Serious about Saving Bees
adapted from the US Department of Agriculture

Pollinators are a vital part of agricultural production. In the United States, more than one-third of all crop production—90 crops ranging from nuts to berries to flowering vegetables—requires insect pollination. Managed honey bee colonies are our primary pollinators, adding at least $15 billion a year by increasing yields and helping to ensure superior-quality harvests.
Beehives are man-made structures built to house bee colonies. In addition to producing honey, beehives serve other purposes including repopulating areas that have experienced a decline in bee colonies. Bee nests are naturally occurring bee colonies usually found in protected natural environments, like the hollow of a tree, or under roofs or in corners of buildings.
Over the years, beekeepers have been steadily losing colonies. The number of honey beehives in this country has decreased from 6 million in the 1940s to about 2.5 million today. There are some helpful steps that people can take in their own communities. One option is to consider setting up hives where possible, or at least to plant bee-friendly flowers and flowering herbs in gardens and yards. However, there is a need for research to better understand how bee colonies work and how the number of bee colonies can be increased.




What other form of media would bset support the idea in that passage that people need to take steps to protect bees?
A.
A map showing where bee nests and beehives are most common.
B.
A line graph showing the decline of bee colonies since 1940.
C.
A chart comparing the difference between beehives and beenests.
D.
A graphic showing the process of how beehives are constructed.