What are your thoughts on bees? Don’t you just hate them? For some people bees are just an annoyance, I used to think this too (but bees are not as bad as we think, and as you carry on reading you’ll understand why). So, why do we hate bees so much? Is it because all they do is sting you and cause you pain? They’d buzz around loudly, come near you if you had anything sweet or chase you down the streets trying to sting you, but you shouldn’t be afraid of bees. Bees will only sting you if they feel threatened! So try avoid getting close to them, scaring them or stepping on them because a bee sting can hurt an awful lot. On the other hand a sting from a bee isn’t all bad, a toxin in the bee venom called melittin could actually help prevent getting HIV, and apitherapy, (substances produced by an honey bee, e.g. venom) has also helped many patients who suffer from serious conditions such as multiple sclerosis, arthritis and lupus.
Bees are actually very significant to us and our lives! They’re not just for honey, they’re not just there to sting you either…. Even if you hate them, you need them.
Bees are hardworking insects, they may work harder than you do! During the colder seasons bees can live for up to nine months however in the summer they rarely last 6 weeks. They literally work to death. As bees age, they usually do jobs reserved for the younger members. Their brain stops ageing and instead their brain ages in reverse. Believe it or not, bees are actually responsible for the food on our plate. One third of our global food supply is pollinated by bees. Without them, humans wouldn’t have much of a variety to eat. Bees keep the plants and crops alive. The pollen from the crops attaches to the bees fuzzy bodies and rubs off on flowers as they collect nectar. The pollen transfer helps plants to reproduce and produce fruits and seeds. Many crops are pollinated by bees, this is a list of a few; Almonds, apples, apricots, avocados, blueberries, cashews, coffee, cranberries, cucumbers, grapes, kiwis, mangoes, peaches, pears, peppers, strawberries, tangerines, walnuts and watermelons. These are only some of the few things bees pollinate. Without bees do you think we would still have these crops? Because we wouldn’t, without bees these crops wouldn’t even exist! Bees are now slowly disappearing due to an extremely popular pesticide called Neonicotinoids, this is chemically similar to nicotine. Pesticides are harming the environment, and they are killing the organisms that help the world, and humans, survive. This is why we must protect the bees. But we can’t just blame it on the pesticides because us, as humans are partly to blame. Humans are also destroying wild habitats where bees traditionally get their food. So think of it like this, by killing bees we are hurting ourselves. SAVE THE BEES! Amy Kitkanna Haverstock School My name is Amy Kitkanna and I am half Thai and half Laotian. I was born in London on the 15th December 2000, making me 14 soon to be 15. As well as being academic and always trying to understand everything that is being taught to me, I also enjoy being creative and like to use different materials to design and create something unusual. I also enjoy going on adventures to new places where I can enjoy and experience new things. I enjoy doing Biology, though it took me a while to feel like I was good at Science. Now I am studying Triple Science and am hoping to continue studying Biology at A level.