Two supporting details from the text that skillfully shape the central idea are the significant decline in wild bumblebee populations and the finding that they pick up more viruses the closer they forage to commercial honeybee colonies. The alarming statistic that some bumblebee species have declined by up to 96 percent highlights the urgency of the issue and underscores the interconnectedness of honeybee management and wild bee health. Additionally, the revelation that flowers may serve as reservoirs for bee viruses links the health of managed honeybee colonies directly to the risks faced by wild bumblebees. Together, these details convincingly illustrate that while well-intentioned human efforts to save bees are crucial, they may inadvertently contribute to the decline of wild populations, refining the central idea that our approach to bee conservation must be more nuanced and cautious.
Everyone wants to save the bees. But as populations decline every year, we may be saving them to death.
Human efforts to breed more of these insects in artificial beehives and plant more flowers may seem the obvious way to stave off heavy losses.
New research shows the answer is not that clear cut, because viruses may be spilling over from commercial honeybee colonies into wild bee populations, according to a study from the University of Vermont published Wednesday in PLOS One. Like honeybees, which are invaluable for agriculture, wild bumblebees also play a significant role in crop pollination. Though people are more familiar with honeybee die-offs — such as with colony collapse disorder — wild bumblebees have been struggling too. A handful of bumblebee species have declined by up to 96 percent in the U.S., according to the National Agricultural Library’s website.
The causes have been largely understudied, although pesticides, infectious disease and shrinking habitat due to climate change have been suspected, said Samantha Alger, an ecologist from the University of Vermont who led the new research. Filling in one piece of the puzzle, the study revealed wild bumblebees pick up more viruses the closer they forage to managed honeybee colonies. But if bumblebees don’t venture into the commercial hives, how are they picking up viruses?
Flowers have been suspected as reservoirs for bee viruses, but no researcher had linked virus deposits on flowers to bumblebee infections in the wild until this study. And the results could have implications for how we lend our inter-species help.
What the scientists did
The team plucked wild bumblebees from 19 sites around northern Vermont. Some sites were close to a commercial apiary — within 0.2 miles or a short city block — while others were farther away — at least 0.6 miles. If honeybees were present, the researchers collected them too.
Select two or more supporting details from the text. In 3–5 sentences, explain how those details skillfully shape and refine the central idea of the text while also convincing you that the author’s central idea is reasonable.
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