Ah, our busy little friends, the bees. Humble, hardworking, and taken for granted, bees are currently facing a dangerous situation. The U.S. Office of the Federal Register reports that seven yellow-faced bees will be on the endangered species list by October 31, 2016. Before you say, “What?! No more honey?!” you should know that these seven types of bees are native to the Hawaiian Islands, and they aren’t honeybees. While this development may not directly affect our bee communities or honey coffers, we should still be concerned. This could be the beginning of an endangered bee trend; a treacherous trend for bees and humans, alike.
If you find yourself thinking, “Bees aren’t that important,” you are sorely mistaken. Bees are vital to life on Earth and if you disagree, here are nine reasons you should change your mind:
- Honey bees collect pollen and pollinate plants, including our crops. In fact, over 30 percent of our food is pollinated by bees according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. They also pollinate 90 percent of the wild plants. I, personally, enjoy eating and looking at wildflowers so this is enough to concern me.
2. How are we supposed to explain sex to our children when there will no longer be the “birds and the bees”? Without bees, the future adult generation would be forced to create a new illogical and unrelated analogy for the big “S-E-X” conversation.
3. Beehives in the United States are on the decline. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that within the last 50 years, around 30 percent have collapsed. Think of the sad homeless bees!
4. The loss of babies and pets dressed as bees for Halloween: a tragedy.
5. Queen bees are laying fewer eggs as a result of their exposure to certain insecticides and pesticides, according to the Scientific Reports journal. These poisons are also found to affect bee productivity. Don’t do this to the Queen Bey!
6. The 1920s slang “bee’s knees” will no longer make sense. Okay, technically it never made sense but who are we, the creators of phrases like “on fleek” and “turnt,” to judge?
7. Because bees generate so much revenue in agriculture, their extinction would result in an estimated annual loss of $5.7 billion globally, according to Greenpeace.
8. Honey is so great. It’s sweet, sticky, scrumptious and good for your skin! My mom says that local organic honey can heal anything: colds, sore throats, acne, burns, dry hair, allergies, touchy boyfriends, difficult essays – you name it.
9. Without bees, we lose apples, oranges, lemons, limes, broccoli, onions, blueberries, cherries, cranberries, cucumbers, cantaloupes, carrots, avocados, and almonds, to name a few. Say goodbye to coffee, too!
So get involved! Create a bee bar (sugar water on the rocks) to help bees stay hydrated and full. Buy organic food, local honey and plant some flowers in your front yard. Our food and the lives of bees depend on our involvement.