opinion writing 2
Imagine waking up tomorrow and not having honey to spread on your toast. Then going to the grocery store and looking in the produce isle for avocados, grapes and pears and not being able to find any. Sound unrealistic, right? Well, maybe not. This hypothetical scenario is going to become our reality and very soon. The bee population is dying fast and its our fault.
Bees are the one thing that all of those items above have in common. They are the reason we have so many different foods and they are dying. Plants rely on bees to pollinate them so they can make our fruits and vegetables. Almost one third of everything that we eat is a direct result of bees. So whats making these helpful insects die off up to 30% a year in the past couple of decades?
Well actually it's the farmers that bees help who are killing them. A type of insecticides called neonicotinoids. These pesticides, and others, have a devastating effect on the bee population.
But these pesticides are not the only culprit. A new study published by the journal Science suggest that bees have been dying out as early as 1970.
This is a result of the effects global warming has on the environment. With all this evidence and statistics you would think that people are trying their hardest to save the bees and that is true is some cases, but people are still denying that global warming is real. By saying that global warming is "made up" they are also saying that there is no reason that bees should be dying and therefore not coming up with solutions to save them.
I think that this problem needs to be solved and very soon. The more people sit back and wait for problems to be fixed, the less they actually will be. The United Stares is about 1.5 degrees hotter than it was in 1900. As a result, most plant and animal species are slowly moving to the North for a more moderate climate. But bees aren't. So every year their habitat and food sources get more scarce and smaller. Scientist Jeremy Kerr explains, "They are in serious and immediate risk from human caused climate change."
With all of these reasons why bees are dying, there are also ways to help them. Many can be done by anyone and they will have a dramatic impact. One easy thing to start with is planting bee friends plants. Whether it's in your big backyard in Texas or a small window box in New York, your growing food for an endangered species. The only thing you have to do it avoid using chemicals on your flowers because it can end up getting into the pollen and damage the bees home.
Another way that I think can help bees it to buy honey from a local farmer that you can trust. When you buy local it is easier to ensure that the honey is organic and not made with the pesticides that will harm bees. Going to places like the farmers market to get honey is an easy way to talk to local farmers and especially in Texas there are many local, organic farmers.
Also just try to be kind to bees. I know that when its the summer and I see a bee buzzing by my face, my first reaction is to run and kill it. But bees are vegetarians, they are not like mosquitos. They are not going to go out of their way to sting you. Bees can actually smell pheremones that are released when we are angry or scared. So I would advise just staying away, leave them be.
Bees are an important part of our ecosystem and I think they deserve to be given the best chance at life. It is easy to dismiss this problem, but try not to make the easy choice and save a life. Another easy way to help bees it to donate to the numerous charities who aim to save bees. Even going to a farm that has honeybees and taking a tour is supporting these farmers and educating you more on this topic.
Although people will deny that bees are not in danger of extinction, I believe that Americans need to help save the bees. Farmers need to be help accountable for the negative impact they are creating in the bee population and the harmful pesticides need to be banned. The longer that we allow these farmers to use these harmful chemicals, the harder it will become to reverse the damage done. If we work together to raise awareness for this cause, I believe we can save the bees.
Bees are the one thing that all of those items above have in common. They are the reason we have so many different foods and they are dying. Plants rely on bees to pollinate them so they can make our fruits and vegetables. Almost one third of everything that we eat is a direct result of bees. So whats making these helpful insects die off up to 30% a year in the past couple of decades?
Well actually it's the farmers that bees help who are killing them. A type of insecticides called neonicotinoids. These pesticides, and others, have a devastating effect on the bee population.
But these pesticides are not the only culprit. A new study published by the journal Science suggest that bees have been dying out as early as 1970.
This is a result of the effects global warming has on the environment. With all this evidence and statistics you would think that people are trying their hardest to save the bees and that is true is some cases, but people are still denying that global warming is real. By saying that global warming is "made up" they are also saying that there is no reason that bees should be dying and therefore not coming up with solutions to save them.
I think that this problem needs to be solved and very soon. The more people sit back and wait for problems to be fixed, the less they actually will be. The United Stares is about 1.5 degrees hotter than it was in 1900. As a result, most plant and animal species are slowly moving to the North for a more moderate climate. But bees aren't. So every year their habitat and food sources get more scarce and smaller. Scientist Jeremy Kerr explains, "They are in serious and immediate risk from human caused climate change."
With all of these reasons why bees are dying, there are also ways to help them. Many can be done by anyone and they will have a dramatic impact. One easy thing to start with is planting bee friends plants. Whether it's in your big backyard in Texas or a small window box in New York, your growing food for an endangered species. The only thing you have to do it avoid using chemicals on your flowers because it can end up getting into the pollen and damage the bees home.
Another way that I think can help bees it to buy honey from a local farmer that you can trust. When you buy local it is easier to ensure that the honey is organic and not made with the pesticides that will harm bees. Going to places like the farmers market to get honey is an easy way to talk to local farmers and especially in Texas there are many local, organic farmers.
Also just try to be kind to bees. I know that when its the summer and I see a bee buzzing by my face, my first reaction is to run and kill it. But bees are vegetarians, they are not like mosquitos. They are not going to go out of their way to sting you. Bees can actually smell pheremones that are released when we are angry or scared. So I would advise just staying away, leave them be.
Bees are an important part of our ecosystem and I think they deserve to be given the best chance at life. It is easy to dismiss this problem, but try not to make the easy choice and save a life. Another easy way to help bees it to donate to the numerous charities who aim to save bees. Even going to a farm that has honeybees and taking a tour is supporting these farmers and educating you more on this topic.
Although people will deny that bees are not in danger of extinction, I believe that Americans need to help save the bees. Farmers need to be help accountable for the negative impact they are creating in the bee population and the harmful pesticides need to be banned. The longer that we allow these farmers to use these harmful chemicals, the harder it will become to reverse the damage done. If we work together to raise awareness for this cause, I believe we can save the bees.
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