WASHINGTON, DC–American University officials are focused on the preservation of bees because of their integral role in the pollination of various plants on campus, which is an arboretum.
The bee population worldwide is dying quickly and the number of dead is only growing with each passing year, according to Bee Informed Partnership, a research consortium. This is due to the use of pesticides on plants which end up killing the bees.
“We are very much aware of the threat to pollinators and as an arboretum always consider this when selecting our plantings,” said Stephanie Destefano, grounds operations coordinator at American University’s arboretum.
For the first time in history humans are faced with a dire challenge concerning insect population, keeping the ever- shrinking bee population alive. The use of pesticide within the farming community has grown more and more concerning over the years for what its side effects entail. The most major side effect of course being the killing of bees.
According to the Bee Informed Partnership, the total loss of bees in 2015-2016 is 44 percent of their population. Which is up from its loss the previous year which they estimated at 3 percent lower, which makes the situation all the more dire for us.
Residents of campus as well as in the Tenleytown area of Washington, D.C. were mixed about their knowledge of bees and colony loss.
“No one realizes how important the bee population is for the future of our planet and our ecosystems,” said Rachel Ussery, 21, a leader of the community garden at American University, about the importance of bees.
Destefano said the campus is careful in its use of pesticides.
So while the bee population is dying out quickly, some people said they are more and more aware of the risks to bees.
Kylie Cameron, an advocate for the bee population, said, “I will scream if someone tries to kill a bee.”