"Bee Reflection"

     The Boston Honey company is owned by a small family that started in 1996. There are 2,200 hives in MA, GA, FL, and NY. There is a declining in the bee population due to habitat loss, pesticides, and other factors. Bees depend on a queen bee; however, when a queen bee is not present it can lead to stress. A queen-less hive will first cause the bees to panic and become aggressive, leading them to rely on the queen's eggs to hatch; the first one to hatch will be the new queen and that queen will kill the other eggs. Additionaly, beekeepers would also be able to replace a queen-less hive with a new queen. A fun fact that I learned is that wearing dark colors, deodorant, or perfume will cause bees to become aggressive, and eventually lead them to sting. I also learned the difference between Honeybees, Bumble bees and Mason Bees, Yellow Jackets and Wasps, and Hornets. Honeybees produce large amounts of honey and are not native to the area; Bumble bees and Mason Bees make their own nests in stone or wood; Yellow Jackets and Wasps survive in the cold, do not produce honey, sting repeatedly, and are scavengers; Hornets at any given time, for no reason, are more aggressive and will sting you, which will cause damages to your body. Furthermore, I learned that the Japanese Knotweed and Purple Loosestrife are invasive plant species in MA. These plants help to feed bees. 
     Bees are very important in our lives and to our environment. The decline of bee population will have a great effect to our planet. Bees provide beautiful habitats for different species by pollination. Another thing that bees help to provide through their process of pollination is agricultural crops. They have helped tremendously for providing us with sources of food. For example, the honey they produce helps diabetics to control their blood sugar. Bees are very important to our lives and to our planet; this means we should take good care of our bees, and try to stop the decline of their population.