Truth Bee Told

Did you know that bees descended from wasps? Most wasp species are carnivores, so they either prey upon or eat other insects or spiders. They use this protein source to feed their young. Bees, however, have evolved to be herbivores, only drinking nectar or consuming pollen. 

Photo Credit: Jason Briggs, MSU

The bee population is declining in the US for a variety of reasons such as habitat loss, pathogens and pesticides. This commonly known pest is actually extremely beneficial to the ecosystem. Bees are responsible for the pollination of about 80% of flowering plants and 75% of the fruits, veggies and nuts. Not all bees pollinate all kinds of plants, certain types of bees are specialized for pollinating different types of plants. Bees do not all pollinate in the same way either, for example the bumblebee has a very special way of pollinating. It is called sonication but more commonly known as buzz pollination. This means that bumblebees, and select other species of pollinators, grab onto the part of the flower where the pollen is contained with their body and mouth. While doing this, they are able to vibrate their body to a certain frequency until the pollen is released. Buzz pollination is the only method that can extract pollen from plants such as blueberries, cranberries, potatoes, tomatoes and eggplants. Unfortunately, (the use of pesticides on these fruits and vegetables bees are trying to pollinate is poisoning and killing them. Something like this maybe, to connect the stats about fruit and veggie pollination back to pesticides?) large numbers of bumblebees and other species of bees are dying due to the use of pesticides. 

So this paragraph is going to get real sciencey, but it is important information to know. Knowing how these pesticides are formed will help us better understand how they affect and contribute to the way bumblebees pollinate to even their deaths. Some pesticides have a chemical component that act as a neurotoxin. This chemical acts on the bees nervous system which in turn alters the bumblebees behavior. The neurotoxin that is affecting the bumblebees is imidacloprid. Imidacloprid was made to mimic nicotine, therefore it has the chemical makeup of a neonicotinoid. A neonicotinoids is an agricultural insecticide, which over stimulates the neurons and depolarizes the mitochondria that in turn can produce immobility or death of the bumblebee. So, basically, these chemicals can alter the bees behavior pattern but also has a detrimental aspect of paralyzing or even killing bees. Once exposed to the neurotoxin, the bumblebee decreases the likelihood that it will return to that plant to pollinate. This is a problem for the plants that rely on bumblebees to pollinate, because they need the bumblebee to return to their plant multiple times in order to produce their fruit. Without the bumblebee returning to plants we would be losing foods such as blueberries and potatoes. 

You may wonder: Why should I care about all of these chemicals? These pesticides are easily accessible to the general consumer, that's you! You can go to the hardware store or home improvement store and buy these bee harming pesticides. (Is there anything anyone can do? Alternative pesticides/methods?)Depending on what you're trying to prevent, some alternatives to pesticide use could include natural substances such as white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar to kill weeds, or essential oils to keep harmful bugs away. These alternatives are known to work well and not cause harm to pollinators. If you have any questions on types of alternatives you could use to get rid of pests without harming other species feel free to comment. Bees may be a nuisance, but they are one of the most important species in the ecosystem. Save the bees!! Do not use pesticides!