Bees have been living in harmonious coexistence with the ecosystem of our planet for over 30 million years. Due to their amazing adaptability, they have often survived violent climatic changes, as well as unnatural human intervention.
However, currently there are too many harmful influences to the bees on our planet and as a result, it is becoming more and more common for the entire bee colonies to suddenly collapse.
Colony Collapse Disorder, or C.C.D., is a phenomenon, where an entire hive of bees suddenly disappears. Although such incidents have always occurred, there has been a sharp increase in the last decade or two, especially in North America, where the annual failure rate of honey bee colonies averages around 30 per cent.Since the end of World War 2, the use of pesticides in agriculture has increased exponentially. This has a detrimental impact on the health of bees.
Neo-nicotinoids, which are chemically similar to nicotine, are a very popular pesticide. They seem to be poisoning bees and other pollinators. When bees are exposed to pesticides like neo-nicotinoids, they go insane and forget how to return home. It’s almost as if they had a form of Alzheimer’s.
Why do we need bees?The importance of bees lies in the fact that they are extremely important pollinators. Apart from bees, there are other natural pollinators, for example bats, birds, butterflies, some flies etc. However, bees are by far, the most effective of all of them, pollinating over 70 per cent of crop species. Bees are biologically driven to gather pollen as they need it to feed their larvae. Other pollinators visit flowers only to suck nectar, and any pollen that sticks to them in the process is a happy accident.
Additionally, most bee species are fuzzy, and their hairs attract pollen grains, making the bees even more likely to pollinate.
What would happen if bees become extinct?
- Without bees, we would have to say good bye to many foods, for example: honey, almonds, apples, apricots, blueberries, strawberries, tomatoes, zucchini, avocados, cucumbers, onions, grapefruits, oranges, pumpkins, cantaloupes, cashews, coffee, cranberries, eggplants, grapes, kiwis, mangoes, peaches, peppers, walnuts, watermelons, some cooking oils, like canola, coconut, almond, and sesame oil, etc. As some crops do not depend on insects or animals for pollination, we would still have food to eat, for example: rice, corn, wheat, and several other grasses and cereals that are already staple in our diets. Other crops, like potatoes, tomatoes, and carrots only need a small amount of pollination.
- The crop production would, however, drop significantly and with such a dip in food supplies, we could struggle to sustain our global population. Not to mention, that without the important sources of vitamins and minerals from pollinated crops, malnutrition and deficiencies would become a big problem seriously affecting our health.
- Much of the pollinating would have to be done by hand. This would drastically increase the cost of food production. As a result, food would become very expensive.
- Wild flowers and animals would be seriously affected as well. Approximately 250000 species of flowering plants depend on bees to help them pollinate. Without bees, many wild flowers and other plants would struggle to reproduce. As these flowers and their berries are often a source of food for insects, birds and small mammals, it could have severe consequences for the survival of these creatures. This would affect the food supply of larger predators making it difficult for them to survive.
Would all humans die if bees become extinct?
Whilst much of a human existence is presently dependent on honey bees, it is believed, that the human race is not likely to become extinct without bees, at least, not straight away. However, the impact of their extinction would be devastating for nature, animals, humans and our whole planet. It is also important to realize, that if we get to the point, where bees become extinct, our environment and life on this planet will already be in a serious trouble.
What can you do?
There are already efforts in place to save bees and other pollinators run by governments and other organizations, however action on our side, as individuals, is extremely important.
Simply having a garden with plants and flowers, can greatly help the livelihood of bee populations. The more flowers there are, and the more diverse array of flowers in multiplcity of locations, the better chance bees have to receive the nutrition they need to survive. Make sure you don’t contamine your garden with pesticides.To encourage more bees to visit your garden, put a small basin of fresh water outside your home. Place some stones in the basin for the bees to crawl on them. It is also a good idea to provide a rain shelter and nesting sites in your garden. Many solitary bees nest in the ground and need open patches of bare soil. Dead wood provides nesting areas for a variety of pollinators such as some bees, wasps, beetles and ants. Many solitary bees will nest in the pith of stems and twigs. Another little detail to help the bees, is not to clean up your garden in the fall, but wait till late spring. The bees will use perennials and grasses left standing as a shelter in the winter.
It is time to open our eyes. This is not our world alone. We share it with a massive variety of species. Humans have done the most damage to the planet. Thus, it is our duty to reverse it and fight for its health.
We only get one planet Earth. There are no second chances. When a species goes extinct, that’s the beginning of the end. There is no better time than now to begin reversing the detrimental impact, that humans have had on the environment. Participation of each of us is important. As, right now, when it comes to the survival of the planet, we cannot afford to be ignorant or indifferent.
