Thursday, December 5, 2013
Monday, December 2, 2013
Plight of the Bees
Gallegos 1
Ally Gallegos
Mr. Bursch
Honors Biology 5
27 November 2013
Plight of the Bees
Bees are a very sacred animal, but sadly they are suddenly disappearing. Although their recognition is expressed through different human cultures, Their reputation throughout the world is a huge misunderstanding. If the bees are vanished, with a series of events, all life will also vanish. If Americans don’t make a change soon, nature as we know it, will be distinguished. Americans need to spread the ideas of beekeeping, and think twice about using pesticides.
Beekeeping is a method of raising bees in an enclosed area, keeping them safe and healthy. If there is available time, use it to save the bees! The bees will adapt to their new living situation quickly. It is helpful to collect a hive instead of separate bees for you and the bees. Creating small gardens in a backyard or around a bee enclosure will help the bees pollinate and save all nature! Pollination helps plants grow, and those healthy plants create nutrients and oxygen for the rest of life.
Bees also look to flowers for nutrients as well. Most pesticides contain a toxin called neonicotinoid. It stays in the soil for years which can stop fresh nutrients to flowers. When the number of flowers are reduced, So will the number of bees. The bees will not have a primary source of energy to help them survive and help all life survive. Natural pesticides such as putting up bird boxes will not only benefit the plants, but all bees.
On the other hand, critics may say that humans won't make a difference to the living creatures. The bees will continue to die off or disappear on their own, no matter what. Although the help from Americans will not show drastically, over a period of time, the bees will gradually increase their population. Therefore my opinion is uncontrodictable.
In conclusion, bees are the biggest provider for all life. They are vanishing by the day. If they disappear completely, so will all life. There are many different ways to save nature, including thinking twice about pesticides and consider beekeeping.
Plight of the Bees
Lefler 1
Julianne Lefler
Bursch
Honors Biology p. 5
2 December 2013
Plight of the Bees
In biology all things are connected; if one disaster occurs, it causes a chain reaction. Recently, the bee population has been declining in mass amounts and most people do not notice or think twice about what this could do to the environment. If the bee population goes extinct it could have a negative effect on the world. Bees are an important way we grow our food. Without them there would be no food for humans or other animals to get the nutrients needed to survive. People will also lose their jobs, and there would be no such thing as clothes. The decline in bees is a serious dilemma and could eventually lead to the end of life on earth.
When bees visit flowers to collect nectar, they collect pollen which gets stuck on their fur. As they go from flower to flower they spread the pollen around to different plants. This is known as pollination. Without pollination, many fruits, plants, and nuts would be unable to grow. If there are not enough bees to pollinate, there will not be enough crops during the harvest season for everyone to receive food.Bees not only provide food, but they provide jobs for million of people around the world. There are many beekeepers are all around the world, each with a passion for what they do. They depend on bees to produce honey so they can make a living off of it. If there are no bees left in the world, there will be no need for beekeepers leaving millions without a job as well as many more with no honey.
Bees are also a part of the production of clothing. If there are no bees to pollinate cotton, the clothes we wear as well as towels, blankets and many more would cease to exist. By not pollinating the cotton, there would be a small amount produced each year. This means people would pay high prices for only small amounts of cotton. Bees are the reason we can wear clothes every day and without them, vast problems can occur.
Will it take no food on the table and starvation for people to realize that the decline of bees is a serious issue. Or will it be when millions of people lose their jobs. It could also be when everyone is wearing old, torn up clothing because there is nothing left to wear that people will realize how important bees are. Considering that all things are connected to each other, without bees, the world would fall apart and nothing or no one would not survive very long.
Plight of the Honey Bees
Wright 1
Heather Wright
Bursch
Honors Biology, Period 5
2 December 2013
Plight of the Honey Bees
Over the years, the honey bee population has decreased greatly. Throughout the past ten years, bees have been dying in vast numbers with an unknown cause as to why. Not many people have noticed a difference in the bee population and many beekeepers and scientists are wondering what it will take and how long for humans to realize that they need to do something about it.
The most recent phenomenon regarding the plight of the honey bees is called the Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). The CCD has been occurring more abruptly than other phenomenons in the past, such as “spring dwindle,” “autumn collapse,” “disappearing disease” and “May disease.” Data from www.fourthbranchofamerica.com shows that “U.S. beekeepers lost ¼ of their colonies, which is five times the normal average … the bee disappearances are a mystery : they leave their colonies seeking food and simply never return. [Only a] few dead bees have been found in or around the colonies.” Scientists and beekeepers have been trying to discover the reason and find a resolution for why honey bees have been abandoning their swarm and fleeing their colonies. The researchers have had no luck whatsoever detecting any signs of as to why the bees are leaving, but are hoping that they can find an answer soon.
One alarming problem that could arise during the CCD is the endangerment or extinction of the honey bee population. With a miniscule amount of honey bees able to pollinate the world’s plants, it makes the job much harder for other insects to do. For example, according to www.fws.gov, “bees, wasps, moths, butterflies, flies, and beetles” would need to take over the pollination process that the honey bees are unable to do. It would be extremely difficult for the other insects to take over the honey bee’s job. Since there could potentially be a whole species of bees becoming extinct, then some species of plants may become extinct as well, if there are not enough pollinators to germinate the plants.
If beekeepers and scientists want humans to take action about the honey bee population decreasing, then a common fruit, vegetable, nut, or seed that most people are dependent on will need to become endangered or extinct. According to www.fourthbranchofamerica.com, bees pollinate “80% of our flowering crops which constitutes ⅓ of everything we eat.” Without honey bees, a majority of our food supply would be nonexistent. If a mass number of the bee population did not exist, then the plants that are dependent on honey bee pollination would disappear as well, “potentially reducing mankind to little more than a bread and water diet” (fourthbranchofamerica.com). Although “honey bees as a species are not in danger of extinction, … their ability to support the industry of commercial pollination, and by extension, a large portion of our food supply, is in serious danger” (businessinsider.com). Despite the assumption that honey bees are not expected to become extinct, the dwindling number of bees is alarming and could lead to serious food supply disruption. Some people argue that pollination could be done by humans, other insects, or natural conditions, but it is more laborious and it would not be as productive as the honey bees themselves.
All in all, the Colony Collapse Disorder is making scientists, researchers, and beekeepers very confused. They are not sure of where the bees are disappearing to and if it will lead to long term effects such as endangerment or extinction of the honey bee species and the possible extinction of plant species. In order for a critical mass of people to become aware and “wake up” to the plight of the honey bees, I believe that either a bee or plant species will need to become endangered or extinct. If we do not realize the severity of the problem before it’s too late, then multiple species could disappear forever and we could potentially lose an important source of our farmed food supply.
Works Cited
Feliciano, Kimberly, and Phaneuf, Sandra. "Importance of Honey Bees for
Sustaining Life on Earth." FBA/TIC The Importance of Honey Bees for
Sustaining Life on Earth. Fourth Branch of America, n.d. Web.
01 December 2013.
"Pollinators." About Pollinators - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Services, 4 November 2013. Web. 01 December 2013.
Sustaining Life on Earth." FBA/TIC The Importance of Honey Bees for
Sustaining Life on Earth. Fourth Branch of America, n.d. Web.
01 December 2013.
"Pollinators." About Pollinators - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Services, 4 November 2013. Web. 01 December 2013.
Spector, Dina. "What Our World Would Look Like Without Honeybees."
Business Insider. Business Insider, 22 June 2013. Web.
01 December 2013.
Business Insider. Business Insider, 22 June 2013. Web.
01 December 2013.
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Wise Use of Our Resources Responses
Presentation : Wise Use of Our Resources : Deforestation
Creator : Quincey Caldwell
My Response :
I really liked your presentation. You had very clear pictures and they displayed the theme of deforestation very well. I also did my presentation on deforestation, so our powerpoints are very similar. The only question I have for you is - Do loggers
only clear cut land for urbanization, farmland, and housing, or do they also clear cut the land for other things as well?
Presentation : Wise Use of Our Resources : Pollution
Location : https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1I9-duOYpOOYgdSx5Mvbk3PDf-jwShEtuya0vYcRYWzg/edit#slide=id.p
Creator : Adrian Mendez
My Response :
I really liked how you had the picture of the human and you were blaming pollution on them. It was a simple, yet funny, way to show who is causing most of the pollution in the world. I researched the topic of deforestation and the thought of air pollution came to mind as I read your presentation. I remembered that one of the causes of deforestation is slash and burn farming and after learning about both deforestation and pollution, I believe that the contaminated air from burning the crops contributes to pollution. The one question I have for you is about recycling. In order to help with pollution, is it better to recycle one resource and make sure it is properly displaced or to try and recycle as many different resources as possible and hope that is properly displaced?
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Wise Use of our Resources response
Presentation: Wise Uses of Our Resources
My Response
This presentation really opened my eyes to the many other contributors towards global warming. I also researched Global Warming myself, although I did learn some new things about Global Warming. I do wonder how air chemicals and waste product can strain the ozone layer?
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