by Julia Chojnacki
The recent media has drawn attention to the fact that honey bees are dying at a substantially fast rate. A lot of people do not find the species dying to be a threat, but little do they know that the human population relies heavily on honey bees. Most plants rely on bees and other pollinators to produce food.
But pollinators, a diverse group that includes insects and animals such as birds and bats, are under threat because of widespread pesticide use, climate change, foreign pests, diseases and habitat loss. When a bee pollinates a plant sprayed with pesticides, the bee then takes the pollen and the pesticide filled with chemicals back to its hive which poisons the hive.
According to CNN, between April 2015 and April 2016, beekeepers in the United States lost 44 percent of their colonies. In the US, natural pollinators are not as common to the agricultural landscape as one might think, because of the decline. Depending on the season, bees are trucked as far as 3,000 miles from Florida to California to help farmers pollinate crops. Renting hives from beekeepers can cost farmers anywhere from $10 to $180 per hive and some farmers rent dozens of hives per season. The problem in this is that while the plants are being pollinated, a lot of farmers use pesticides to minimize the effects of natural harm like bugs and diseases.
Bees are in high demand for almonds and avocados in California because these crops rely entirely on honey bee pollination. Beekeepers in our area and around the world are currently playing a significant role in bee survival. approximately one third of everything we eat is a direct result of their hard work. The benefits of bees also go far beyond gastronomy. According to the American Beekeeping Federation, honey bees contribute over $14 billion to the value of US crop production.
So what can you do to help bees? It can be as easy as planting trees, flowers, vegetable plants, herbs, and fruit trees in your yard. Rosemary, lavender, thyme, and chives are great options that require little space and provide produce for humans and bees. However, these plants need to thrive without the use of pesticides or weed killers, as these are the culprits to the dying hives. It is also beneficial to buy honey from local beekeepers instead of the industrial honey produced for most supermarkets.
According to CNN, “Artisan producers of raw, unblended local honey, are competing against mass-produced, commodity honey, which comes from many different places where food standards might fall far short of our own.” Although it is cheaper, industrial honeys are processed to extract pollen, enzymes and aromatics, leaving a product that competes and demoralizes local beekeepers.” A good rule of thumb is if it comes from a bear shaped bottle in a supermarket, it is not local which also means the nutritional benefits are not as great.
It is crucial for our wellbeing to help support bee populations across the world, but it can start in your backyard.