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How are Human's Actions Both Helpful and Harmful to Bees?

Bees are natural tiny critters to unknowingly pollinate from one plant to another while they are buzzing between plants. Such movement of pollen helps plants fertilize and allows them to make a good harvest of vegetables and fruits. Beekeepers travel all year round with their trucks through their own countries carrying a bunch of colonies to help pollinate fruit and vegetables at some places where there are not enough bees. However, during the past 15 years, the number of bees significantly declined, according to National Geographic. The population of bees even decreased by almost half between 2018 and 2019, because of a deadly parasite: the varroa mite. Human’s use of bee-unfriendly pesticides that farmers spray on crops for killing unwanted bugs is another major threat for bee number decline. The chemicals in pesticides can damage bees, while killing other weeds and flowers where their pollen comes from, which is unknowingly harmful to the bees. When colony’s worker bees vanish in a great amount, such rapid decrease was called Colony Collapse Disorder. What could humans do to protect worker bees from disappearing? Are human’s actions truly helpful or actually harmful to bees? From my perspective, some human’s actions are not beneficial toward work bees.


Beekeepers and scientists are working hard to save honey bees from extinction. Because the deadly parasite of the varroa mite was killing large numbers of bees, beekeepers are working on catching parasites for the bees, learning how to define symptoms when parasites inside the bee body. At the same time, they work with the scientist to study the treatments for parasites to save the bees. Research in the U.S. The Department of Agriculture began to study related species, M. Anisopliae. This species lands on a varroa mite, germinates and grows tiny tubes that drill through the exoskeleton and grow throughout the insect, killing the varroa mite. Also, scientists are doing their best to invent bee-friendly pesticides to replace the harmful pesticides as well as figuring out how much does farmers should spray on crops to not kill bees or the food they eat. The United States Environmental Protection Agency is limiting the use of pesticides in farms that affect bees. Recently, i2LResearch, a leading product testing center headquartered in the United Kingdom, evaluated the effects of Organocide Bee Safe 3-in-1 Garden Spray on honey bees via dose-response curve for honey bee mortality after 48 hour acute contact. The results showed that Organocide Bee Safe 3-in-1 Garden won’t harm the previous pollinating bees. Additionally, beekeepers and scientists encourage people to plant gardens and make suitable habitats that are healthy for bees. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue encouraged Americans to plant bee-friendly flowers or set up hives where possible in their gardens and yards to provide bees with homes and food for their colony. Meanwhile, Michigan State University scientists are developing sustainable pollination strategies such as enhancing the effect of bee-friendly wildflowers.


Although people are trying their best, human’s actions are unwittingly damaging bee’s habitats. Farmers are widely using intensive chemical pesticides on farms and in urban landscapes for the purpose of killing bugs on plants. The pesticides are absorbed by plants and can be present in pollen and nectar, making them toxic to bees. More than 500 million bees died in four Brazilian states between December 2018 and February 2019 caused by being exposed to pesticides containing neonicotinoids, according to an investigation by Agência Pública and Repórter Brasil. Moreover, people introduce invasive species on pollinators, disrupting the structure and function of the ecosystem. North American Pollinator Protection Campaign claimed that the non-native plants plants may present inaccessible to local bees, preventing them from doing the pollination and reaching the nectar. The invasive plants take away natural habitats for local bees, making bees with no or less food for survival. Furthermore, air pollution caused by humans is added to the list of reasons for rapid bee number decline. People pollute the environment with smoke and other smells. Bee regularly perform their routine with smells, and they navigate home by light. Companies produce smoke which affects their daily routine, and there are street lamps everywhere. The lights can mistake their navigation and not find their way home. Researchers in 2020 released a 3-year study taking place in India showing that even mildly dirty air could kill 80% of giant Asian honey bees, which are the vital pollinators of southeast Asia. Air pollution impairs bee’s behavior, survival and health.


Even though humans are trying their best to protect bees, their actions are more harmful than helpful in keeping the bees alive. While scientists are studying the treatment of the deadly parasite: the varroa mite, people could spread it unknowingly to threaten bee’s health. Plant Health Australia described that when people could potentially spread the infected worker bees and queen bees with the varroa mite when they are using beekeeping equipment to do the transport and movement of hives. Australia is one of the few countries in the world remaining free of the varroa mite. In 2018, however, it was detected in a swarm of European honey bees on arriving cargo. Similarly, while the government or researchers make a request to people in making health and suitable habitats for bees, humans are actually stealing land from the bees. Humans transform landscapes from meadows and fields into buildings, cities, or neighborhoods. Such action destroys natural habitats for bees, causing the disappearance of flowers, plants, trees that bees rely on for both food and place. For example, the loose, friable soil required by ground-nesting bees may be trampled by foot or vehicles. Therefore, in cities, the ground-nesting species may be difficult for survival due to the large amount of landscape that has been covered with concrete or other impervious surfaces. Besides, human activities could contribute to climate change that is creating a big challenge for bees. Climate change is causing seasonal patterns to change in unexpected ways. Due to climate change, plants may move more north or south for more suitable habitats. Then the bees lose connection with the plants, and they can’t find food. One study has shown that bees in warmer climates are emerging earlier than bees in colder temperatures. The bees in colder temperatures are also heavier and bigger. In the bee world, the bigger is the better when in the same species. That means bees in warmer temperatures won’t survive long.


Bees are amazing insects that have a lot of impact on humans in ways we may expect. They are hardworking creatures pollinating flowers, plants, and food crops, producing honey. They also can provide job opportunities of being beekeepers, and predict an oncoming thunderstorm. Their products can even fight cancer. Humans take some actions to protect the valuable species from disappearing. They study the deadly parasite, the varroa mite, which causes the death of bees, and try to find the treatment for this parasite in order to save bees. They investigate and invent bee-friendly pesticides to replace toxic pesticides. They advise people to cultivate habitats that are healthy for bees. However, in fact, human actions are unconsciously harmful for bee habitats. Human activities are creating climate change, air pollution, and land loss. Humans also bring invasive species to unbalance the ecosystem for the bees and unknowingly spread the deadly parasite. It is not too late for humans to do more actions to enhance bee protection. For example, the government could regulate the use and the amount of the pesticides to ensure bee survival or check migratory beekeeping practices within countries for pollination to ensure the health of the bees. Most importantly, the idea of ecological conservation should be kept in mind for the citizens of the world to maintain the balance of the ecosystem.



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