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.
What text evidence supports the statement that human actions are harming bees? Select the two correct answers.
(1 point)
Responses
A conservation biologist claimed that planting bee-friendly flowers might actually increase disease levels.
A conservation biologist claimed that planting bee-friendly flowers might actually increase disease levels.
The author claimed that when bees are moved around to pollinate farms, there is a greater chance for diseases to spread.
The author claimed that when bees are moved around to pollinate farms, there is a greater chance for diseases to spread.
The author claimed beekeepers and farmers need to think more deeply about how they are managing bees.
The author claimed beekeepers and farmers need to think more deeply about how they are managing bees.
A pollinator ecologist claimed disease transmission goes both ways between human-managed bees and wild bees.
A pollinator ecologist claimed disease transmission goes both ways between human-managed bees and wild bees.
A researcher claimed habitat loss is already a major issue for bees.
1 answer
The two correct answers that support the statement that human actions are harming bees are:
1 answer
1 answer
1 answer
1 answer