The Importance of Honeybee Health
agreed to a conditional registration of clothianidin.
Most people don’t realize that the beekeeping
industry is responsible for one-third of the food we
eat. In the past six years however, bees are dying
off at an alarming rate. These tiny insects are
responsible for pollinating plants – a process
essential for maintaining our food supply. The die-
off is a phenomenon called colony collapse
disorder (CCD). The consequence of colony collapse
could be economically disastrous. Without a
healthy bee population produce prices would
skyrocket and the food industry would lose billions
of dollars. It is for this reason that reports of CCD
has beekeepers, naturalists and government
scientists concerned.
There are a number of possible explanations for
CCD including urbanization, disease, water
pollution and parasitic mites. Many researchers
and beekeepers however, now suspect the
introduction of systemic neonicotinoid pesticides
as a possible catalyst for the vanishing bees.
Initially introduced to food production in 1994,
naonicotinoid pesticides are absorbed into every
part of a plant, including the roots, stems, leaves
and pollen. When bees pollinate, they carry the
pesticide chemicals back to their hives. Prior to its
registration, the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) expressed concerns about
clothianidin’s effect on bee populations and
suggested the chemical include a label warning
that “this compound is toxic to honey bees.”
In spite of the agency’s reservations, the EPA
Last December, the Pesticide Action Network of
North America (PANNA) joined other
environmentalists and beekeepers in calling on the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to
issue a stop-use order for the neonicotinoid
pesticide clothianidin.
Although Bayer CropScience, the manufacturer of
most neonicotinoid insecticides, insists their
products are “safe,” their use has been limited or
banned in a number of countries including
Germany, Italy, France and Slovenia. Both the U.S.
and Britain however, continue to allow the use of
neonicotinoids. Today clothianidin is widely used
on corn seeds and other crops such as wheat, soy
and sunflowers. Tests conducted by the Pesticide
Action Network have found clothianidin in
watermelon, peaches, cherries, strawberries,
spinach, summer squash, tomatoes and potatoes.
Pesticides are meant to kill pests. So it should come
as no great surprise that they would kill bees. Who
knows what effect these supposedly “harmless”
small amounts have when consumed every day for
20, 30, 40, 50 years? The facts are still clear that if
bees become extinct we will have a severe collapse
in our food chain.
Adapted from:
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/02/07/importan
ce-honey-bee-health/
 1. consequence Something previous or before the current thing
2. pollinate A group or community
3. prior Bugs that live on another living thing and damage it
4. conditional to fertilize or mix the pollen from varying flowers
5. banned A result or effect of an action
6. colony An unusual happening or existence of something
7. parasitic Not allowed, to make a rule against something
8. phenomenon Something that can happen only if or when something else occurs first
9. catalyst Having to do with money, costs and finances
10. economically The initial start of something, the cause
A. Vocabulary Match

B. Find another word in the selection that mean the SAME as:
1. Disturbing

2. Rise very quickly

3. Moving to cities

4. Poisonous

5. Risk-free

6. Soak into

7. Chemicals added to the air, water or soil

8. Tiny bugs and pests

C. True or False

1. One possible explanation for the bee colonies dying is urbanization.

2. Bees are responsible for making our food.

3. If bees became extinct this would cause a major problem with our food supply.

4. Although the company says neonicotinoid insecticides are safe, other countries have already
banned them.
5. The pesticide clothianidin isn’t absorbed into the fruit of the plant.
 D. Match a word from the selection with its
1. Collapse A. To appear OPPOSITE.

2. Vanishing B. To agree

3. Essential C. Lack, not enough

4. Insist D. Slight, gentle

5. Supply E. Grow, build up

6. Severe F. Unimportant,
unecessary

E. Comprehension questions

1. What does CCD stand for and what is it?

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2. What are some possible reasons as well as the most likely reason for the die-off of the bee colonies?

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3. What countries do NOT allow the use of this particular pesticide? (clothianidin)

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4. Do you think scientists and environmentalists are right to be concerned about bees?

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5. What important function do bees serve in the food chain?

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F. Find a related word in the selection

1. Parasite (noun) Adjective:
2. System (noun) Adjective:
3. Pest (noun) Noun:
4. Supposed (verb, adjective) Adverb:
5. Disaster (noun) Adjective:
6. Maintenance (noun) Verb:
7. Produce (verb) Noun:
8. Register (verb) Noun: