Are humans to blame for the decline in
bees?
Learning objectives
Changes in the environment affect the distribution of
living organisms.
Animals and plants are subjected to environmental
changes. Such changes may be caused by living or
non-living factors such as a change in a competitor, or
in the average temperature or rainfall.
Case study: A big question....
Point 1
‘Are humans to blame for bees dying
out?’
Yes, humans
are to blame
P
E
E
Point 2
Point 3
P
P
E
E
E
E
Point 1
No, humans are
not to blame
P
E
E
Point 2
Point 3
P
P
E
E
E
E
evaluated
and
critically
compared
Overall, I feel that
humans are/ are
not to blame
because...
In some areas,
flowering plants are
flowering earlier so
there are big gaps
between flowers that
would normally
flower one after the
other. This prevents
the bees from having
a constant source of
food.
Are humans to blame for bees
dying?
 There is information around the room. You have
4mins to read the posters and note down anything
you think might help you to answer the main
question.
 You may not have enough time to look at all the
information, make sure that each half gets
information from different sides of the room.
 You will then have 2 minutes to share all the
information in your groups.
Can we categorise the
arguments?
 Living = *
 Non living =
 Not sure = ?
•
Is this enough?
 Why should we bother doing extra research?
 Can we answer the question confidently yet?
 You will need to research 1 area in more detail from
the information that you already have to get a better
understanding of the issue.
 I think that humans are/are not to blame for bees
dying because..... (Explain your arguments giving as
much detail and facts as you can)
 Another conclusion that could be made by someone
else such as...(conservationist/child/someone who lost
a relative to a wild animal/someone believes animals
should stay in the wild). They believe that...
 This is because...
In some areas,
flowering plants are
flowering earlier so
there are big gaps
between flowers that
would normally
flower one after the
other. This prevents
the bees from having
a constant source of
food.
Many farmers still
use pesticides on
their crops. In order
to get more food.
Pesticides kill most
insects including
bees. This reduces
the amount of habitat
that bees can use.
Varroa mites are
becoming increasingly
common in the UK and
much of the world.
They are parasites and
feed on the bees
themselves. This
severely weakens
individuals and the
hive often spreading
killing individuals
slowly over several
weeks.
With many
gardeners
choosing have
decking in their
garden, the
amount of plants
in the garden is
decreasing.
Lots of new houses are being built all
the time and this decreases the amount
of land available for flowering plants
The BBC reported
that 2011 had the
warmest April on
record with a very
low rainfall. Without
rain, plants cannot
grow quickly and
make nectar during
flowering.
In the 1930s, the
amount of
beekeepers in the UK
was 3 times more
than it is today. Also,
with fewer trees as
suitable nest sites,
bees have no where
to live.