If Bees Are Imperiled, So Are Humans

If bees are imperiled, so are humans. There exists an exhaustive amount of press and scientific articles about the bee crisis, but, in case this is the first time you are getting this information, I want to enlighten you. And scare you. This little, hard-working bee’s – and millions of others like it – days could be numbered on planet Earth. And that spells DOOM for us humans.

Honey Bee Dives for Pollen in Broccoli Bloom

It seems to me of all the overwhelming, enormous global warming, aka climate change, issues our dear Earth faces – really, Earth will probably survive, it’s we who are digging the grave of the human, animal and plant kingdoms – the issue of bees dying by the millions is one that can be turned around. After much scientific study, the evidence seems pretty clear that Neonicotinoids are one of the main culprits for the dying-off of bees.

So, if these neuro-active insecticides are killing off the bees in record number, just pull those pesticides off the market, right? Seems like a no-brainer. But, when you have huge corporations like Bayer and Shell deeply invested in a class of chemicals – and industrial agriculture depends on chemicals –  it’s easier said than done. Interestingly, the development of Neonicotinoids appears to have been an effort to reduce toxicity to humans from the older organophosphates, a staple of industrial agriculture.

But, in 2007, beekeepers started to become aware of bee colonies collapsing, which is now known as Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD. Read about pesticide involvement in CCD.

Why should we care?

From Wikibooks.org: “When most people think about honeybees and what they contribute to our society, they likely think only of honey. Honeybees, however, have a much larger impact in our lives through agriculture. Not only do they provide pollination to fruit and vegetable crops, but they also pollinate crops we grow and feed to animals which we then eat or use for dairy products. Without a healthy honeybee population and the beekeepers who keep them, our lives would change dramatically in a very short period of time. For this reason alone, a great debt is owed to those who keep honeybees, make a living from them, and provide the pollination services required for us to sustain the quality of life we have today.”

From Care2: “More than a third of U.S. food crops are dependent on pollination by honeybees for a successful harvest. Hundreds of popular natural foods largely rely on bees for reproduction, including almonds, broccoli, cucumbers, squash, strawberries, and watermelons. By helping plants to produce seeds and fruit — and creating a very popular natural sweetener in the process — honeybees contribute an estimated $14 billion a year to the American economy, and are responsible for an abundance of many of the world’s healthiest foods.”

Here are ways YOU can HELP Keep Honeybees Buzzing, from Care2 Petition Site: 

– Plant a bee garden and place bee-friendly plants in your yard…

– Avoid the use of household pesticides that bees are sensitive to (like wasp killer)…

– Support local bee keepers by making an effort to purchase locally made, responsibly produced honey…

– Build a small bee house for your yard or community…

– Sign a pledge to keep honeybees buzzing.

– Write your elected officials. (Yes, I know that seems fruitless – no pun intended – but, how else will they know how many people care about an issue?)

– Support local, sustainably farmed foods and family farms. Avoid industrially-farmed corn, a main bee-killing crop.

Citizens must unite. Citizens SEE the big picture, SURVIVAL. Corporations see the next quarter’s profits.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Attributed to M. Mead in: Frank G. Sommers, Tana Dineen (1984) Curing Nuclear Madness. p.158

If you enjoyed this post, please let me know and share with a friend. Thanks for your support! ~ Kaye

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Tags: bee crisis, bees, biodiversity, curbside gardening, farming on small scale, gardening, green your world, growing your own vegetables, honeybees, Kaye Kittrell, Kaye Kittrell Late Bloomer, Late Bloomer, organic, Photography, urban gardening

Category: Bee Crisis, Bees, Beneficials, Critters