Yes, those furry yellow-looking flies that everyone is afraid to be around, are disappearing. It’s not a big deal, you say? Well, I think you should take a few steps back and reconsider that thought. They play a significant role in our lives.
Yes, those furry yellow-looking flies that everyone is afraid to be around, are disappearing. It’s not a big deal, you say? Well, I think you should take a few steps back and reconsider that thought. They play a significant role in our lives.
Bees do more than make honey. These amazing insects naturally pollinate fruits, vegetables, flowers, and crops like Alfalfa. More than a third of our food production is dependent on bee pollination. Though a twist of action caused a decrease in their population. “Since the late 1990s, beekeepers around the world have observed the mysterious and sudden disappearance of bees, and report unusually high rates of decline in honeybee colonies,” (sos-bees.org).
In Marla Spivak’s TED talk video, “Why Bees are Disappearing,” she goes into depth about the importance of bees, explains why they are disappearing, and how we could help reduce the problem. “After World War II, we started using herbicides, to kill off the weeds in our farms. Many of these weeds are flowering plants that bees require for their survival,” Spivak states. This chemical is extremely toxic for bees.
Our bee population has been decreasing but we have been planting more crops that need them. Spivak explains in her video that there has been a 300% increase in crop production requiring bee pollination. We need them now more than ever.
Polluting pollen and making it toxic for the world’s number one pollinator, would create a massive decline in food production. In areas of the world where there are no bees, workers are hired to pollinate by hand using a paintbrush. Some crops are extremely difficult to pollinate since they require a vibration that specific bees are able to naturally perform. By the slow process of pollinating by hand, it adds to the creation of a dysfunctional food system in the long run.
It’s a domino effect. Herbicides and pesticides contaminate crops, kill off the flowering plants that bees need for survival, then results in a flowerless landscape.
So, in what ways can we help? We need to plant bee-friendly flowers and prevent herbicide and pesticide contamination. If bees are healthy, we are healthy. The solution may seem small, but our individual actions will develop a magnificent result. There are nearly 20,000 bee species and each of them counts. We cannot afford to lose them. Do what you can to save the bees.
