More than just simple buzzing insects that occasionally sting, bees are vital to our ecosystems and food supply. They are pollinators, which means that they help many plants—particularly a huge variety of crops crucial for feeding the human population—reproduce. Recently, however, bees have been under serious threat from a number of fronts. It looks like they are not just dying but are in real danger of going extinct—like the dodo, the passenger pigeon, and other famous cases of extinction. This article looks at the importance of bees, the recent troublesome history that they’re facing, and what folks like you and I can do to help out. For more information, visit this article on protecting bees.
The Crucial Role of Pollinators
Pollinators, particularly bees, play a crucial role in fertilising the world’s flowering plants, enabling them to yield the fruits, seeds, and nuts that constitute a major share of our diet. Indeed, it is probably safe to say that one out of every three mouthfuls of food we eat has been made possible by pollinators—and mostly by bees. They are our number one pollinator. Ecosystems depend on bees. If the human impact keeps growing and bees keep declining, it is not only bad for us because of the impending food crisis; it could also lead to a biodiversity crisis.
Threats to Bees
Much pesticide is used in the modern world, but the ones most deleterious to our friends the bees are neonicotinoids. They affect bees’ nervous systems, which results in all manner of weirdness: bees acting drunk, bees getting lost, bees not being able to find food, not being able to reproduce (and a world without bees is a world without much flowering love). Pesticides are a problem. Neonicotinoids are a problem. But urbanisation is a problem, too. Agriculture is a problem. Deforestation is a problem. And all these happen in concert, causing a remarkable reduction in the natural (and even the built) habitats that the bees once called home.
Plants are not only changing their populations but also the timing of their flowering periods, and the result is a loss of synchrony between plants and their pollinators. When it comes to bees, we are talking about a likely disaster in slow motion. The best and cheapest way to stave off this disaster is to plant a lot more trees and a lot more flowers, come rain or shine, all over the place. The places can include orchards, meadows, rooftops, and roadside verges.
Creating Bee-Friendly Environments
Creating an inviting environment for bees is one of the easiest and most direct ways to support them. By providing shelter and sustenance, bees are much more likely to succeed and thrive. Flowering plants native to the local area guarantee a bee-friendly garden because native plants are well adapted to local bee species that have co-evolved with them. Moreover, planting a nice diversity of blooms that extend a bee’s foraging season from spring to late fall assures an unfailing food supply for the local resident bees and the many different kinds of bees passing through their area.
Supporting Sustainable Farming
When you buy organic food, you don’t just affect the store where you made the purchase. You speak to the wider economy, one that includes the farmers where you always are certain to have a “roof over your head.” You give them a strong enough reason to keep farming the way they do. You also reduce the demand for the kinds of farming that use bee-unfriendly methods. You sow a much safer future for the littlest and most dangerous of our pollinators.
Raising Awareness and Taking Action
It is vitally important to get across the message about how essential bees are and the many threats they face. We must back policies and initiatives that protect bees and their habitats. These actions may seem small, but together they can lead to a much larger conservation effort. I am sure that your local community has bee conservation groups that you could join, or you could even start your own group. Protecting bees is not just about saving an individual species but is more about a much larger vision that covers the whole web of life that seems to serve humans so well. Whether you choose to work locally or globally, the opportunities certainly exist. To learn more, you can find out more at CarbonClick.
