Success Criteria:
We will plan and then write an information report on a topic of our choice related to bees.
Our report will:
- Be interesting!
- Give information about a topic of our choice related to bees.
- Show a clear link to our planning.
- Start with an opening statement about our topic.
- Have at least 3 paragraphs. Each paragraph will have an opening statement and a series of facts related to that statement.
- Include some complex or compound sentence structures.
- Include at least one diagram, photograph, illustration or map to go with the text.
- Finish with a general statement about the topic.
- Use information from at least 3 different sources. This information will be written in our own words and we will write down our sources at the end of our report.
Why Are Bees Declining?
Bees are dying and they need to pollinate our flowers. If the bees died we would not have much food because around 100 crop species feed 90% of the world. Around 70% of our food grows from a flower and needs to be pollinated so they can reproduce seeds so they can grow again. About 200-250 bees die a day. In 2016 US beekeepers lost 33% of their bees. If bees die and stop pollinating not only will the plants die but the animals that eat the pollinated plants will also die which will mess up the food chain.
One of the reasons that bees are dying is because they are getting poisoned by pesticides. Pesticides are usually sprayed over plants. The bees crawl over the plants and the chemicals attack insects by harming their nerve systems. Scientists also say that the pesticides interfere with the bees brain stopping them from learning so they don't remember what food they need to eat so they slowly die. Their population has gone down by 25 percent in the past years.
The second reason why bees are dying is because of Varroa mites and they are the worst problem. The mites sneak into the beehive and they wait for the wax to cover the spots were the bees lay their eggs. When they get in they wait for the bees to lay their eggs. When the bee lays the eggs the mites feed on the eggs so they can reproduce and repeat what they do. The mite attached to the body of the bee and weakens the bee by sucking its body which kills them.
Sources: The Telegraph, Entomology and Wikipedia.
