If it's been said once, it's been said a thousand times: let's save the bees. It is time to get serious about it, though. I don't think that a lot of people know how much of their lives depend on the well-being of honey bees and other pollinators. While I may be no expert, I do care and I hope that this will help shed some light upon the subject. So, here are five reasons the bees need saving (even if there are many more reasons).
Honey bees are super-pollinators
Do you like fruits and vegetables? What about various nuts and beans? Do you like looking at beautiful flowers? Honey bees are easily transported, making them the primary pollinators for large crops. Their agricultural value means a lot more than people usually think. There are other pollinators like bats, flies, wasps, and some birds, but those only visit plants when they need to feed themselves. Bees make it their lives to pollinate.
Their honey
I know there is controversy among the idea of using the honey bees make for our own value. However, with the declination of the bee population, the United States is consuming more honey than the bees are producing. If we don't do our best to save their population, it could be detrimental to the honey market and would push people to buy honey internationally, which raises the chances of contamination and lower value honey.
It's not just about the honey
I already touched on the pollination of plants, but to go even further than that, honey is the bottom line. Without bees, food just would not taste good. The enrichment from pollination adds flavor and it adds nutrition. It also contributes to the health of livestock. Whether or not they will be used for food or not, without their food like alfalfa and clover, they would not be near as healthy.
They need our help to protect them
It isn't news to anyone that all over the world, there are habitats for many beautiful beings that are being torn down, and it is imperative that this is fixed. It is not any different for bees, as well as other pollinators. There are small things that can be done to help out your friendly neighborhood bees, like develop a pollination garden or make sure their habitats are taken care of.
Saving the bees may save us
Kahlil Gibran said, "To a bee, a flower is the fountain of life, and to the flower, a bee is a messenger of love." If we care about "saving the bees," we will realize how beneficial their survival is to ours. This can be by letting them create their communities and habitats without disruption, letting them pollinate freely, and let them make their honey. I believe a bee to us is the fountain of life.
