The Mystery Of The Vanishing Honeybees
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Honeybees are vanishing from their colonies all across the United States. Western States like California have lost 30-60% of their honeybees, while the East Coast and Texas have lost almost 70%.
It appears that bees leave to look for nectar and pollen and never return to their colonies. The problem is so severe that researchers are calling it the 'colony collapse disorder'.
Researchers are not sure what is going on. They are however, investigating a couple of theories. One of them is that the bees are stressed because they are being made to pollinate more. This in turn has lowered their resistance to diseases, causing them to die early.
A second theory being investigated is the effect of insecticides on bees. Colony keepers are using insecticides to kill mites (little insects that leech off honeybees). Researchers believe this has resulted in shortening the lifespan of queen bees and also reduced its ability to give birth to worker bees.
Whatever the reason, the disappearance of the honeybees is a cause for great concern for farmers across the United States. One of the reasons is the lower supply of honey. The other, even bigger cause for concern is pollination. Honeybees pollinate most fruit orchards, grain fields and vegetable crops. Therefore, if the mystery of the vanishing honeybees is not solved, our fruit and vegetable supply may be affected. Some fruits and vegetables may become more expensive; others may simply not be able to grow. Stay tuned for updates on further developments on this story.
Sources: scienceray.com, cnn.com
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346 Comments
- True or Falseover 5 yearsWhy do you want honey, don't you realize WE STEAL HONEY
- Seriousalmost 6 yearsthis is horrible!!!
- Wwealmost 6 yearsCool
fortnite432almost 6 yearsI do not like hornets but bees might be helpful for the world
marshmello843over 5 yearsbee's are the most important animal in the world- marshmello843over 5 yearsthey are the most imprtant animal in the world.
- Nellaalmost 6 yearsif there's no bees no honey and no flowers no nature..
- 4-hvalmost 6 yearsthat is amazing
- Emmaalmost 6 yearsThis is horrible people are scared of being stung by them and stomp on them. Don’t you eat food that has honey in it but honey bees will go extinct but we can help
- Hello!!!*almost 6 yearsOh-no! bees are leaving by the minute.
- Ennovi207almost 6 yearsIf you really want to save them, ask your parents if they use pesticides or herbicides, or non-organic fertilizer. These are harmful to the environment, and try to persuade them to use organic fertilizers like compost or manure from stores. Yes, manure is cow poop. It works. Deal with it.
- ?almost 6 yearsIdk