The Pros And Cons Of Killing Bees
Something is killing our honeybees. They have been in decline for the past ten years. Honey is becoming more expensive, and agriculture is suffering because of the shrinking numbers. Our crop resources are at risk of losing one third their normal reaping. There has got to be something we can do to prevent this loss.
What is killing our honeybees? Neonicotinoids are the leading cause of hive colony collapse disorder. When a hive becomes infected by this common insecticide, used to kill pests like ants or mosquitos, the bees begin to die and cannot support the hive they could only maintain if every bee did its part. Some people argue this isn’t the only thing that’s killing bees however. Some beekeepers believe that colony collapse disorder is caused by a mixture of fungicides, pesticides, and also pathogens and parasites. Some of the information supporting this is the way a hive reacts to the neonicotinoids. When a hive gets backspray, usually the queen …show more content…
Most beekeepers are helping by keeping their business going. If we were to buy hives of our own, we could help keep the population running through hive growth. But, small numbers won’t solve any problems. This needs to become a world-wide effort. You can, however, start on your own because every hive counts. Another solution would be to avoid spraying pesticides on plants that bees consider desirable. If bees are attracted to a certain crop that we spray to keep insects from destroying, then the bees will carry the pesticide back to the hive, should they survive the poison. If we avoid spraying in areas that bees pollinate frequently we could combat the severe losses we see on a yearly basis. The last thing that we can do in our communities is build a healthy environment for the bees. If we cannot own them, then we can at least provide areas for bees to collect pollen and grow hives. These three small things, if performed on large scales could very well help sustain the declining
What is killing our honeybees? Neonicotinoids are the leading cause of hive colony collapse disorder. When a hive becomes infected by this common insecticide, used to kill pests like ants or mosquitos, the bees begin to die and cannot support the hive they could only maintain if every bee did its part. Some people argue this isn’t the only thing that’s killing bees however. Some beekeepers believe that colony collapse disorder is caused by a mixture of fungicides, pesticides, and also pathogens and parasites. Some of the information supporting this is the way a hive reacts to the neonicotinoids. When a hive gets backspray, usually the queen …show more content…
Most beekeepers are helping by keeping their business going. If we were to buy hives of our own, we could help keep the population running through hive growth. But, small numbers won’t solve any problems. This needs to become a world-wide effort. You can, however, start on your own because every hive counts. Another solution would be to avoid spraying pesticides on plants that bees consider desirable. If bees are attracted to a certain crop that we spray to keep insects from destroying, then the bees will carry the pesticide back to the hive, should they survive the poison. If we avoid spraying in areas that bees pollinate frequently we could combat the severe losses we see on a yearly basis. The last thing that we can do in our communities is build a healthy environment for the bees. If we cannot own them, then we can at least provide areas for bees to collect pollen and grow hives. These three small things, if performed on large scales could very well help sustain the declining