Question

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.“But in some cases you might actually be increasing disease levels when you plant those flowers,” said Sheila Colla, a conservation biologist at York University who was not involved in the study. “Maybe we need to have a [buffer] area without flowers to stop diseases from spreading to wild bees.” Nobody is suggesting we stop planting flowers altogether. “We know that habitat loss is already a big problem for bees,” said Alger. Instead, she’s now investigating if increasing plant diversity, or culling certain plants could help decrease disease transmission. She added that beekeepers and farmers need to take a long, hard look at how they are managing bees.
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.

Answer 1

shorter

Answer 2

shorter and write by a 9th grader

Answer 3

The excerpt implies that future efforts to save bees will need to focus on more nuanced and strategic management practices rather than simply increasing the number of flowers planted or the quantity of managed bees. This inference is supported by phrases like “maybe we need to have a [buffer] area without flowers to stop diseases from spreading to wild bees,” indicating a shift towards considering the implications of planting on disease transmission. Additionally, the statement by Alger about investigating “if increasing plant diversity, or culling certain plants could help decrease disease transmission” suggests that future strategies will require a careful assessment of plant choices and their potential impact on bee health. This indicates a move towards more integrated approaches in handling both managed and wild bee populations in light of disease dynamics.

Answer 4

The excerpt suggests that future efforts to save bees will require more strategic management practices, rather than simply increasing the number of flowers or bees. For instance, the mention of having a “buffer area without flowers” to prevent disease spread implies a need for careful planning in planting. Additionally, Alger’s focus on “increasing plant diversity” or “culling certain plants” indicates that effective conservation strategies will need to consider the relationship between flowers and bee health, emphasizing a more integrated approach.

Answer 5

The excerpt suggests that to effectively save bees, we need better management strategies instead of just planting more flowers or keeping more bees. For example, creating “buffer areas without flowers” could help stop diseases from spreading. Also, Alger’s idea of “increasing plant diversity” shows that our planting choices matter for bee health, pointing to the need for careful planning in conservation efforts.