Why Do We Need to Save the Bees?
Maybe you have heard how important the bee is to the ecosystem but are finding it hard to believe that a small insect could be so vital. After all, what could a tiny little bee do that would have such a massive impact on the Earth? Well, the good people at Project Honey Bees, makers of bee jewelry that helps to save the bees, refer us to a famous Albert Einstein quote: ‘If honey bees ’.
Why are Bees so Important?
The Albert Einstein quote should make it clear that bees are one of the most important species in the ecosystem. They along with other insects are responsible for pollinating around a third of the food we eat. Indeed, some plants are pollinated exclusively by bees, so without these furry little insects, these plants would become extinct.
But it is not just the plants pollinated by bees that we would lose if the bees were to die out. Remember, it is not just humans that eat these plants. Many of the animals that we eat also rely on plants for survival. So if the bees die, the plants they pollinate will also die and so too will the animals that eat these plants. This would inevitably lead to a collapse of the food chain that humans need for survival.
You might think that we as humans could simply develop technology that will allow us to do the work of the bee should they become extinct. But what you should know is that bees are capable of pollinating on a massive scale. Furthermore, it would cost farmers billions of dollars to do the work that the bee does.
In addition to the pollination of a variety of plants, some bees also produce honey, which we not only eat but also use in various medicines. Honey contains many health benefits as it is anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and has antioxidant properties. It is used to treat a host of health conditions including throat infections, wounds, constipation, bronchial asthma, and eczema.
Other products produced by bees are also used by humans in skincare products, including beeswax and royal jelly.
Why Are Bees in Danger?
There are many reasons why the bee is in danger. One of the biggest of these is a loss of habitat. The more that humans develop land for housing and farming, the less land there is for the bees to forage in. Cutting down trees means wild bees have nowhere to live and the removal of various flowering plants will leave bees without the food sources they need to survive.
Pesticides are also harming bees and adding to their decline. Although generally used by farmers to kill pests, these pesticides are toxic and lead to the death of the bees or cause them to become so weak that the health of the entire colony is affected.
Specific farming methods, such as monoculture farming, is also having a negative effect on the bee population. This type of farming involves planting one type of crop over a substantial section of farmland. This causes a reduction or loss of biodiversity and means that the bees have fewer plants on which to feed or to pollinate. This prevents them from contributing to the ecosystem or feeding their own colony.
Bees are also impacted by climate change, particularly when flowers bloom earlier or later than would normally be expected. The extreme weather we have been experiencing recently disrupts the nesting behavior of the bees and is having serious negative consequences for their survival.
