They need you now more than ever. They are dying at alarming rates. They are responsible for pollinating over 70% of our food. They donate billions of dollars to our country. Yes, the bees need your help. Bees are America’s top pollinators and help keep our country moving, but recently, there has been a huge decline in the number of bee colonies in the U.S. Unfortunately, we are one of the major causes of this decline, and that is exactly why we are responsible for helping them. Before we can learn how to help the bees, we must first learn why we should really help and how we can help. Let’s start with pesticides and their effects on both bees and humans. David Schubert, a professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, explains, “There is a striking correlation between the decline of the bee population, which was first widely noted in the late 1990s -- soon after the introduction of neonicotinoids and glyphosate resistant crops -- and an increase in the relative frequency of several human diseases, such as autism and gastrointestinal conditions, in the same time frame.” The pesticides mentioned in this quote, (neonicotinoids and glyphosate) are the most common pesticides that are threatening bees and harming humans as well. Neonicotinoids are …show more content…
Ryan Bergeron of CNN says, “Whether it 's from a window box in your apartment, a garden in your backyard or a green space in your community, there 's something you can grow to help bees, no matter where you live.” We can all follow this advice. Simply plant flowers and other helpful plants in your yard and make sure to avoid harmful insecticides and herbicides. Then, just relax and watch the bees thank you with beautiful flowers. You can plant just about anything to help, but things like alfalfa and clovers that replenish the nutrients in soil are great for your garden. It doesn’t take much effort to help, and helping them helps us, so we should all play our