Evan+A’s+Final+AmEx+2014+Speech

=Title of Speech=

"Bees Deserve Respect!" =Text of Speech=

The Anthophila, more commonly known as “the bumble bee” are a species slowly dying out.

There are over 20,000 known species of bees inhabiting every continent on the planet except Antarctica. They are found in every habitat on the planet that sustains insect pollinated flowering plants. They may be as small as the “Trigona Minima” at 2.1 mm (smaller than the tip of a pencil eraser) ranging to being as large as the “Megachile Pluta” whose females are commonly 39-40 mm long (about 1.5 inches). With two sets of wings, 6 legs, a 13 pieces antenna, and complex proboscis (there form of tongue), Bees are the only known insect or animal on this planet specialized for the sole purpose of pollination. With behavioral and physical modifications that specifically enhance pollination, they are more efficient and effective than any other pollinating animal (butterflies, pollen wasps, beetles). Bee’s and other pollinating insects rely on pollen and nectar to stay alive, the pollen provides many proteins and nutrients for the animals, while the nectar provides carbohydrates for the insect.

Between 1972 and 2006 the United States saw a dramatic reduction in the number of wild honey bees; they are now almost entirely absent from North America. Alongside that, every winter since 2009, ½ to ⅓ of their population is wiped out. There are natural causes of their death, but the fact of the matter is that humans account for a much larger portion of their deaths than the latter. The sole large scale natural cause of bee death is the combination of the Invertebrate Iridescent Virus or IIV6 and the Fungus “Nosema Cerenae”, neither are lethal on their own.

Humans on the other hand bring about Bee death in many other ways; by spraying pesticides, causing global warming, and expanding lands built upon. The large scale death of these bees has been coined “Colony Collapse Disorder”. For obvious reasons pesticides are bad for the bees, they are after all designed to kill insects! and so, they may do their job in killing the target insect, but with that comes huge amounts of collateral damage. Bee’s are not the only ones affected by this collateral damage, all sorts of wildlife feel the negative effects of these pesticides. It may help to look at it from a purely selfish standpoint. If we spray pesticides they sink into the plants around them, they get washed away into our rivers and oceans, and they kill these “pests” that we really do need. If it is sprayed on plant or there plants nearby absorb the pesticide, we will often times eat the plant and ingest it, or a grazing animal such as a cow, will eat it, and it will then be then be passed on to us. The same goes for pesticides washed into the water around us, fish commonly ingest it and in the case that we eat that fish, we get the pesticides too.

We look around us and find ourselves surrounded by concrete, buildings, and freeways. Now think about what preceded that? Grass lands, trees, flowering plants, and other green life of the sort. Now I’m not saying by any means tear down the buildings around you, I am saying though, that we as humans need to be responsible about the size of houses we buy, because before a house or building was put there, it was a natural habitat for the fleeting wildlife around us.

And finally, the extreme wastefulness and ignorance of the human race is bringing about global warming, global warming affects everyone inhabiting this planet, and the lack of worry baffles me. Global warming is altering the seasonal behaviours of the species.Climate change is causing bees to emerge at different times in the year when flowering plants are not available, causing the Bees to starve. The air pollution that comes hand in hand with global warming also brings forth many illness in the creatures.

Although they may seem miniscule and often times nasty because of their sting, these bees are vital to the world as we know it. About 80% of the world’s flowering plants are pollinated by bees, 35% of all crop production along with 60% of all crop species depend on these pollinators. At least ⅓ of the produce in our diets including fruits and nuts rely on the pollination of bees. The beef and dairy industries are also reliant on pollinators, as the diet of these cows are heavily concentrated on alf-alfa, a crop that must be pollinated to grow. The act of pollination brings “pollen grains” from the anther of the plant, the male reproduction part, to the stigma of the plant, the female reproduction part. Without the pollinators, these plants would be unable to reproduce making plants we see every day rarities. The plants would be incredibly hard or even impossible to cultivate, drastically bringing up the prices of food, and many other plant based products. Bee venom is also being found to have many possible medicinal uses, it is currently being tested and worked with, discoveries are being made that it may be able to help with a variety of ailments such as arthritis, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, cancer and depression.

The good part is, there are many easy ways to solve this problem. Habits are contagious among humans, like those ignorance and wastefulness, but so are more productive and beneficial ones. Things easily done like buying organic foods, driving less or buying more fuel efficient cars, and simply not stepping on the little guys are all great steps towards sustaining the life of Bees, and all other forms of wildlife around us**. **

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