Poster presentation on the impact of bees on society and agriculture

Serviss, Samantha

English

Winthrop University

Serviss 1  Samantha Serviss The Bountiful Benefit of Bees Abstract  In this paper I argue that the solution to food supply sustainability that Wilson promotes within his book, The Future of Life, of moving into a more vegetarian diet does not take into consideration the current problem of bee species decline. The decline of the species means that an important agricultural tool cannot properly sustain crop yield. I also argue that if something is not done to correct the decline of the bee species then major consequences will be faced.  Research suggests that many different factors contribute to bee decline and provide solutions that may work. I pull information from Edward O. Wilson himself, as well as from governmental agencies such as the United States Department of Agriculture and the White House. I provide accurate examples of how bees benefit food supply, what would happen without bees, and what can be done to save the bees. I also use information provided by honey bee organizations to allow insight into issues that beekeepers face, along with farms. Bees have diminished in population by at least thirty percent over the last decade and continue to die each winter due to many different factors. I also show how the perception of bees can make possible changes in mortality rates. I argue that with more education, and with effort to preserve the bee species, Wilson’s plan for a more vegetarian diet to ensure proper food supply to sustain the human population is sound. I hope that this paper will convince the local apiaries and agricultural societies to help educate others on the importance of bees, as well as, educate them on the future of food supply if bees become extinct. Keywords: bees, benefit, food supply, sustainability, agriculture, apiary 

The Bountiful Benefit of Bees

https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1039&context=interdisciplinary_conference

The Bountiful Benefit of Bees

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