Over the last few decades, we’ve started to see the bees’ population begin to dwindle. What is happening to the bees? Will it continue? What would happen if they died off? These are all questions scientists are asking, and we need to figure out the answers quickly.

1. Where Are The Bees Going?
By Maddy Cheney

2. What’s happening with the bees?
Bees are commonly known as the little bugs that sting you and make honey. The most familiar
are the honey bee and the bumble bee, but there are around 20,000 species of bees! However,
over the last few decades, we’ve started to see the bees’ population begin to dwindle. As the
population goes down, there is less biodiversity with bees. Marla Spivak, a professor at the
University of Minnesota, says, “...in the United States, an average of 30 percent of all beehives
are lost every winter. About 20 years ago, we were at a 15-percent loss. So it's getting
precarious.” What is happening to the bees? Will it continue? What would happen if they died
off? These are all questions scientists are asking, and we need to figure out the answers
quickly.

3. Do we know what is causing it?
There is not one single answer as to what is causing the bees’ disappearance. Right after WWII, we started using more
synthetic fertilizers rather than natural fertilizers like clover and alfalfa, which are highly nutritious for the bees. We also
started to use more herbicides, which kill off weeds that are also beneficial to the bees’ health. Some farms and other
places with plants are dominated by one or two single plants, lowering the diversity of the plants available to the bees.
Many crops have had an increase in demand as well over the last few decades, which brings more need for pollinators. But
with the bees disappearing, how can we pollinate all of the important crops we want for which pollination is essential?
Also, because of this demand, bees have been shipped all over in trucks to go and pollinate crops at farms. However, this
introduces new diseases climates for the bees, and it’s not natural. One of the main reasons however, is pesticides.

4. pesticides
After we started using pesticides more often we started to see
the decrease in bee populations. Researchers have found that
in the pollen the bees take home as food you
can almost always find a few traces of pesticides. While
these pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides are
not meant to hurt the bees, sometimes the make their way up
to the flower and pollen, and from there it can hurt the bee. It
could make the bee disoriented, have health problems, and
worst case it can cause death.

5. So Why Does All Of This Matter?
Bees make a big difference in all of our lives. Bees have a symbiotic relationship with flower bearing plants. The plants
provide nectar and pollen for the bees, and the bees help the flowers reproduce by spreading around their pollen. Bees
pollinate about one third of the world’s crop, and most of that pollination is done by honey bees. If we didn’t have any
more bees, the world would be greatly affected. First of all we would have little to none of those crops that bees pollinate.
Some major and familiar crops they pollinate are apples, mangos, peaches, avocados, almonds, pumpkins, cucumbers,
coffee, cotton, and many more. What would the world be like without all of these crops? Not to mention they pollinate
crops like alfalfa that feed our cows, so they also help us supply food for livestock that then provides milk, meat, etc. Bees
set off a chain reaction. In a food web with bees in it, they have many connections and are essential to the lives of many.
They pollinate many of our crops, and they are food sources for many animals like spiders and birds. Plus, who doesn’t love
honey and a world full of blooming flowers?

6. What can we do to save them?
Saving the bees is an important task. Like I said earlier, they play an essential role in many lives.
Here are a few ways you can help save the bees:
● Plant more flowers. Planting more flowers gives the bees more food and more chances to collect pollen. Try and plant native plants, as
the bees are most likely already adapted to them. You can also plant things like fruit trees if you have room. It’s also a good idea to
plant different variety of plants that bloom at different times, that way the bees have access to nectar and pollen longer. Make sure
your seeds and starts are organic and not treated with pesticides. Planting more ensures more for the bees and you get beautiful
flowers and tasty fruit from it!
● Use organic and natural fertilizers and pesticides. This lowers the amount of toxic pesticides the bees are exposed to.
● Leave a section of your yard or garden natural, untidy, or not mowed. Let the weeds grow! Plants like dandelions actually help the bees
a lot. If the section is natural, there aren’t problems with pesticides and it can give the bees a place to nest safely.
● Make a bee bath. Surprisingly bees get thirsty too! Fill a shallow container with clean water and some pebbles or sticks and voila! The
bees now have a place to safely access fresh clean water.
● Support your local and organic farms. They tend to support more biodiversity and their bees have better health. Also, buy local and
organic honey and organic cotton. Cotton is a crop high in pesticide, so if you buy organic there is less demand for those that do use
pesticides.

7. Conclusion
In conclusion, we should try and solve the puzzling problem of the bees. They play such an
essential part in the world, and it definitely would not be the same without it. We wouldn’t
have lots of those beautiful blooming flowers, or some of that tasty fresh produce or honey.
It’s simple. Plant more flowers, use less pesticides, be more natural. With enough effort, we can
all save the bees.

8. bibliography
● http://environment.yale.edu/yer/article/what-is-happening-with-the-bees#gs
c.tab=0
● https://www.ted.com/talks/marla_spivak_why_bees_are_disappearing#t-909772
● http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/silence-of-the-bees-how-can-you-help-the-be
es/36/
● https://savebees.org/
● https://www.nrdc.org/onearth/would-world-without-bees-be-world-without-us
● http://thehoneybeeconservancy.org/plant-a-bee-garden/