By Jada Johnson
Honeybees are dying at a frightening rate and are now considered an endangered species.
According to beeinformed.org, from April 2015 to April 2016, beekeepers in the U.S. lost 44 percent of their honeybees. Over the past few years this number has only gotten higher, but last year was the highest number they have ever lost.
The bees are a necessity for many different things in the environment, including food for humans. Bees are pollinators, they take nectar from flowers and then pollinate fruits and many crops.
The Daily Meal states that without bees pollinating crops, there would be no apples, cherries, oranges, pumpkins or many other crops to eat anymore. According to Fox News, “One of every three bites of food Americans consume comes from a plant visited by bees or other pollinators.”
After years of doing research on what was happening to the bees, researchers have finally figured out a few things that are most likely causing these deaths.
One possibility is the Varroa Mite, which is a deadly parasite that is killing most of the honeybees.
Not only is the parasite killing bees, but pesticides and chemicals, like neonicotinoids, used on the crops. Neonicotinoids are a newer kind of insecticide that affects the nervous system of the bees which ends up killing them.
Lastly, the lack of flowers being planted where the bees can obtain nectar are also a playing factor.
Cheerios has been raising a lot of awareness about the issue. To bring back the bees, Cheerios gave away 1.5 million seeds. They also plan to create about 3,300 acres full of flowers and plants that honeybees can safely get nectar from. By doing this, they think creating a place for bees to safely live, will be able to double the honeybees in that area.
There are many different things people everywhere can do to help save the bees. Plant flowers and plants that are free of neonicotinoids and insecticides for honeybees to come and take nectar from.
Creating a place for them to live will also help. Buy honey bee houses at a local gardening store or make them a house from supplies found at home. If you don’t want to go buy a honeybee house, make a house for bees. Find a log or a chunk of wood and drill holes about three to four inches deep into it then put it up outside in a place where it won’t blow away.
Another way to help is by buying organic foods which helps stay away from the neonicotinoids that are killing bees.
There are many foundations doing research and helping out the bees that anyone can donate to. If you are thinking about donating, check out http://www.pollinator.org/ ,a non profit organization helping out the pollinators.
Try to take action in the community and not be a “buzz” kill. Start picking up litter and volunteer to help plant trees and flowers around the city.
To find out more information on what is happening with the bees and how you can get involved, go to http://sos-bees.org/ or https://beeinformed.org. You can also visit a local gardening store to ask questions.