"Are Commercial Honeybees Making Wild Bees Sick?"by Berly McCoyIf 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 2QuestionUse 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.(4 points) Short Answer Rubric (4 points)Points AwardedCriteria4The answer is very clear.The answer is fully supported by details.There may be a few errors in grammar, usage, or mechanics. Errors do not interfere with meaning.3The answer is mostly clear.The answer is supported by mostly relevant details.There are a few errors in grammar, usage, or mechanics. Errors do not interfere with meaning.2The answer is somewhat clear.Details are weak or not related.There are some errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics. Errors interfere with meaning.1The answer is not clear.There are few or no supporting details.There are many errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics. Errors interfere with meaning.0The question is not answered

1 answer

Inference: Future efforts to save bee populations may need to reconsider the interaction between commercial and wild bee populations, as simply increasing the number of managed bees and planting bee-friendly flowers might inadvertently facilitate disease transmission.

Textual evidence: The excerpt points out that "human-managed bees and bee-friendly flowers are acting as hotspots for pathogens," suggesting that these efforts could be counterproductive. Additionally, Scott McArt's comment that “it’s likely the transmission is going both ways” indicates that diseases can spread from wild bees to managed ones, complicating efforts to eradicate infections. This highlights the need for a more integrated approach to bee conservation that addresses the risks associated with the movement and concentration of both commercial and wild bee populations.