Beekeeping

Bumblebees and Blueberries Many plants require insects for pollination, and therefore reproduction. Blueberries are one such species of plant. They are also one of the main products of Maine. In 2007 alone, Maine gained around 250 million dollars from their blueberry industry (University of Maine 2007). One of the key pollinators of Maine blueberries are the native bumblebees. There are 17 known native bumblebee species in Maine, but there seems to be a problem. It is well known that there has…

My TEDtalk is about sharks and bees, animals that should not be feared and that humans need to stop killing. Both are important to the ecosystem, and without them, the world would be much worse off. Bees are disappearing, and without them, Earth is in trouble. Bees are responsible for most of the flowers and fruit that humans enjoy. They spread pollen so plants can reproduce. If bees disappeared completely, much of our food would disappear as well. This would cause serious problems for everyone.…

Increasing carbon dioxide levels are causing the bees to potentially have to find a new source of food. Pollen gives bees their only source of protein. This means that if pollen is somehow changed the bees could be affected by it directly. Supposedly the rising carbon dioxide levels “sap the nutritional quality of pollen”(Millius). Protein in the goldenrod plant species has gone down from eighteen percent to twelve percent over the last 172 years. During this time is is said that carbon…

“Save The Bees”... But no, really, Save them. Bees: A flying insect known for pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. These small insects get a lot of bad reputation for ludicrous reasons. The phrase “No Bees, No Food” has been floating around the internet in recent years and for a very valid reason. Millions of bees are perishing around the world, causing our food supply to shrink and environment being harmed drastically. Why are bees “so important” to our food supply? Well, bees…

10 Reasons to hate about summer! Bees Bees are the only insects that make food for humans but they are still a reason to hate summer. Yes, we love their honey but we hate their sting. To be stung by a bee is not fun at all in fact it hurts. A bee will follow you around if you wear a perfume or cologne they like, especially if it is a flowery scent. When this happens you are not supposed to swat at it, but let’s face it we all do it. To avoid being stung by a bee you should not wear bright…

The honeybees with which Americans are most familiar are European honeybees that began arriving in the New World with the Spanish explorers. In the centuries since, honeybees from the Old World comprised virtually all of the bees kept for pollination and honey production. In the 1950s, a research scientist in Brazil imported some bees from Africa to breed with European honeybees. African bees displayed greater resistance to disease and produced more honey than their European cousins. The…

Bees are one of nature’s greatest gifts; they pollinate flowers, they make honey, and they keep many ecosystems healthy. I believe that we should be putting more effort into saving bees for those very reasons, and I believe that we couldn’t do it without them. The first reason we need bees is that we can’t do what bees can do. Bees have special bodies and body parts to do the job that they were meant to do. Humans can’t pollinate flowers because, even with special equipment, humans would…

Bees are insects that are needed in today's society more than humans can imagine. Bees live in colonies that are often maintained by beekeepers. Centuries of selective breeding by humans have created honey bees that produce far more honey than the colony needs. Beekeepers harvest the honey. They provide a place for the colony to live and to store honey in. The modern beehive is made up of a series of square or rectangular boxes without tops or bottoms placed one on top of another. Inside the…

Humans should take action against killer bees because they kill and injure too many people and they are too aggressive. Killer bees have killed many people because they are easily alarmed by loud sounds or even people going near them. Killer bees are too aggressive because they are easily threatened and according to the article “How do killer bees kill” “if a killer bee colony senses a threat, on the other hand, the victim could be stung around 2,000 times.” When killer bees feel threatened they…

Globally, nationally, and locally there is an increasing threat that looms over our agricultural and horticultural societies. The population of pollinating bees has been steadily shrinking. Over the past 10 years, beekeepers have reported more than 30 percent hive losses globally. In the United States, beekeepers annually report a loss of 40 to 50 percent or more. Furthermore, our region has experienced a steady 30 to 40 percent loss each year. Frankly, these statistics are quite unsettling.…