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Cody Putney
Dr. Grimes
ENG 101
10/22/17
Dangers of pesticides on humans and bees
What would happen to the world as we know it without bees? Bees are one of if not the
most important species to mankind. Bees are major pollinators, they pollinate about 70% of the
world’s crops species which in return feeds about 90% of the world. Bees pollinate one out of
every three bites of American food and make up $15 billion worth of crops annually (Sean
Rossman). But that’s only the start. If bees were to go extinct we may lose those plants they
pollinate, the animals that feed off those plants and so on up the food chain. Although some
people may ignore and not see the importance in this issue it’s a crisis in our world that needs to
be tended to.
According to natural society some of the foods bees help pollinate are Okra, kiwi,
potatoes, onions, celery, strawberries, broccoli, and cauliflower. Why is it so important for bees
to pollinate? Pollination is needed for plants to reproduce. When a bee gathers pollen and nectar
from the flower of a plant, some of the pollen from the male reproductive organ from the flower
known as stamens sticks to the hairs of the female bee. This in turn when she visits the next
flower some of the pollen that she caught in her hairs from the previous one rubs off onto the tip
of the pistil, which is the female reproductive organ of the flower. In such case this is when
fertilization is possible, and a fruit or vegetable, carrying seeds can develop. Although there are
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other pollinators out there such as butterflies, beetles and hummingbirds Bees are the one’s
whom pollinate the most and do it the most productively.
Currently, one of the biggest obstacles pollinators are facing today is the use and misuses
of certain pesticides. There are numerous kinds of pesticides throughout the world, and we’ve
been using them now for generations. According to the Environmental Protection Agency
Pesticides are used to control various pests and disease carriers, such as mosquitoes, ticks, rats
and mice. Pesticides are used in agriculture to control weeds, insect infestation and diseases. If
we’ve been using Pesticides for years, why are they now just affecting the pollinators so
negatively? This is a result of the types of pesticides we are using more often now compared to
before, these types of pesticides are known as neonicotinoids. Neonicotinoids were at first
considered to be less harmful and toxic compared to the older pesticides. When the
