蜜蜂为何越来越少？

Skye Oduaran

蜜蜂起着平衡生态的重要作用。没有蜜蜂，植物的受粉就会受到影响。蜜蜂一旦灭绝，那将影响整个与之有关的植物共生生态系统。

Growing up on a farm in Orchard Hill, Georgia, Jim Quick learned how important bees are to the food we eat.When he was 11, his grandfather asked him to start a beehive to keep the crops flourishing(茁壮成长).

“Forty-two years later, and I'm still learning,”Quick said in a recent interview.Before his retirement,the master beekeeper taught entomology (the study of insects) at the University of Georgia in Athens.

Quick is still learning about bees on the farm where he grew up.But he is concerned: The bee population is in danger.Nearly 40% of beehives in the United States were lost in 2021 alone.This concerns Quick and other scientists because bees are responsible for much of the food we eat.They pollinate (给……传授花粉)flowering plants and crops, resulting in the production of seeds and fruits.

The declining bee population can be caused by several factors, including parasites(寄生物)that kill or weaken the hives.“Back when I started, it wasn't hard at all,”Quick said.“A lot of the problems—pests and diseases—came about over the past 30 years.Habitat loss, pesticides, and climate change are also to blame.Pesticides get into the nectar (花蜜) of plants,which is essential to a bee's diet.Toxins(毒素) in the nectar harm the bees' memory.”

Scientists are searching for solutions to help the bee population.But Quick already has an idea.“Set up a hive at school and learn more about pollinators,”he said.Kids aren't too young to help.After all,Quick started his first beehive at the age of 11.“We could grow more bees, if we had more people to do it,”he said.

Reading Check

Why are bees responsible for much of the food we eat?

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