Plan Bee

Zoe Woods, Emma Lebek, Leslie Erkocevic

 Background:
Our research project is focused on the dangerous decline in bee
populations:

Bees are vital to our environment as they pollinate 75% of vegetation

in the US and 90% of flowering plants require pollinators, like bees,
to reproduce.

At the beginning of 2017, the rusty-patched bumble bee was the first
species of bee in the US to be declared endangered, as their
population has diminished by around 90% within the past 20 years.

The decline in bee and bee colonies can be traced back to Colony
Collapse Disorder, which can further be traced back to the presence
of pesticides in the environment.
 Types of Pesticides:
- There are 2 main types of pesticides: Broadleaf control
(selective) and Spot spraying (nonselective)

- Selective pesticides are harmless to most plants, and can be mass-

sprayed over large areas, as they will only target certain plants (like
weeds)

- Nonselective pesticides are damaging to almost everything they

come in contact with, so they must be applied carefully to small
areas
- For example, Roundup is a commonly used nonselective pesticide, and
thus it is harmful to most organisms

- It can be dangerous to humans, in which it can be absorbed through the

 Neonicotinoids
Bees rely heavily on their mental capacity for communication,
memory, and cognition to communicate potential threats with other
bees and find/remember sources of food.

Neonicotinoids can cause disorientation and memory loss (symptoms

associated with the Colony Collapse Disorder) and can have drastic
effects on bee behavior, cognitive function, and reproduction.

Neonicotinoids can compromise entire hives: they weaken the bees

immune system and simultaneously make common bee pathogens
more deadly.

Only 0.2% of corn seed in the U.S. is spared from the neonicotinoid
seed treatments and in Iowa in 2009, 73% of all soy was treated
with these damaging chemicals.
More information:

Martha Spivak speaks about the

importance of bees in our world and
the cause and effect relationship
that human actions and bee
populations have with one another.
She details the effect that modern
farming methods and the lack of
natural fertilizers (such as clover or
fertilizer) and the decline in planting
of flowering plants. She also shows
the effects of fungicides, herbicides,
and neonicotinoids (to name a few)
have had on bee colonies.
 Outline of Plan:
1)Email Tracy Bellehumeur, a local beekeeper who runs
a beekeeping class at Growing Gardens; shes
specializes in honeybee pests and pesticides

2)Email Town of Superior Parks and Recreation

Department Director Patrick Hammer to get
information on pesticides used in the town

3)Using the information weve received, determine

whether the pesticides used are safe or harmful for
bee populations

4)Present the results to the Town of Superior, and offer

suggestions if we find harmful chemicals being used
 Implementation of Plan
We emailed the Parks and Recreation Departments of Superior to find
out more about local pest management systems.
 Town of Superior Response

*We did some more research on Prosecutor and Reward pesticides, but were unable to
find any verified studies that showed adverse effects to bees in the quantities that were
used by the Town of Superior.
We also emailed the Western Colorado Beekeepers Association to find
out more about Colorado bees on a larger scale.
Letter to Our Representatives
To Whom it May Concern:

The decline of the bee populations in the United States has become an alarming issue that could potentially have global
ramifications. One of the causes for this devastating decline is the widespread use of harmful pesticides and herbicides, which are
responsible for Colony Collapse Disorder and have negative effects on bee behavior, cognitive function, and reproduction. It is our
duty as citizens of this Earth to stop the extinction of one of the most vital organisms to the sustainability of human food sources
and by extension, the human race. U.S. National Agricultural Statistics show a honey bee decline from about 6 million hives in
1947 to 2.4 million hives in 2008, a 60 percent reduction. Due to this drastic reduction in the Bee population, we are writing to
encourage the support of bee friendly pest management systems and to cease the use of pesticides that are harmful to bees in
public areas. As the youth of America, we see this a necessary step and call upon our governmental representative to ensure the
longevity of bee populations and protect the food supply for future generations.
Sincerely,
Zoe Woods, Leslie Erkocevic, and Emmanuelle Lebek
 Future Steps
- While stopping pesticides is vital to saving bee populations, it would also
greatly help to plant bee-friendly flowers

- Common yarrow and pale purple coneflower are great early-summer flowers
that could be grown in the United States, and are favorites of bees

- In the summer, sunflower, giant blue hyssop, horsemint, and purple

coneflower are good choices to attract bees

- Take it another step further, and create a bee garden!

- Use bee-friendly plants to encourage bees to visit your garden,
and enjoy beautiful flowers while helping out the struggling
local bee population
 Bibliography
All images used have been labeled for noncommercial reuse with modification.

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Conserving Bumble Bees - Ecological Landscape Alliance. (n.d.). Retrieved May 06, 2017, from
http://www.ecolandscaping.org/08/beneficials/conserving-bumble-bees/

First Bumblebee Declared Endangered in U.S. (2017, May 01). Retrieved May 06, 2017, from
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/01/bumblebees-endangered-species-rusty-patched/

The Plight of the Honeybee. (2017, May 01). Retrieved May 06, 2017, from
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https://ec.europa.eu/food/animals/live_animals/bees/study_on_mortality_en

Smith, J. E. (2017, April 26). Study bolsters evidence that pesticides contribute to honeybee colony collapse. Retrieved May 06,
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