Hi, I'm Barry. B. Benson, You may know me from the Bee Movie! I'm here to educate you on why you need to save my people and I from potentially dying....

Did you know that one-third of the food consumed by humans is pollinated by honey bees (my gang), which makes us extremely significant for both the sustainability of our food supply and the health of the entire world?

There has unfortunately been a 60% decrease in the honey bee population over the past 61 years. 

Saving my family (the bees)  is a necessity because without us, our food chain and the ecosystem as a whole would be in DANGER; however there are solutions to help save us, but it’s up to YOU to take action now!

The top three solutions that can create a positive impact on the honey bees are reducing the use of pesticides, creating and building safe habitats for bees to thrive in and planting a lot of bee-friendly flowers. Yup, that's it! Three simple solutions that you can do to help save us!

First and foremost, ENOUGH with the use of pesticides! Farmers use pesticides to control and kill pests that harm their crops, like ME. This is a problem because it's hurting beneficial insects. 

TOXIC

IT'S HURTING ME!!!!!!

More than 50 million bees have died due to pesticides, that's seven times the world's human population. 

Insecticides can harm honey bees in a variety of ways. One is the bee coming into direct touch with the pesticide while it is out feeding in the field. The bee leaves the hive and then passes away immediately.

In addition, my friends, the beekeepers, are preparing for an increase of deaths within my families (bee) population, since 290 pesticide chemicals have been allowed for humans to use on a daily, since the beginning of 2020. 

But guess what? YOU can help me reduce this! If you stop using pesticides in your yard or garden, you can greatly improve the lives of bees and other insects too. If you want to save bees, it's best to also let the other insects be handled naturally, since they supply food for important pollinators.

Moving on... I WANT A MANSION!

Just kidding... although I do really want one! What I'm trying to say is that I don't really have a home to live in. It would be amazing if you could create a habitat for my family and I to stay in.

Many of the places bees once considered home no longer exist due to an increase in urban developments and invasive farming techniques. Numerous kinds of bees nest in hollow trees in the wild, so when more trees are chopped down, the bees' homes are also lost.

THIS RESULTS IN THE DESTRUCTION OF MY HOME! WE ARE LACKING IN POLLINATOR-FRIENDLY HABITATS!

NO MORE FOOD FOR ME TOO!

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 `Since pollinator-friendly habitats are being lost and damaged significantly, it then leads to the loss of the various food sources that are a necessity for beesin order to survive and maintain a nutritional diet. 

Bees must have access to enough flowers to forage, as well as secure areas such as hedges, plants, and the ground, where they may build their nests. However, we've lost 97% of our wildflower meadows since the Second World War, giving our bees minimal natural habitat.

I would appreciate it if you could make a shelter for my family and I to hibernate in. It's so simple and easy to make, you may build one yourself or purchase one already created. Easily, put it up in a bright, protected area and see bees filling the tubes especially throughout spring and summer.

one more thing...

If you could plant more flowers, you can make the best and most influential impact on us!

What do you say, buddy? If you do this simple task for me, I will make sure you will be ALWAYS able to eat majority of your favorite foods!

Do you know why I can make this bet with you?

This is because 80% of all pollination globally is done by honey bees. Fruits, nuts, and vegetables are all pollinated by bees, who can pollinate 300 million flowers a  day from a single bee colony. Bees pollinate 70 out of the top 100 human food crops, which provide roughly 90% of the world's nourishment.

Overall, because they consume their nectar and pollen, bees like flowers. Bees use the nectar as nourishment and a source of energy to go to and from their hive. They also collect pollen from flowers, which is fed to the larva (young bees) within the hive. Both flowers and bees depend on each other.

All in all, bees are important for the pollination of plants, the production of food and the preservation of a healthy environment. Numerous threats are causing my population to decline and in order to preserve our survival and the sustainability of our world, you must take as much action as possible to save us.

Now... I need to go support my fellow bees. Always remember to BEE FRIENDLY! Barry B. Benson is OUT!!

Sustainability - The connection between humans and the environment will guarantee that there are sufficient resources for future generations.

Pollinate/Pollination - Process of pollination involves moving pollen from the male portion of the plant (anther) to the female part of the plant (stigma)

Food supply - a supply of food that is offered or ready for usage

Food chain - a constant cycle of how each living thing gets its food

Ecosystem - An ecosystem is made up of both living and non-living things including water, earth, rocks, and sun. Living things include animals, insects, and plants.

Pesticides/Insecticides - substances and chemicals that are used to kill, control and harm pests, insects, bugs 

Habitats - a place where animals naturally live, a habitat is a home for most animals and gives them the necessary food, water, shelter

Urban developments - the processes that underlie the social, cultural, economic, and physical growth of cities.

Invasive farming - a type of agricultural practice that introduces a species of organisms into an ecosystem where it is not native.

Nutrition - when the human body uses nutrients from food to maintain health, grow and repair itself. 

Larva - young baby bee

Definitions