Bees? Think Again.

Bella Goff
Dec 6, 2017
2 min read

Imagine a post-apocalyptic world. Dry, colourless, barely any signs of life. The life you do see, you wish you didn’t. Humans and animals, bones showing through their skin, ready to collapse at a moment’s notice. Plants are scarce. Mankind is at it’s lowest point. Some may think the cause of this is zombies or maybe the purge. But the cause is not the undead or mindless criminal activity. The real cause is: The loss of bees.Now this may seem extreme, but in reality if bees die humans won’t have a lot of time left. Bees are the number one pollinators in the world,and, if they go extinct, butterflies won’t do the trick.The leading cause of death for bees is Colony Collapse Disorder or CCD. CCD is when worker bees die off, leaving behind the queen and nurse bees to take care of the offspring. This is the effect pesticides, more specifically, chemicals in them called Neonicotinoids (Neonics for short). In 2008 60% of hives lost were due to CCD and in 2015 it was 30%.So you might be thinking, why do we use neonics then? The answer is, I don’t know. I’ve done some research and pesticides that contain neonics are currently suspended in some countries like Germany, France,and Italy. Meanwhile countries like Switzerland, who have never used the harmful chemical, have banned them altogether because of these poisonings. So it seems that these may not be necessary. For a while the U.S didn’t measure the situation quantitatively (measured numerically), but qualitatively (measured descriptively). The start of the crisis was initially brought to public attention when beekeepers reported, the alarming amount of deaths.In 2012 the EPA worked with Health Canada’s Department of Pesticide Regulatory Agency and California Department of Pesticide Regulation and used a quantitative assessment for bees as well as other pollinators. The EPA has also began a new risk framework for bees to become part of it’s regular decision making process for all pesticide chemistries. It’s a sad fact that bees are dying at such an alarming rate, but at least actions are being made to help.

You can help too! You could plant bee-friendly flowers such ashyacinths or wild lilacs. Also make sure to keep some clovers or dandelions around as they too attract bees, and not all weeds are bad. While you are planting flowers, be sure you aren’t spraying them with toxic chemicals and pesticides. Leaving out small bowls of water is great because bees get thirsty too! Buying local organic foods helps, as they support the farmer that doesn’t use pesticides. You could even go as far as writing to congress about this issue, to suggest ways to help and let them know this is a major concern. So now you know what’s going on and how to help! As a species at the top of the food chain, a species capable of telling right from wrong, it is our job to take care of the nature that was here before us, and that will be here long after us.