Introduction

Earth is currently the only known planet able to sustain life. It is covered in plants and
animals that all work together to grow and create. Pollinators play a huge role in balancing the
ecosystem, specifically bees. Bees are responsible for pollinating flowering crops to aid in the
ability to bear fruits and flowers. However, bees (among other pollinators) are facing a great
number of threats that challenge their existence. Scientists are working to find out as much as
they can about these threats, and to potentially find answers on how we can help to overcome the
challenges. The problem is that although we already know the basics to some of the problems,
they are not being taken seriously. Allowing these issues to continue could lead to the total
extinction of bees, which would have damaging effects on all living beings and the planet as a
whole.
I am researching bees and the dangers they face because if they were to become extinct, it
would personally affect me, as well as every other person. Predictions of a future without bees
could help to spread information and open the eyes of the public to the absolute seriousness and
importance of this critical issue.

Literature Review

The importance of bees to the worlds ecosystems is often not acknowledged as it should
be. According to Bee: A Natural History, bees have been studies for thousands of years, since
early ancient Egyptians (Wilson-Rich, Allin, Carreck, & Quigley, 2014). They are responsible for
approximately one third of the food crop supply that sustains humans. Stated by Wilson-Rich et
al. (2014), bees and their products have been raised and used by humans for thousands of years,
dating back to Ancient Egyptians. Egyptians used honey and beeswax in food preservation and in
the mummification process. In most places around the globe, bees are present. However, today a
large portion of the bee species in a particular setting are non-native and were accidentally
introduced by humans (Russo, 2016). Russo (2014) explains that sometimes non-native bees are
invasive and can have both positive and negative effects on the native bee population and
surrounding areas. Population decrease of multiple bee species has become an increasing
problem in recent years. For example, the rusty patched bumblebee population has decreased by
roughly 87% in the past 30 years (Rice, 2017). These population losses are due to a number of
different issues.
One of the major and arguably the most widely recognized causes to the downfall of bees
is the use of pesticides. Americans used over one billion pounds of pesticides in 2007 (Weeks,
2015). Pesticides are harmful to bees when because they contaminate their food supply and get
tracked into their hives (Cutler & Scott-Dupree, 2016). The major harmful pesticides are
neonicotinoids. Recent studies have found that neonicotinoids can be found in plants up to 6
years after they have been treated (Watanabe, 2013). It seems as though if the government knew
of the issues they would try to stop them, however as Cutler and Scott-Dupree (2016) note, it is
hard to come up with reasonable and trustworthy studies because the research is being done by
the pesticide companies themselves. That lead to suspected bias and possibly untruthful findings.
The problem is that in order to have unbiased studies, it would have to be through a third party
which dont have sufficient funding (Cutler et al., 2016). Although it is something that is
recognized by many scientists and the general population together, it is hard for agencies to
regulate pesticides because it is hard to find reliable studies.
Colony collapse disorder is another factor related to the decrease in bees. Colony collapse
disorder is a hotly debated subject among scientists and apiculturists because there is no
definitive answer to why it happens. CCD is characterized by nearly all working bees
abandoning their hive, leaving behind the queen and babies, for no apparent reason (Lorenz,
2016). Some claim that CCD is normal and is not harmful for populations. However, others
argue that it could possibly be happening due to a virus known as Isreali Acute Paralysis Virus.
IAPV is not found to have a direct link to CCD, but there is also no evidence that it doesnt, so
scientists are currently doing research to possibly tie the two together (Anderson, Denis, East,
Cox-Foster, Conlan, Holmes, Palacios, Kalkstein, Evans, Moran, Quan, Geiser, Briese, Hornig,
Hui, Vanengelsdorp, Pettis, Lipkin, 2008). Myrna Watanabe (2013) believes that CCD can be
caused by a combination of factors including pathogens, mites, viruses, nutrition issues,
pesticides, and transportation stressors. Scientists are racing to find answers so they can start to
look into solutions.
The last major issue threatening bees is infestations of mites and pathogens. Varroa mites
latch on and suck blood from bee larvae and worker bees (Grunewald, 2010). They are a huge
problem faced by beekeepers and can be responsible for losses of entire colonies. Microsporidia
are also dangerous to bees, as they infest in the stomachs of the insects. These are just two
examples of the infestations that can kill bees, and professionals are aware of at least 18 others
(Grunewald, 2010).
There are some solution options being explored. Pollination reservoirs are a recent idea
that could help give bees a place to nest and have a safe habitat (Venturini, Drummond, Hoshide,
Dibble, Stack, 2016). Venturini et al. (2016) explain that in 2015 the White House are committed
to enhancing around 7 million acres of land in the next five years to be used to support
pollinators. There are also some solutions that the public can do to help support bees, including
planting gardens, leaving grass and leaf piles for bees to nest in, and not being involved in the
use of politics (Rice, 2017).

Entering the Conversation

I agree with the fact that bees that are so incredibly important to all life on Earth. Our
world is made up of so many living beings for a reason, and they all have a purpose, some
greater than others. I used to be scared of bees. I wouldnt kill them, but that was just because I
didnt want to get that close. Now every time I see a bee Im reminded of how much good they
do for us. Also, most of them dont even sting. I really love eating fruits and vegetables, and
majority of them are available to me because of bees. I think that a lot of people dont fully
understand what bees do for us, and when they do it can still be hard to see the big picture.
When I initially started researching about bees, I was aware about the problems caused
by pesticides. What I was not aware of however, is that pesticides are only one of the many
issues facing pollinators. As I got further into my research I realized just how threatening these
problems really are. I know that many people are aware that pesticides are bad, but thats about
it. I dont think that information of how and why they are bad is common knowledge. Cutler and
Scott-Dupree (2016) did a great job of explaining how they physically damage the bees. They are
detrimental to the nervous systems of the insects. A point that is brought up by Cutler and Scott-
Dupree (2016) is the issues with the research studies being performed. It is extremely expensive
to conduct a scientific study, in this case a study regarding the effects of pesticides on bees. The
only groups that have been able to afford to conduct the experiments are the pesticide groups
themselves. The problem is that if the results are found that pesticides are so dangerous and
harmful, the companies would be forced to have more regulations and possibly go out of
business, depending on the outcome of the experiment. That is concerning because if the results
could be harmful to the company doing the research, it seems extremely likely that would have a
bias answer and they could manipulate the results to work out in their favor. This is entirely
plausible and has happened before with other companies. That being said, I am not 100% certain
that what we are told about pesticides is true.
What bothers me the most about pesticides is that if we know the potential dangers and
how they seem to be doing such a great amount of harm, why are they still being used?
Pesticides are not necessary. While they do help keeping plants healthy and prevent them from
being unnecessarily bothered by creatures, crops still grow just fine without them. There are also
natural methods that can be used to keep plants safe. There is also ongoing research into how
pesticides affect humans, as it is being found that they might be having negative effects. I do not
understand why something that could have such harmful effects on so many things is still as
widespread as it is. I believe that the companies who make them are far too concerned about the
money to consider the side effects.
My proposal is a theory of what the world, specifically the United States of America,
would look in the years after bees went extinct. Contrary to the beliefs of Buzz Kill author Rice
(2017), which states that we will all die along with bees, I predict we will carry on living for a
long while after but with an entirely new way of living. Our diets will be limited to almost
entirely grains. Grains are not a flowering crop and therefore will continue to thrive without
bees. However, we will lose nearly all of our fruits and vegetables. I say this because although
bees are not the only ones who pollinate plants, other pollinators are facing increasing dangers as
well. Meat sources will decline because the animals we eat also will have some of their food
supplies taken away from them. Although I cannot say with certainty due to the fact that I am not
a scientist, I also predict that the world will look drastically different. Flowers and flowering
plants will be scarce, and a majority of the color we see in nature will not be there. This proposal
only takes into consideration the loss of pollinators. If you consider all of the other
environmental issues we are facing (and are responsible for) today, the world would be far
bleaker. With all of this being said, I have to acknowledge the fact that humans are incredibly
innovative and would possibly come up with new technology to replace pollinators, although it
would be extremely costly.

Conclusion

Despite some species of bees already being listed as endangered, it is not a final death
sentence. Knowing what is now known about bees and the obstacles they are facing, it is time for
humans to start changing and doing anything necessary to help bees. Although my statements
were only predictions, the majority of scientists do agree that a future without bees would not be
a good future. Refraining from the use of pesticides and accommodating to bees as best as we
can for the years to come until the remains of the substances clear from the land would be one of
the best solutions. As far as the other problems go, including Colony Collapse Disorder and
Varroa mites, more research needs to take place so we can find out how we can help.
My predictions of the future were based directly on the research I conducted. Through all
of the research I did I was able to understand why bees are so important and what they do, along
with the impacts of the challenges they are facing. Pulling information from a variety of reliable
sources allowed me to form what I believe to be a very plausible prediction. With the surfacing
of new research and information, humans will be able to get a better understanding of the
problem we are all facing and come together to find a way to solve it. If we continue on the path
we are heading down, we will destroy the balance of the ecosystem we are all a part of.
 References

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https://muse-jhu-edu.librarylink.uncc.edu/chapter/226041
Cutler, G. C., & Scott-Dupree, C. D. (2016). Bee Ecotoxicology and Data Veracity: Appreciating
the GLP Process. BioScience, 66(12), 10661069. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biw136
Doyle Rice, @usatodayweather, & Usa Today. (2017). Buzz kill: Bumblebee listed as
endangered for first time. USA Today.
Venturini, Drummond, Hoshide, Dibble, Stack. (2016). Pollination reservoirs for wild bee habitat
enhancement in cropping systems: a review. Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems.
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