Honey Bee Preservation What is the problem? Bees are - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Honey Bee Preservation

What is the problem? ● Bees are mysteriously dying for no known reason ● From about 250 billion to 130 billion in the last 100 years ● That doesn’t mean we will have to stop using honey ● The real problem is that honey bees are the major pollinators for over one third of all the crops in the nation ● Without those precious bees, we will have a major food crisis in the United States ● Raising food prices is not helpful reducing poverty levels

Why Are Bees Dying ? ● Bees are dying from pesticides that farmers use on their crops ● Insecticide Neonicotinoid reduces bee’s chance to survive ● Varroa mole is a possibility because they invade colonies and feed on bees ● Lack of genetic diversity ● Some pesticides can damage honeybees’ lack of homing ability ● Wild flowers and grasslands are disappearing ● Vast areas of farmland grow only one crop

What Is The Solution? ● We can plant more wildflowers ● Farmers can stop using pesticides; change to organic farming ● We can preserve or create grasslands because bees pollinate much better on grasslands ● We can also create more parks inside of cities with flowers and plants so bees can pollinate

Conclusion ● The honey bee population is decreasing ● This will harm America’s food production causing higher food cost ● Bees may be dying from pests, use of pesticides, and less wild flowers and grasslands ● People can help bees by being proactive ● We can plant more wild flowers, reduce the use of chemicals, and grow more than just one crop on our farms

HELP BEES NOW!! BEE POWER!!!