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Pollinators
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Monsanto
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Habitat loss is a huge issue and is a large cause of pollinators dying. One example is a food desert. A food desert is an area with plants that cannot be pollinated by pollinators. Which is what is happening to the pollinators. Without plants to pollinate, they get no nutrients from the plants, so they die. Also construction is another cause of habitat loss, They are destroying the pollinators homes just for construction, and building on it. So without a home, they die.
About bees
Bumblebees are social. The insects which form colonies with a single queen. Colonies are smaller than those of honeybees, growing to as few as 50 individuals in a nest. Female bumblebees can sting repeatedly, but generally ignore humans and other animals. Cuckoo bumblebees do not make nests; their queens aggressively invade the nests of other bumblebee species, kill the resident queens and then lay their own eggs which are cared for by the resident workers.
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There are over 275 different types of bumble bees.
Unlike most native bees, bumble bees are social insects that live in colonies. Except for new queens, which hibernate during the winter, bumble bee colonies die in late fall. Bumble bees can flap their wings more than 130 times per second. Bees have high metabolism. If they don't eat within 40 minutes or more, they will die. Bumble bees don't die when they sting. This is because they don't have a barbed stinger. Bumble bees air condition their nests by flapping their wings. They have a maximum of 300 to 400 worker bees, compared to the 10s of thousands in found in a honey bee nest. They have a lifespan of 28 days. Bumble bees can reach up to 3/4 of an inch in length Monsanto is a large company that sells and uses pesticides and GMOs. Which are two large causes of pollinators decline in numbers. Though not all GMOs are bad. Monsanto is very popular and control a lot of popular brands such as Coke, Pepsi, Doritos, and Nabisco. With all the populousness of these brands it's only getting Monsanto more money. Not only are these things killing pollinators by them eating, but they are not the only ones who eats these. Humans do as well which is mostly not good for us.
Most nests of bumble bees are in abandoned rodent burrows or mouse nests. They can be found in the middle and low latitude zones, not in high latitude zones. They usually are found underground but, when they are above ground they make nests in trees, thick grass, or in bird boxes. They feed on nectar, pollen, as a source of protein and carbohydrates. Predators of them are mammals and birds, but mostly badgers. Their life spans are usually 28 days. Home range can be anywhere in the low or middle latitude zones. Never in really cold areas. Behavior is like honey bees. There are many threats to the bumble bee such as habitat loss, pesticides and some mammals. Habitat loss is a big problem and it is some what because of construction. Construction is tearing down there habitat and building on it. Since they live in trees or on the ground they lose their homes and die. Then there are pesticides, which is everywhere and are poisoning and killing them. Some small mammals, mainly the badger, may destroy their hives and kill them.
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Work Cited
Devillers, J. "Acute Toxicity of Pesticides to Honey Bees." Honey Bees Estimating the Environmental Impact of Chemicals (2002): 56-66. Web. 2 May 2016.
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