The Honeybee Population Crisis

Superior Essays
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Michael Heile
Nelson 3
English 11 Honors
April 29 2016
Honeybee Population Crisis
Bees are very crucial to our society. They pollinate over $14 billion worth of crops each year (Ballaro and Warhol). With that amount of money you could buy almost 15 new Viking stadiums each year. They are so valuable to our society and if the bee population goes down, the human population will soon follow. Although many people are unaware of the shrinking bee population, scientific evidence has proven it to be a major problem. Due to CCD and other diseases, our food production and plant life could be decreased to dangerous levels, but the problem can be easily prevented.
Throughout history we have seen a decrease in bee population, but nothing as severe …show more content…
We treat bees like machines instead of animals. In 1984 a new parasite, the Tracheal mite began to diminish both wild and commercial honeybees in the U.S. In 1987, American beekeepers experienced some of the heaviest losses on record from the Varroa mite. Because of CCD it has been noted that losses as high as eighty percent are occurring overnight (Rich and Morley). Even with all of these things decreasing the population, it is an easy fix. We as humans need to live in neutrality with the bees. Some cities will not allow bees to be kept within 500 feet from any homes and even limit the number of colonies a keeper can have. Other cities have banned beekeeping altogether (Rich and Morley). It is crazy that such an important animal is being treated like a pest especially considering how tirelessly they work for our benefit. Another easy solution would be to plant more bee friendly plants. Plants such as lavender, lilac, sunflowers and flowering vegetables and fruits are perfect for bees (Ballaro and …show more content…
"Honey Bee Population: An Overview." Points Of View: Honey Bee Population (2016): 1. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.Web source.
Goldmark, S. M., and Tom Warhol. "Counterpoint: Insecticides Such As Sevin And DDT Are Very Harmful." Points Of View: Insecticide Spraying (2016): 3. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.Web source
Lee, M., and Marcus Griswold. "Counterpoint: Honeybee Colony Collapse Disorder Is Not A Crisis." Points Of View: Honey Bee Population (2016): 3. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.Web source
Rich, Alex K., and David C. Morley. "Point: A Threat To Honeybee Populations Is A Threat To World Food Production." Points Of View: Honey Bee Population (2016): 2. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.Web

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