Do You Want To Learn About The Importance Of Honey Bees?
What can you do to help?
Across the world honeybees are busy pollinating plants of all kinds, hence providing us with food and flowers.
Without honey bees, our world would change dramatically and affect all of us. They pollinate one-third of the food we eat and are the heart of our survival.
Their pollination of 60–70% of the world’s flowering plant species also contributes to producing fruits and seeds that other animal species depend on for survival.
Bees contribute to higher crop yields and the size and quality of fruits produced.
According to the bee conservancy, “From apples and squash to buckwheat and coffee, bees are responsible for pollinating most of the fruits, vegetables, seeds, and nuts that are essential to our diets. Honeybees, in particular, play a huge role in agriculture, contributing over $15 billion to the value of US crop production.”
For example, without bees, we’d lose:
100% Almonds 90% Apples 90% Onions 90% Blueberries 90% Cucumbers 90% Carrots*
*Source: Honey Bee Colony Collapse Disorder, Renee Johnson, Congressional Research Service 2010.
Bees are fascinating. I have always loved watching honey bees as they dance around my gardens and have never been scared of them or afraid they would sting me.
Writing this article encouraged me to research wasps too. Wasps are different — they do sting and the stings hurt. I wanted to give them a fair comparison.
It turns out wasps have a bad reputation, but it is undeserved. They are also crucial to the environment.
I was surprised to learn that wasps are among the most ecologically important organisms for humanity. They pollinate our flowers and food crops. But unlike honeybees, wasps also regulate populations of crop pests such as caterpillars and whiteflies, contributing to global food security.
Honey bees are vegetarians, so they do not eat other insects. They collect nectar and pollen from flowering plants. The honeybees convert the nectar to honey which is the bee's primary source of carbohydrates which provides them with energy.
Pollen is the honey bee's primary source of protein and fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins.
Honey provides the bees with the energy needed for flight, colony maintenance, and daily activities.
Pollen is necessary for hive growth and young bee development.
”Busy Bees” is an apt reference for the honey bee. They are indeed busy. One bee makes twelve or more trips from the hive and visits thousands of flowers. They will travel two to five miles away from the hive to accomplish this
Their pollination of 60–70% of the world’s flowering plant species also contributes to producing fruits and seeds that other animal species depend on for survival.
Many crops are wind-pollinated but become more productive when bees also visit them.
What is causing the decline of Honeybees?
Humans are always looking for better, easier ways to improve our lives and make them simpler. However, we sometimes make mistakes that are dangerous to bees, butterflies, our pets, and ourselves.
Pesticides
You may have heard about the dangers of pesticides, such as Roundup. A new study shows Roundup kills bees. https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/new-study-shows-roundup-kills-bees
In the United States, we use a billion pounds of pesticides each year.
Neonicotinoids are systemic agricultural insecticides resembling nicotine. When used, plants absorb Neonicotinoids and can be present in pollen and nectar making them toxic to bees. This type of insecticide affects insects’ central nervous system, resulting in paralysis and death.
Neonicotinoids accumulate in the environment. If used in the treatment of seeds, there will be residues in the pollen and nectar of treated plants. As little as one seed is enough to kill a songbird. https://www.beyondpesticides.org/programs/bee-protective-pollinators-and-pesticides/chemicals-implicated
Honeybees are losing critical habitat.
As we continue to develop land for other uses such as housing, business, and agriculture we are eliminating foraging sources for Honeybees and places to create nests and overwinter.
Many urban areas are creating green spaces which will attract bees while also providing shelter.
Many areas that may have been a safe habitat for honeybees have been disrupted by construction and new roads.
It is important to look for opportunities to create new habitats for honeybees.
Some areas of the country are converting the center islands of roadways from concrete to natural areas, planting trees and flowers. Trees, native grasses, and wildflowers can also be planted along the roadside and are valuable to the environment.
I have a few gardens at my home planted with a combination of flowers that are good for honeybees and butterflies. They create a peaceful environment which is a calming place to sit and relax. I plan to add more beneficial flowers this year.
My goal was to one day have a beehive. In researching information for this article I have changed my mind, at least for now.
There are two reasons for that:
Number one is the cost of purchasing the beehive and other equipment I would need. I cannot afford to do so.
Number two, I found there is some belief that establishing beehives for the honeybees may be detrimental to the many species of wild bees.
An increased number of honeybees may harm wild bees because they compete directly for nectar and pollen. When there is a plentiful source of flowers, that would not be a problem, but the lack of flowers is one of the main factors behind the decline in bee populations. https://theconversation.com/keeping-honeybees-doesnt-save-bees-or-the-environment-102931
We need more flowers, plants, and trees to provide food for the survival of the honeybee and other native bees.
Parasites and Diseases
Mites and viruses have severely damaged honeybee colonies
The most dangerous is the varroa mite. This parasite feeds on the blood of adult honeybees and will also reproduce on honeybee pupae. The pupae are immature honeybees.
When a colony is infected, it spreads the mites to other bee colonies from the worker bees traveling from one site to another, and from the honey they might steal from an infected hive.
Colony Collapse Disorder is caused by the spread of these mites and their viruses. The varroa mites spread from one bee colony to another, and the immune systems of all the bees are compromised. It is no longer possible for mature bees to gather nectar and pollen, and without it, the whole colony collapses and dies.
There are many available control options for varroa mite populations, but they can be complicated. Each option has advantages and disadvantages.
Climate Change
Whether you believe it or not, climate change is real, and it is affecting everything, including honeybees.
There is a relationship between plants and pollinators, which depends on Phenology. Phenology is the timing of natural events within plant and animal life cycles.
As you may have noticed, there have been gradual changes in long-term weather patterns — including temperature, rain, and sunlight which can alter the balance between when flowers bloom and when bees forage for pollen and nectar.
An example would be unseasonable warmth or increased precipitation, which would cause flowers, and other crops, to flower earlier in the growing season, before the honeybees and other pollinators have emerged for the season.
The threat of Climate Change is real and out of control. Unless we make dramatic changes, it will continue to impact all of us.
The honeybees and other pollinators will die, and our food supply will diminish as a result.
What Can We Do To Help The Honeybee Survive?
Plant a Bee Garden
Provide as many flowers as you can. If you already have a flower garden expand the number of plants and research the best plants for bees and butterflies.
Flowers can be grown in window boxes, pots, and planters.
Many towns and cities have flower clubs you can join. If there is a park in your area, they may have an organization that includes the care of the flowers and trees. Maybe you can help.
Encourage your town to establish more flower beds, hanging plants, and plant more trees.
Trees are an important source of nectar for bees. Tree leaves and resin are natural nesting material for bees. Wild bees may also use natural wood cavities as a shelter.
Keep a birdbath or two in your yard and garden. Birds will use it, and so will bees. Arrange some pebbles and stones inside the birdbath so the tops are above the water. giving both the birds and bees a place to land and drink the water.
Eliminate your use of chemical products
Stop the use of chemicals in your gardens and your lawn care. Science has proven they are detrimental to insects, animals, and humans.
There are other ways to control weeds.
Do not mow your lawn as often and let the grass grow longer. “A longer lawn will crowd out weeds” Taller blades of grass block the light weeds that need to grow. Your soil will hold more moisture and is more likely to reseed itself.
Dandelions are also beneficial for lawns because they have deep roots and help loosen compacted soil.
Hand weeding is probably the most effective way to eliminate weeds, and it is an excellent exercise, so it is a win-win. The best time to weed is after a gentle rain, preferably in the early part of the morning or in the evening. Start early in the season and try not to let the weeds get out of control.
Use Mulch. You can also use wet newspaper as a preventative barrier and lay the mulch over it. The mulch should be about two to three inches deep. I have also found cardboard boxes with all labels and tape removed to make an excellent underlayer for mulching. Newspaper and cardboard will decompose and enrich the soil.
Plant ground covers such as pachysandra, sedum, thyme, or sweet woodruff. There are many types available, and some will flower. Many will do very well in the shade. Check with your local nursery or garden club with any questions.
Use a natural spray weed deterrent. I make mine by mixing vinegar, salt, and Dawn liquid soap. Mix a gallon of white vinegar, one cup of salt, and one tablespoon of dish soap. Make sure it is adequately stirred, then put the mixture in a spray bottle for easy use. I purchased a large lawn sprayer at the local hardware store. It works great for cracks in the sidewalk, driveway, and along the edges of the garden — a word of caution. Do not spray this on your plants.
“There is one masterpiece, the hexagonal cell, that touches perfection. No living creature, not even man, has achieved, in the centre of his sphere, what the bee has achieved in her own: and were some one from another world to descend and ask of the earth the most perfect creation of the logic of life, we should needs have to offer the humble comb of honey.” -Maurice Maeterlinck, The Life Of The Bee, 1924
