Saving the Honey Bees

Adam Kristensen
Critical Thinking Paper
Green Group
March 16, 2016

The honey bee is a vital resource that is in high demand across the United States.
However, due to climate change and many environmentally unfriendly agricultural
practices, such as monocropping and the use of pesticides, the honey bees are dying off.
Since the 1940s, close to 2 million honey bee colonies have collapsed in the United
States, resulting in the death of over 100 billion honey bees (Honey Bee Health, par. 11).
The significant decline in the honey bee population threatens American agricultural
industries, and in order to even pollinate crops in many places around the United States,
honey bees are shipped across the nation to do so. This process is a vital part of around 40
billion dollars worth of United States food crop production (Death and Extinction, pars.
4-5). However, there is still a chance to save the bees, but every single American citizen
must do their part. To battle the increasing mortality rate of the honey bee in America,
monocropping and the use of pesticides such as neonicotinoids must be eliminated, and
techniques and practices that help the honey bees must be incentivized.
In 2006, American farmers noticed up to a 90 percent decline in honey bee colony
reproduction. It was clear that cold winter temperatures were a factor, but the main cause
was unknown (Death and Extinction, par. 2). It was soon discovered that Colony Collapse
Disorder, or CCD, was a significant cause. This disorder results in the death of the entire
colony as the bees abandon or forget the hive due to parasites and certain insecticides,
and it affected a majority of beehives in the United States. It was soon clear that CCD
would ravage the United States honey bee population if nothing was done, so, in 2007,
the United States Department of Agriculture, or USDA, devoted funding and resources to

create the Colony Collapse Disorder Action Plan (Honey Bee Health, par. 8). Though
promising, this attempt was unsuccessful, and the United States honey bee population
continued to decline.
There are three factors that cause CCD and the death of honey bees. The first,
habitat shrinkage due to climate change, has caused the southern borders of North
American honey bee habitats to recede 300 km north. The northern borders, however, are
not moving north commensurately as other species habitats have, meaning the honey
bees are in a vise between north and south, hot and cold. This is compressing the honey
bees habitat and causing the deaths of many colonies (Habitats are Shrinking, pars. 4,7).
Another main cause of CCD is monocropping, a technique used to generate vast
quantities of a single crop year after year. Swaths of rich, natural honey bee habitats have
become monoculture farming acreage, and though monocropping is an efficient way to
grow a lot of produce, it results in poor quality soil, attracts a higher number of mites and
parasites, and worst of all, requires a vast amount of pesticides and genetically modified
crop plants to be successful (Monocultures, para. 3). However, the largest issue with this
farming method is that since only a single crop is grown over enormous spaces, honey
bees cannot pollinate these fields, since cross-pollination requires at least two varieties of
plants to be successful. Monocropping also creates vitamin deficiencies in honey bees
because these pollinators are only given access to one source of pollen (Monocultures,
para. 4).

The last and possibly the most drastic threat to honey bees in the use of pesticides.
Since World War Two, the use of pesticides in the United States has increased
enormously (All the Bees, par. 12). In this short span of time, the use of pesticides has
increased by 7%, an increase of around 404 million pounds of these harmful chemicals
(Environmental Sciences, par. 2). Honey bees rely on their recollection of floral scents to
locate flowers from which they can gather pollen. However, this sense of smell is
effectively compromised by chemicals used in many pesticides, particularly
neonicotinoids. This category of insecticides affects the honey bee neurologically,
causing it to forget the scent of flowers and the location of its hive (Neonicotinoid, par.
6). This renders the bee unable to eat or pollinate.
Bees, particularly honey bees, are a vital part of Americas agricultural system.
Crops like grains are primarily pollinated by wind, but others, like fruits, nuts, and
vegetables, or pollinated by bees. These insects are responsible for 80 percent of all
pollination, and without them, 70 out of the most common 100 crops would not produce
the food products that provide us with a majority of the nutrients we need (Greenpeace,
par. 1). Honey bees are as vital to American economy as natural gas or fossil fuel. One in
three mouthfuls of food is a result of honey bee pollination (Honey Bee Health, par. 9).
The Californian almond industry alone requires 60 percent of the remaining American
honey bee colonies (Whats Killing the Bees, par. 7). However, this industry, and others
like it, are suffering from the lack of honey bees. In 2015 alone, over 40 percent of all
honey bee colonies in the United States collapsed, a frightening increase from the 34.2

percent the year before. (Population Plummets, par. 1) This decline in bee population is
straining the United States ability to maintain pollination in agricultural environments.
The lack of bees not only affects farmers, but the Americans who purchase produce and
the companies that use these products to manufacture other goods.
The decline of the honey bee population in the United States is a problem that
needs to be dealt with as soon as possible. In order to achieve this, the United States
Congress must pass legislation that bans the use of harmful pesticides, like
neonicotinoids. These chemicals are being used in monocropping, which is a problem
that must be remedied. Farmers can simply adopt more natural alternatives, like trap
crops, which draw pests away from the main crops. To remedy the harmful effects of
monocropping, farmers should plant wildflowers in the area surrounding the
monocropping fields and rotate additional crops. This will allow the bees to get the
nutrients they need and pollinate the crops (Monocultures, para. 5). Individual Americans
can also do their part. Farmers can also use a number of different techniques that do not
involve treating their crops with chemicals, like introducing animals that eat crop pests
onto their acreage (Alternatives, par. 3). Planting a garden with many kinds of flowers
offers a place for honey bees to get nutrients and, in turn, pollinate other flowers (All the
Bees, par. 25). Another significant way to aid the honey bees cause is to boycott the
purchase and use of neonicotinoids and plants treated with them, which, if widespread,
will force producers to begin using natural techniques to grow crops.

If action is not taken immediately to stop the decline of the honey bee population,
America will suffer as a whole. As the number of bees in the United States declines, the
agricultural and food industries will begin to fail. Commercially produced bees will need
to be shipped farther distances more frequently, and crops will begin to stop yielding
produce because they will not be pollinated. The crops the honey bee pollinates now,
including apples, almonds, peaches, strawberries, peppers, watermelons, and many other
popular food items, will not be able to reproduce. This will eventually cause these
beloved foods to disappear (All the Bees, par. 8). One could argue that America could
simply import these food products from other countries, but the same other countries are
struggling to save their bee populations as well (Whats Killing the Bees, par. 8). This
lack of availability of fresh crops will increase the demand for processed foods and
decrease the overall health quality of the American public.
Pesticides, habitat collapse, and monoculture are dissolving the United States
honey bee population. At the current mortality rate, the amount of major food crops will
decline sharply. Everyone needs to do their part to stop this. Legislation should be passed
that requires one acre of wildflowers and pollination crops to be planted per every 5 acres
of monocropping space, and to ban the use of neonicotinoids. A national competition to
see who can create the most bee-friendly garden could act as an incentive for American
citizens to plant gardens that will help the honey bee thrive, especially if the prize is
monetary. These efforts must be widespread or they will not help the honey bees. The
honey bee is an integral part of the way we live. If they disappear, so will we.

Annotated Bibliography
"Alternatives to Using Pesticides." Southern States. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.
Annotation: This website taught me about several natural techniques that can be used to
battle pests in agricultural settings.

Bessin, Ric. "Varroa Mites Infesting Honey Bee Colonies." Varroa Mites Infesting Honey
Bee Colonies. Entomology at the University of Kentucky, Web. 19 Mar. 2016.
Annotation: I used this source for background information on the parasites that
commonly infest beehives.

Black, Richard. "Bee Decline Linked to Falling Biodiversity." BBC News. BBC, 20 Jan.
2010. Web. 19 Mar. 2016.
Annotation: I used this article to learn about monocropping and how it affects the honey
bee population.

"Environmental Sciences Europe." Impacts of Genetically Engineered Crops on Pesticide

Use in the U.S. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.
Annotation: This quantified the increase in pesticide usage in the United States.
Haltiwanger, John. "If All the Bees In The World Die, Humans Will Not Survive." Elite
Daily. 15 Sept. 2014. Web. 20 Mar. 2016
Annotation: This article talked about why we need bees, and helped fuel my argument
against pesticides and monocropping.

"Honey Bees: Overview of Honeybee Types, Habitats & Characteristics."Orkin. Web. 20

Mar. 2016.
Annotation: This source was used purely to research honey bees and what kind of insects
they are.

"How Many Honeybees Are There, and How Has the Number Changed across
Time?" Entomology. Stack Exchange, Web. 19 Mar. 2016.
Annotation: This website told me about the number of bees and colonies in the world and
the United States, and how this number fluctuates over time.

Hagopian, Joachim. "Death and Extinction of the Bees." Global Research, 1 Nov. 2001.
Web. 28 Feb. 2016.
Annotation: This source showed me the sharp decline in honey bee population across the
United States

"Maryland Honeybee Losses among Highest in U.S., Survey Finds."Baltimoresun.com.

The Baltimore Sun, Web. 25 Apr. 2016.
Annotation: This website gave me information about where honey bee deaths are most
apparent.

"Monocultures." Bee Informed, 05 Nov. 2012. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.

Annotation: This gave me all of my information about monoculture and its effect on
honey bees.

"Save the Bees." Greenpeace USA Save the Bees Comments. Greenpeace, Web. 28 Feb.
2016.
Annotation: Though slightly biased, this website gave me many of the most shocking
facts about honey bee deaths.

Harvey, Chelsea. "Bumblebee Habitats Are Shrinking at an Alarming Rate, and Scientists
Are Blaming Climate Change." The Washington Post., 9 July 2015. Web. 19 Mar. 2016.
Annotation: This website showed me how bad the effect of global warming is on honey
bees.

"The Harmful Effect of Pesticides on Honeybees." Hive and Honey Apiary. Web. 19 Mar.
2016.
Annotation: This source gave me facts on the effects of pesticides, both lethal and
nonlethal, on honey bees.

"Honey Bee Health and Colony Collapse Disorder." United States Department of
Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. USDA, Web. 19 Mar. 2016.
Annotation: This site was a great resource that I used to learn about CCD and how it
affects honey bees.

Chow, Lorraine. "U.S. Honeybee Population Plummets by More Than 40%, USDA
Finds." EcoWatch. EcoWatch, 14 May 2015. Web. 19 Mar. 2016.
Annotation: This website gave me exact numbers of honey bee mortality rates.

Contributor, Marlene Cimons -- Guest. "Bumblebees Are Getting Trapped In A Climate

Vise As Hotter Temperatures Shrink Habitats."ThinkProgress RSS. Climate Progress, 09
July 2015. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.
Annotation: This website gave me information about the way climate change is
constricting honey bee habitats.

"What Is a Neonicotinoid?" Insects in the City. Texas A&M Agrilife Extension, Web. 20
Mar. 2016.
Annotation: I gathered most of my information about Neonicotinoids from this website.

St, Nicholas. "Climate Change Is Shrinking Where Bumblebees Range, Research

Finds." The New York Times. The New York Times, 09 July 2015. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.
Annotation: This site helped me link climate change with the habitat shrinkage in
America

Woody, Todd. "Scientists Discover Whats Killing the Bees and Its Worse than You
Thought." Quartz., 24 July 2013. Web. 20 Mar. 2016.
Annotation: This website summarized all of the causes for honey bee deaths and gave me
specific numbers about the deaths of honey bees.

Works Cited
"Alternatives to Using Pesticides." Southern States. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.

"Environmental Sciences Europe." Impacts of Genetically Engineered Crops on Pesticide

Use in the U.S. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.

Hagopian, Joachim. "Death and Extinction of the Bees." Global Research, 1 Nov. 2001.
Web. 28 Feb. 2016.

Haltiwanger, John. "If All the Bees In The World Die, Humans Will Not Survive." Elite
Daily. 15 Sept. 2014. Web. 20 Mar. 2016

Contributor, Marlene Cimons -- Guest. "Bumblebees Are Getting Trapped In A Climate

Vise As Hotter Temperatures Shrink Habitats."ThinkProgress RSS. Climate Progress, 09
July 2015. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.

"Maryland Honeybee Losses among Highest in U.S., Survey Finds."Baltimoresun.com.

The Baltimore Sun, Web. 25 Apr. 2016.

"Monocultures." Bee Informed, 05 Nov. 2012. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.

"Save the Bees." Greenpeace USA Save the Bees Comments. Greenpeace, Web. 28 Feb.
2016.

Harvey, Chelsea. "Bumblebee Habitats Are Shrinking at an Alarming Rate, and Scientists
Are Blaming Climate Change." The Washington Post., 9 July 2015. Web. 19 Mar. 2016.

"The Harmful Effect of Pesticides on Honeybees." Hive and Honey Apiary. Web. 19 Mar.
2016.

"Honey Bee Health and Colony Collapse Disorder." United States Department of
Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. USDA, Web. 19 Mar. 2016.

Chow, Lorraine. "U.S. Honeybee Population Plummets by More Than 40%, USDA
Finds." EcoWatch. EcoWatch, 14 May 2015. Web. 19 Mar. 2016.

"What Is a Neonicotinoid?" Insects in the City. Texas A&M Agrilife Extension, Web. 20
Mar. 2016.

St, Nicholas. "Climate Change Is Shrinking Where Bumblebees Range, Research

Finds." The New York Times. The New York Times, 09 July 2015. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

Woody, Todd. "Scientists Discover Whats Killing the Bees and Its Worse than You
Thought." Quartz., 24 July 2013. Web. 20 Mar. 2016.

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