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Thursday, August 1, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
OPINION
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ANNE ELSE | COLUMN
I
n the winter of 2018, a
record
number
of
bee
colonies
died
in
the
United States. Beekeepers lost
a daunting near 40 percent of
their honeybee colonies due to
a few detrimental factors. The
threat to bees has been an issue
for many years and may create
drastic changes to the fabric
of human agriculture. Yet, this
topic is often overlooked or not
met with the immediate action
it deserves.
Our
bee
neighbors
may
not
be
human,
but
their
services to the human race are
unparalleled. They provide vast
pollination across the country.
Of the 369,000 plant species,
90
percent
are
dependent
on pollination via insects. If
bees continue to die out, wild
flora and crops will become
less healthy and unviable for
commerce. Without the insect
pollination,
plants
would
remain unfertilized and would
not be able to produce seeds. It is
clear that the wellbeing of bees
is integral to plant life. If plants
are neglected and pollinators
are unable to continue their
job, farmers and markets will
lose product. This chain of
events could lead to diminished
access to healthy and fresh
foods and a destruction of the
economic market. These real
threats, as well as the looming
endangerment
of
bees,
are
enough for me to believe that
we need to work to save our
pollinators.
The few ways to directly
protect bees are, unfortunately,
outisde
of
most
people’s
control. For example, farmers
and industries should not use
pesticides,
neonicotinoids
or
GMOs as they can harm bees’
immune
systems,
and
even
kill them, if in contact with
a
chemically
covered
plant.
Of course, the decision to use
these chemicals is entirely at
the discretion of the farmer or
owner. They may decide the
benefits of pesticides outweigh
the risks of killing bees. Yet,
this outlook seems ironic since
killing bees will eventually lead
to the decreased pollination and
death of plants. It is a cycle that
everyone should be educated on
to understand the consequences
attached to spraying pesticides.
The fight against pesticides
has been difficult. Even though
there is an abundant amount
of evidence that pesticides are
harmful, there has been very
little action taken to eradicate
their use. Maryann Frazier, a
retired associate at the College
of
Agricultural
Sciences
at
Pennsylvania State University,
discusses this issue. She stated
“I don’t expect to see a change in
losses over time for this reason.
There’s
been
no
significant
effort to correct what’s causing
the decline … There’s a huge
amount of data (and) research
showing
pesticides
are
a
significant player in the decline
of honeybees and other insect
species. And yet there’s been
so little done to make a change
on that front. The EPA has been
incredibly ineffective.”
Pesticide
industry
leaders
seem to be avoiding the negative
effects
their
products
have
on wildlife. Pesticides are the
start of a downward spiral for
the safety of bees and plants.
According to Frazier, important
figures tend to cover up their
own business and hand in the
destruction of bees by pointing
out Varroa mites and viruses.
Varroa mites, viruses and
other pests are a danger to
bees and their hives. Parasites
attack honeybees and kill them
off at alarming rates. This
natural invasion of a honeybee
hive definitely plays a role in
decreasing
bee
populations,
but
the
fact
that
powerful
leaders in business and politics
shift their institutional harm
onto these faceless parasites
is irresponsible. People who
hold positions of power in the
pesticide industry or in the
EPA should be owning up to the
impacts humans have on climate
change and wildlife. Due to the
fact that climate change alters
seasonal timing, flowers and
crops are blooming at different
rates. This unpredictable effect
makes it difficult for bees to
pollinate correctly and in a
timely
manner.
Government
figures have the means to enact
sustainable policies for the crop
industry and could be pouring
their resources into saving our
natural pollinators.
Bee kind to pollinators
Since
we
cannot
always
rely on industry bosses to
make changes for the future
of bees, community members
are beginning to take mat-
ters into their own backyards.
Stuart Anderson invented a
way to make beekeeping more
accessible to homes around the
world. He invented the “Flow
Hive,” which allows the keeper
to pull a lever and release the
delicious, flowing honey. They
have managed to already sell
thousands of hives in 130 coun-
tries across the world. This
invention creates an ease for
beekeepers, and I think this
ease will incentivize beekeep-
ing even more.
If more people can learn
about the importance of bees,
plant flowers for them and even
keep hives in their yards, bee
genetic diversity will increase
around the world. This diver-
sity will ultimately help bees
fortify their immune systems,
strengthen colonies and resist
the harms of pesticides. The
backyard hobby of beekeeping
contributes to an important
cause and helps pollinators and
plant diversity. Let us all bring
bees into our communities and
live under the realm of their
golden glide.
Anne Else can be reached at
aelse@umich.edu.
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