The decline in bee population is a very prevalent issue in this day and age. While many people see honeybees as simply another pest, that is not the case. Honeybees are important to our health, our crops, and our ecosystem. We must care for our honeybee population because disrupting one part of our ecosystem can damage and dismantle the biodiversity and health of it all.
First, there are many causes of the decline in bee population which must be addressed. As we all know, pesticides harm all sorts of organisms and insects. Many of these pesticides also harm honeybees; they harm them not only by killing them but by affecting their abilities to forage. Nowadays, in order to keep up with industries and demand, we have nearly eliminated local, organic farming and replaced it with industrial agriculture. The overuse of chemicals and fertilizers and monoculture farming have damaged our soil quality among many other issues. Therefore, honeybees, who pollinate crops, are also affected by the highly intensive chemical agriculture. Another phenomenon that scientists have yet to unravel is the mystery of Colony Collapse Disorder(CCD). When a case of CCD is found, the colony is presumed dead but there are no dead bodies of bees within the hive; however, the queen, honey, and adolescent bees are shockingly still present. Science has formed a hypothesis that Colony Collapse Disorder is caused by a mixture of viruses, fungi, bacteria, and mites that can overrun a hive.
Why are honeybees so important? According to the US Department of Agriculture, honeybees pollinate 80% of our crops. Additionally, that is approximately one-third of what we consume. Honeybees are responsible for some of our most important crops like soybeans, apples, and almonds. The loss of honeybees is also affecting our meat and dairy supply. Honeybees are great pollinators of alfalfa which most livestock consume. Therefore, we cannot continue to rely on chemicals to pick up on what the bees are lacking, we have to let nature run its course. Bees are also cross-pollinators. Some species of plants can only be cross-pollinated. This is when pollen needs to be transferred between different parts of different plants. Also, due to our heavy chemical agriculture, we have disrupted the pollination practices of our honeybees.
Several plans of action have been devised in order to restore our bee population and make their environment happy and healthy once again. Firstly, we must push a movement forward for ecological farming. Ecological farming is practiced on a large scale in England, so why can we not do it here? Essentially, ecological farming eliminates the use of pesticides, fertilizers, and any genetically engineered organisms. This can be done on a wide scale and also promotes honeybees to repopulate because they are needed in this very important process. Along with this, there are many petitions that help us get rid of certain pesticides and chemical agriculture. The Agricultural Research Service exists in order to find the cause for Colony Collapse Disorder; furthermore, they intend to find a cure for the scientific mystery. Do you think you have no way whatsoever of reaching out? The simplest way to help with the honeybee cause is to support your local beekeepers. Especially, support your local organic beekeepers rather than the beekeepers who use mechanical methods. Honey bought from mechanical beekeepers typically contains antibiotics because they treat their hives with it. These antibiotics may keep the bees healthy for the time being, but they are really killing any helpful bacteria. Like humans, honeybees have good bacteria that aid them in their honey-making processes. Though with antibiotics we are keeping them alive, we are damaging their ability to make honey. Why is honey important? Honey is a universal cure-all; it can heal burns to sore throats. Additionally, honey is a natural antiseptic. Honeybees are pacifists in nature; they are the only member on the animal kingdom that does not kill any member of its hive or any other species in its lifetime.
In conclusion, without honeybees we would be without food and the health benefits of honey. We tend to overlook the importance of these things and where they come from in this materialistic world. So before you think about swatting away a bee, appreciate all that these lovely creatures do for this planet and how much we would suffer without their help.
