To Bee Or Not To Be

 

That is the question...

Over the past few years there’s been a lot of “buzz” about the bee population. I had a feeling it wasn’t about avoiding getting stung. As it turns out, there’s a solid reason for this.

More than 200 species of bees live throughout the world and they are responsible for pollinating about 75% of the food we eat, including a variety of fruits, vegetables and nuts.

Think about it, no bees means no oranges, no lemons, no avocados, no cherries, no peaches, no almonds and NO COFFEE!

Crops pollinated by bees are worth over $215 Billion dollars worldwide.

Bees also pollinate other fundamental plants like flowers and shrubs that protect watersheds and provide food and shelter for wildlife.

The point is that bees are SUPER important. A 2014 economic impact study by the University of Georgia determined that the annual value of pollination in the state of Georgia alone was over $316 Million dollars.

It’s important to note that while other insects such as flies, beetles, butterflies and moths are also important pollinators, bees outperform them all. This is because their diets require pollen and nectar. Their fuzzy bodies easily collect and carry pollen grains and their rapid flight from flower to flower allows them to pollinate a significant number of plants on a daily basis.

Over the last 25 years, more than half the bee species has been estimated to have gone extinct. Bees have never disappeared at this rate before.

Scientists aren’t entirely sure of all the causes of this rapid decline in the number of bees but there are a few known culprits.

Pesticides are harmful because they don’t break down quickly and are designed to persist in the environment — affecting soil, water and living organisms.

The number of fields replaced with concrete cause the pollinators to lose another food source. When bee colonies are weakened due to lack of food, they become vulnerable to viruses, parasites, and all kinds of other infections.

Fortunately, not all hope is lost and there are ways we can help

We can plant a variety of flowers and plants in more places — like our back yards, balcony or local park.

Be sure to check the plant’s label to make sure they haven’t been sprayed with a pesticide that contains neonicotinoids- a class of neuro-active insecticides chemically similar to nicotine. They may be listed on the label as acetamiprid, clothianidin, dinotefuran, imidacloprid, and thiamethoxam — all have been determined be allowed in the US marketplace by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Like most creatures, bees are more afraid of us that we are of them. So they won’t sting us if we don’t attack them.