Bee Aware!
All of a sudden, everyone seems to care about bees. But why are they worried about these pesky stinging insects? Believe it or not, we should thank these hard-working animals for many of the foods we eat each day.
That said, if we don’t take action right now, they might disappear one day. So, let’s find out why bees are dying at an alarming rate and why we should care!
Why Are Bees Important?
These tiny animals should be considered the most important pollinator.
The reason is simple: Although there are many other pollinators, bees can do the same work on a much bigger scale. Without them, many plants would disappear. That’s why they play a big role in maintaining a healthy environment.
And we’re not just talking about the flowers in your garden. According to National Geographic, about a third of our foods rely on these bee-utiful friends, which includes many of our favorites: apples, nuts, strawberries, melons, pumpkins, almonds, broccoli, alfalfa, and more.
But that’s not all, let’s not forget their hard work pollinating many plants that serve as habitat or food for other animals!
The Plight of Bees
Here’s the bad news: Bees are dying at an alarming rate!
Over the past few years, people have been reporting a sudden reduction in the number of bees around the world. Beekeepers, for example, often see adult bees disappear. After a while, all they have is an empty box with just the queen and sometimes, some immature bees.
As a result, many species are now considered endangered.
What’s Killing the Bees?
Several factors are causing the decline of bees, but the excessive use of pesticides is one of the main threats to these little insects.
Insecticides (particularly neonicotinoids) contain toxic chemicals that kill harmful pests, but unfortunately, they’re also effective at killing “good insects”, like bees. There’s no difference between good and bad insects, just results. On the other hand, fungicides can make bees vulnerable to parasites and diseases!
And to make things worse, urban development and single-crop agricultural landscapes are not only reducing biodiversity but also destroying their homes and food sources.
Plus, climate change and global warming could also increase the risk of extinction for these fuzzy insects!
Is There a Future without Bees?
Without bees, we would have to remove a lot of healthy, delicious foods from our diet, like cherries, avocados, cocoa, leafy greens, coffee, cucumber, almonds, tomatoes, and many others. Instead, we would have to rely on staple crops like rice, corn, and potatoes. Yet, this would result in an imbalanced diet.
That’s not to mention all the other plants that would die off without human intervention. This would affect the food webs they’re part of and as a consequence, reduce the population of many other organisms!
To live on a healthy planet, we need to protect bees. Otherwise, we will only impact our health and trigger the extinction of many other species. Hopefully, this article helped you see bees from a different, friendlier perspective!