa Mite carries viruses that the European Honeybee has no
immunity against.
2. “20 mites among 100 bees was a concern 20 years ago, but today three mites
among 100 bees carries the same threat level.”
3. The transfer of viruses is not the only problem. (MAY BERNENBAUM
citation)
{Transition: Pesticides and Varroa Mites are the most common causes of premature bee death
and innovative techniques are being created to prevent these issues.}
II. What changes were made in beekeeping techniques.
A. The first innovation to come to the public was for pesticides. (DAMIAN
CARRINGTON citation)
1. No pesticides will be allowed to be used in the European Union at the end of
2018 except for in closed greenhouses.
 2. The lack of pesticides is innovative because it is a new method of farming,
farmers have been using pesticides around the world since World War Two
and finally, 73 years later, things are starting to change.
3. Banning pesticides is a very new idea and it still has not been widely liked by
farmers in Europe.
B. Along with pesticides scientists have also been trying to find effective ways to get
rid of the Varroa Mite. (PETER TRODTFELD citation)
1. The Varroa Gate is a small plastic strip with holes in it that goes over the
entrance to the bee hive.
2. The strip produces a chemical called Acaricide that kills the Varroa Mites.
3. If the mites are not killed during reentrance the mites could spread from one
bee to another effecting large portions of the hive.
{Transition: The Varroa Mites are cited by many sources to be the biggest cause of premature
bee death, so this innovation is very important to save the bees and the crops.}
CONCLUSION:
Summary of Main Points: Innovation in farming is being used to eradicate death by pesticide
and innovative bee hive designs are being used to prevent death from mites.
Restated Thesis: These innovative techniques are essential to prevent the death of bees.
Concluding Sentence: Hopefully we will never have to think about losing coffee, strawberries,
watermelon, or carrots ever again thanks to the innovations in beekeeping that are protecting the
bees and crops of the world.

Berenbaum, May R. “Bees in Crisis: Colony Collapse, Honey Laundering, and Other Problems
Bee-Setting American Apiculture.” Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society,
vol. 158, no. 3, Sept. 2014, pp. 229–249.
Carrington, Damian. “EU Agrees Total Ban on Bee-Harming Pesticides.” The Guardian, Apr.
2018, www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/27/eu-agrees-total-ban-on-bee-
harming-pesticides.
Crane, Eva. Bees and Beekeeping. Cornell University Press, 1990.
Lucchesi, Nick. “Good News for Honeybees: 2016 Population Results Are Not
‘Horrible.’” Inverse, May 2017, www.inverse.com/article/32107-why-are-bees-dying.
Sarich, Christina. “List of Foods We Will Lose If We Don't Save the Bees.” Natural Society, 2
Aug. 2013, naturalsociety.com/list-of-foods-we-will-lose-if-we-dont-save-the-bees/.
Trodtfeld, Peter. “The Varroa Mite- a Deadly and Dangerous Bee Parasite.” Bee Care, Bayer
CropScience, 2017
beecare.bayer.com/bilder/upload/dynamicContentFull/Publications/The_Varroa_Miteiml
yg0e5.pdf.