It has been estimated that as much as one-third of all food consumed by humans relies on pollination by bees, whether that’s through direct or indirect means. That means if there were to be a world-wide collapse of bee colonies, roughly 33% of today’s available foodstuffs would literally disappear from grocery shelves.
Bees play a huge role in agriculture, and we all have a vested interest in trying to maintain bee colonies all over the world. But this has become much harder to do, with a great many factors operating against these little creatures.
What Bees do for Agriculture
Of course bees pollinate crops, and that fact alone makes them absolutely essential. It’s very common practice for farmers to actually rent out beehives for a period of time in order to ensure that pollination takes place, so food crops can be produced. Bees are also responsible for increasing yields on various crops, and that is also an essential activity in agriculture. Then of course, there’s the obvious benefit they provide, which is delivering the service needed to produce honey. In any given year, something like 15 to 18 million pounds of raw honey gets produced, and ends up on consumers’ pancakes and waffles.
There are a great many types of nuts, fruits, and vegetables that require pollination by bees in order to be brought to market. None of these plants would be able to bear fruit without the pollination service provided by bees. That’s why grocery stores could soon be missing many of these products, if the bee population were to be substantially harmed or lost entirely.
Threats to Bee Colonies
To say that bee colonies are under fire these days would be putting it mildly. Habitat loss is one major factor affecting the health and preservation of bee colonies. With the percentage of natural habitat constantly decreasing, bees are less successful at foraging, and that means far less pollination is occurring.
Pesticides, particularly those used on corn, can be extremely detrimental to bee colonies. They have a tendency to alter bees’ behaviors, and they weaken the immune system of bees, leaving them vulnerable to pests and various types of parasites.
Parasites are another big problem for bees, because they weaken the bees and can dramatically infest hives. An entire colony of bees can be wiped out in a matter of one or two years, if a parasite were to gain access to the colony. Other kinds of mites can cause honey production to be reduced, and they can also cause a general die-off among the bee population.
What We Can Do!
Since bees are under threat from so many sources these days, it will require that the average person get involved to help them survive. For one thing, you can avoid buying foods that are produced using pesticides that harm the bees.
You can also plant a small garden or let part of your yard revert to a wild state, which will be more attractive to bees. Better yet, try to create a bee-friendly habitat in your yard, to give these tiny creatures one more place to forage and carry out their mission.