From the excerpt, it can be inferred that future efforts to save both commercial and wild bees might need to reconsider the approach of simply increasing bee populations and planting more "bee-friendly" flowers. The text indicates that concentrating bee populations for large-scale pollination events can enhance the spread of diseases, stating, "the more that bees are transported and concentrated...the more opportunities for diseases to spread." Furthermore, it highlights a potential cycle of disease transmission, suggesting a need for more comprehensive strategies: “Even if diseases in commercial bees are eliminated, new infections from the wild bee population...could spill back into managed populations.” Therefore, it’s likely that successful conservation efforts will need to focus on disease management and ecological balance rather than merely increasing bee numbers and resources.
"Are Commercial Honeybees Making Wild Bees Sick?" by Berly McCoy If human-managed bees and bee-friendly flowers are acting as hotspots for pathogens, keeping more bees and planting more flowers may be contributing to the steep losses in commercial pollinators seen in the U.S. each year, as well as fueling the decline of wild bees. The more that bees are transported and concentrated for larger-scale pollination events, the more opportunities for diseases to spread. And it’s not just a one-way street. “It’s likely the transmission is going both ways,” said Scott McArt, a pollinator ecologist at Cornell University who was not involved in the study. Even if diseases in commercial bees are eliminated, new infections from the wild bee population, which are known to harbor pathogens, could spill back into managed populations, making disease eradication even tougher than it is now. From the urban gardener to the rural farmer, people are encouraged to grow “bee-friendly” plants. 1 of 2 Question Use the article excerpt to answer the question. It is possible to infer from this excerpt something about future efforts to save the bees. What inference can you make? In 3–5 sentences, state your inference and provide strong and thorough textual evidence from the excerpt to support the inference.
3 answers
An inference that can be made about future efforts to save the bees is that simply increasing bee populations and planting more flowers may not be sufficient. The excerpt states, “the more that bees are transported and concentrated...the more opportunities for diseases to spread,” indicating that this practice can exacerbate health issues among bee populations. Additionally, the potential for disease transmission between wild and commercial bees suggests that effective conservation strategies will need to address disease management as a priority: “It’s likely the transmission is going both ways.” Therefore, future efforts may need to adopt a more holistic approach to bee conservation that balances population increases with disease control.