Brigit+F’s+2016+OpEd+Article

Approximately one third of the world's food is pollination dependent - without pollination we wouldn't have produce like: apples, oranges, watermelon, kiwi, avocado, etc. However foods like those previously mentioned may be at risk; since the 1990s bee populations have been drastically deteriorating with a little over 40% of honey bee colonies disappearing over the course of this past year. But what exactly is causing the world's bees to drop like flies? The two main factors attributing to their rapid decline are: the agricultural practice known as monoculture and pesticides. Monoculture is the agricultural practice of growing a single type of plant in a given area; farmers practicing monoculture ship truck loads of bees across the country to pollinate their plant for the season. Once the crop has bloomed and is out of season, the bees no longer have any food left to eat leading to poor nutrition, making them susceptible to disease. The second reason the bees are dying is because of pesticides, particularly neonicotinoid insecticides. Originally intended to fight off crop killing insects, neonicotinoid insecticides seem to be the most probable cause for the decimation of the bees across America. The neonicotinoid insecticides act as a neurotoxin in bees where, in small doses, the bees are simply disoriented, however when a bee comes into contact with a larger dose, the bees are either rendered unable to fly or are killed. So what exactly can we do to save the bees from our own homes? Plant bee friendly plants in your gardens - like rosemary, lavender, or clovers. All we have to do is a miniscule part to help strengthen the bee population in America, don't be the reason we don't have honey anymore.