Bees are disappearing around the world,even Buzz from the Cheerios box

Boxes of Cheerios pictured in a grocery store. Photo: Mike Mozart/Flickr

Bees are disappearing in the wild all over the world. The Cheerios mascot, a honeybee

named Buzz, is also gone from his usual place on cereal boxes.

General Mills is the company that makes Cheerios. The missing mascot is one of the

company's attempts to use its product to raise awareness about missing bees. At the

same time, it calls attention to its cereal.

The company has also been giving out packets of wildflower seeds. It is to encourage

customers to plant flowers that will attract bees.

Helping The Bees Is Also Good For Business

The bee trouble has gained public awareness. Calling attention to it makes sense from a

marketing goal of selling more cereal, while also raising awareness for an important cause.

Numbers of bees have been decreasing for 20 years. Government agencies and

conservationists have stepped in to help. Conservationists want to protect plants, animals

and the Earth.

By Christian Science Monitor, adapted by Newsela staff on 03.24.17

Word Count 664

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 1

However, the part of big businesses in helping the insects can be hard to figure out. With

almost one-third of General Mills products depending on insect pollination, it is in its

interest to help the bees.

Pollinators move among flowering plants, carrying pollen. Spreading the pollen allows the

plants to make seeds and grow new plants. More than 4 out of every 5 flowering plants

depend on animals to pollinate them, says Elaine Evans. She is a bee expert at the

University of Minnesota. "Most of these pollinators are bees," Evans says.

Chemicals, Disease, Climate Changes Have Hurt Bees

There are more than 3,000 kinds of bees in the United States. While some are doing fairly

well, others are disappearing. There are several reasons for this. Bees have been hurt by

disease, chemicals, the loss of their homes and possibly the effects of climate change,

Evans says.

The Cheerios website said the company has already used up its huge supply of seeds.

They were passed out in packets that included a mix of flowers. Some trouble started

online when the Lifehacker website claimed that some of the seeds were invasive in some

places. An invasive plant can grow out of control, killing other plants around it. The

California poppy was one example.

However, some of the site's claims were questionable. It said that the Chinese Forget-Me-

Not, which was in the seed packet, is not allowed in Massachusetts and Connecticut. The

problem plant was actually the True Forget-Me-Not. The Chinese kind comes from a

different flower family.

The seeds in the mix are not considered to be invasive, General Mills said.

Honeybee Mascot

The ads for Cheerios include honeybees, as part of the "Honey Nut Cheerios" brand.

Honeybees are raised by beekeepers. They are doing better than wild bees. General Mills

is using the honeybee to increase awareness of the trouble wild bees face.

The company defended its ads. It said honeybees might not be in danger like some other

insects. However, "in the interest of protecting our food supply, General Mills is committed

to helping all pollinators," it said.

This is not to say that honeybees are fine, Evans says.

Honeybee populations are doing OK, but they have been having more health problems,

she says. Beekeepers cannot afford to keep losing bees, she says.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 2

Bumblebee On The Endangered List

One pollinator that is in danger is the rusty-patched bumblebee. It was to become the first

bee in the continental United States to officially join the endangered species list. However,

President Donald Trump's government has delayed adding it to the list. That brought a

lawsuit from a nature group, the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Trump's ideas have worried many conservationists. Some leaders of companies have said

they want to do more in conservation, too.

However, some people have doubts about companies leading environmental work.

Michelle Mouton is a professor at Cornell College. She questions how much companies will

do.

Right now, companies have the best chance of bringing the right kind of change, Mouton

says. We must wait and see how far it goes.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 3

Quiz

1 What is the relationship between General Mills sending out seed packets and taking Buzz off

Cheerios boxes?

(A) The seed packets are meant to make up for the loss of Buzz.

(B) The seed packets caused people to ask the company to remove Buzz.

(C) Both caused the company to save money on advertising.

(D) Both are meant to draw attention to struggling bee populations.

2 According to the article, how do disappearing bees affect food companies like General Mills?

(A) Disappearing bees have been blamed on companies that send out bad

seed packets.

(B) Disappearing bees have caused lawmakers to outlaw the dangerous

chemicals companies use.

(C) Companies rely on pollinators and would have a hard time growing food if

bees disappeared.

(D) Companies invest a lot of money in honeybees and would lose the money if

they disappeared.

3 Which selection from the article BEST supports the idea that solving the bee problem won't be

easy?

(A) The missing mascot is one of the company's attempts to use its product to

raise awareness about missing bees.

(B) Bees have been hurt by disease, chemicals, the loss of their homes and

possibly the effects of climate change, Evans says.

(C) Some trouble started online when the Lifehacker website claimed that some

of the seeds were invasive in some places.

(D) Right now, companies have the best chance of bringing the right kind of

change, Mouton says.

4 Based on the article, which of the following is TRUE?

(A) Many people think the Trump government is not doing enough to save bees.

(B) The rusty-patched bumblebee does not need to be on the endangered

species list.

(C) Honeybees are doing much better than bumblebees and are not sick at all.

(D) Companies will be able to save bees without the government's help.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 4

Answer Key

1 What is the relationship between General Mills sending out seed packets and taking Buzz off

Cheerios boxes?

(A) The seed packets are meant to make up for the loss of Buzz.

(B) The seed packets caused people to ask the company to remove Buzz.

(C) Both caused the company to save money on advertising.

(D) Both are meant to draw attention to struggling bee populations.

2 According to the article, how do disappearing bees affect food companies like General Mills?

(A) Disappearing bees have been blamed on companies that send out bad

seed packets.

(B) Disappearing bees have caused lawmakers to outlaw the dangerous

chemicals companies use.

(C) Companies rely on pollinators and would have a hard time growing

food if bees disappeared.

(D) Companies invest a lot of money in honeybees and would lose the money if

they disappeared.

3 Which selection from the article BEST supports the idea that solving the bee problem won't be

easy?

(A) The missing mascot is one of the company's attempts to use its product to

raise awareness about missing bees.

(B) Bees have been hurt by disease, chemicals, the loss of their homes and

possibly the effects of climate change, Evans says.

(C) Some trouble started online when the Lifehacker website claimed that some

of the seeds were invasive in some places.

(D) Right now, companies have the best chance of bringing the right kind of

change, Mouton says.

4 Based on the article, which of the following is TRUE?

(A) Many people think the Trump government is not doing enough to save

bees.

(B) The rusty-patched bumblebee does not need to be on the endangered

species list.

(C) Honeybees are doing much better than bumblebees and are not sick at all.

(D) Companies will be able to save bees without the government's help.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 5

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 6