Pollinator decline

Experience 3: Leaf science: how to find the hidden colours Rationale: To understand how leaves change colour and why they are green. This is aimed at moving Billy from pre-theoretical knowledge to sound scientific understanding of chlorophyll while understanding the world around him, in a visual way. Materials: Clear jars Coffee filter paper Pencils Rubbing alcohol A range of leaves, including autumn colours 10 sandwich bags Labels Gardening gloves Rolling pin Curriculum Link: NSW Science…

The films “Food Machine” and “Farmland” we watched in class were both very educational about agriculture. Food Machine was more of an indirect communication, whereas Farmland sent a very direct message. Both of the films brought life to the production of the foods we consume everyday. They showed their audience how these foods are grown and harvested. The film, Food Machine, scratched the surface of food production. The film was based on some of the United State’s largest places of ag…

Saving the Bees, One Backyard at a Time Bees play a vital role in our food supply. They pollinate more than 70% of the food we eat, including nuts, berries and other fruits and vegetables. Nevertheless, these hard working insects are disappearing from our planet faster than we can imagine. Between pesticides and all the new communities being built on farmland, we leave no room for wildlife, including honey bees. It’s time to take a stand, by changing the laws of the land and making…

million bee colonies, whereas today we are sitting at around 2.6 million. While the effects are evident, the cause behind them is not. There are many factors believed to be aiding the decline of the bee population, however no one participant can take all the blame. One of the most commonly sought reasons for their decline relates to new pesticides. A modern class of pesticides referred to as neonicotinoids has been linked to killing more bees than those introduced to other pesticides.…

What is CCD? CCD stands for colony collapse disorder, which is a sudden population loss in worker bees. This loss leaves the queen alone with a few nurse bees to take care of her and the few remaining young bees. When a colony is affected by CCD, there are very few dead bees near the colony. What causes CCD? Varroa mites are one of the bigger problems. Varroa mites are parasites that hitch a ride on a bee, and end up in the hive. Once they are in the hive they lay eggs and any bacteria or…

on bee pollination. Without bee pollination we would have crops such as apples, cucumbers, squash etc. Without bees the pollination of our crops and flower would either not occur at all or would be less efficient. Bees are extremely productive pollinators. They are apart of large colonies that can be moved around when needed and work together to make the process productive. They have a process called flower fidelity where they focus solely on one specific species of the flower as a group and…

Why are Bees Vanishing? (Article project by Lara Boyle) Many dilemmas have occurred in the last one hundred years. Most of them have to do with our crisis with the problem of global warming. Unlike most problems, some of the issues like why bees are vanishing can cause a great disruption in our economy and way of life. The bee population in the United States and in Europe have decreased majorly, leading bees to soon become endangered. In the United States alone, up to one-third of commercial…

If the tree is dying fast and has already been infested with carpenter bees it is more than likely going to die. This is the eastern carpenter bees (Xylocopa virgincia) and they are found around wood in use for decks, housing, or any rough lumber structures usually. They can also use a dead or dying tree for their habitat. A separate disease or insect killed or seriously degraded the tree prior to the bees infested. These bees range across the Eastern United States and Canada. They are important…

winter loss rates have increased for 22.3 percent to previous rates of about 28.1 percent of this past winter. On the other hand, the summer loss rates have increased from 25.3 percent to 28.1 percent. Nature World News stated that the continued decline of bee colonies in the United States are due to man-made and natural actions. The researchers said that a lethal parasite known as varroa mite could be the main cause of the decrease of bee colonies. It is also attributed to the use of pesticides…

How do bees benefit human society? Bees are a vital part of our society; they provide food and pollinate plants. They help pollination and a lot of plants depend on bees for them to spread seeds, therefor many crops would die off if there were no bees. No human action or resourcefulness could ever supplant the work of honeybees. With the bees help of pollination they have helped our agriculture and the economy like the invaluable pollinating services bees provide us with, helped produce…