The Buzz on Bees
Despite their unmatched, enormous contributions to the health of the planet, recent studies show the dramatic fall of the bee population. Nearly 90 percent of the bee population has disappeared over the past few years.
These little creatures have been around for over 100 million years, living beyond the dinosaurs and an ice age. They have been pollinating the earth ever since the Cretaceous period, a time where South America, Africa, Australia and Antarctica were all one super-continent.
Their jobs today are just the same: pollinate the planet. Yet, their role in the world's ecosystem is more important than ever.
Bees: the endangered workers of the world.
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Whether we like it or not, humanity is deeply interconnected with Earth and it's other lifeforms. Bees and their pollination impact humans more than any other organism. In fact, 70% of the world's agriculture depends exclusively on the pollination of bees. One in every three meals eaten by humans is made possible by bees. All of this agriculture accounts for over 265 billion dollars in global agricultural revenue. Without bees, food we take for granted would simply disappear.
Pollination from bees accounts for the majority of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds we digest daily. Of course, animals need to eat as well. The massive die-out of plants would lead to starving animals. Additionally, the food our livestock eats would quickly deplete, reducing the amount of meat and dairy products that we eat daily. Most food industries would be negatively impacted or simply run out of business. To maintain the abundance diversity of our food, we must guarantee the welfare of bees. Although these scenarios are not happening, the events that lead up to this doomsday have been happening for years.
Millions of beehives have died or disappeared in the past few years. Since 1988, the number of beehives has steadily declined from over 5 million to 2.5 million in 2015. A problem called colony collapse disorder can be directly linked to this mass disappearance. This phenomenon has caused beehive keepers to report 30-90% annual losses of their colonies.
Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) has been theorized to be the result of parasites, pesticides and human activity. CCD causes bees to abandon or disappear from their colony. The biggest cause of CCD can be linked to a pesticide commercially implemented in the early 1990s: neonicotinoids. These insecticides are used to kill off crop-eating insects and pests, but also negatively affect bees. Today, they are the most widely used insecticides in the world. In 2013, neonicotinoids were used on 95% of corn and canola crops and used on a vast variety of fruits and vegetables. Bees come into contact with the neurotoxin through pollination, which then can get into the hive. This can ultimately lead to the collapse of the entire colony.
Limiting the use of these insecticides and building sanctuaries for bees is a great way for us to keep bees safe and healthy. Finding an alternative for neonicotinoids would be even better. Taking better care of bees is necessary for the health of the planet. Regulating insecticides and research for new alternatives can keep the well-being of bees, and everything impacted by them healthy. YOU can help keep bees from buzzing off by donating to
