Have you heard the campaigns? Seen the signs or shirts? #SaveTheBees? The word is spreading, and rightfully so! But why are we sharing? Why are we pushing for the bees? There are several key contributions that bees make to our society. Today I'm just going to discuss "the biggies"; pollination and food as well as their contribution to economies.
PolliNation
What is pollination?
Pollinators transfer pollen and seeds from one flower to another, fertilizing the plant so it can grow and produce food. Cross-pollination helps at least 30 percent of the world’s crops and 90 percent of our wild plants to thrive.
Bees are members of a club of pollinators along with bats, birds, wasps, butterflies and beetles. Without these tiny workers many plants and crops would not be able to grow and eventually disappear forever. It is estimated that bees are responsible for 1 in every three bites of food Americans consume. You may be surprised to learn that some of your favorite fruits or vegetables, like cherries or apples, are nearly 90% dependent on the pollination of honey bees! Almonds rely 100% on pollination! Bees are also responsible for the pollination of alfalfa gras; that feeds cattle. Meaning they are also directly linked to the production of Meat and dairy. Convinced yet?
Bee "buy" product.
Not only do bees contribute $15 billion to the U.S. crop production...(chump change, right?), but they also produce honey which is used in thousands of consumer products across the nation.
The honey industry is worth billions. In 2007, honey export value was $7,266,334 and imports were at $131,357,979. (honey.com) Honey or bees wax is used in cosmetics, medicines, skin care, food and drink recipes, candies, soaps, candles and countless other consumer products. Without bees hundreds will lose their businesses and thousands their jobs.
And what about organic farming? The farmers rely on the pollination of bees to nourish their crops. Back to food... I must be hungry.
There is an insane dependency bees and the work they do. Albert Einstein spoke about the bee population being directly linked to the survival of man kind. Without bees he estimated the population would survive less than four years. Now I'm no genius, but he is. So if you won't listen to me or other #SaveTheBee campaigners, listen to Einstein!
Why am I telling you this? What can you do?
There are a lot of very simple things you can do to help the bee population thrive and offer your support.
1. Plant bee friendly gardens. (Tip: if you plant perennials or gardenias in your veggie garden you can attract bees and truly understand their value as your garden thrives!)
2. Buy local organic. Check out your local farmer's market. Support the men and women who chose to keep their crops and produce free of bee killing chemical pesticides. (Better for the bees and better for you)
3. Look into applications for honey, honey in the raw and beeswax. The possibilities are endless! Buy locally if you can. Need an idea of a good use? Local honey, when consumed (just about a tbsp a day) can help with allergies to dust, dander, and POLLEN!
4. Ask you local garden centers, hard ware stores, and home improvement stores to stop selling toxic pesticides that will eliminate the bee population. Pesticides that are illegal in most countries and should be here.
5. Stay informed. Find a local bee keepers association, search hash tags, and follow the development of the efforts to save the bees on whitehouse.gov (full link below)
6. And most importantly, don't kill the bees! There are pleanty of ways to deter them humanely if you really don't want them on your property (check the blog tomorrow ;) ).
We need the bees! Do your part! I'm doing mine!
Cited:
https://www.nrdc.org/wildlife/animals/files/bees.pdf
https://m.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/06/20/fact-sheet-economic-challenge-posed-declining-pollinator-populations
https://beespotter.org/topics/economics/
Bee happy!
Courtnie
Buzzkill Bee Removal
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