Why the World Needs Bees!

There are many benefits of honey bees other than the delicious honey they produce. These busy little bees are a crucial component in the world's production of food. Without honey bees flying from flower to flower collecting nectar, plants would have a hard time pollinating each other. A world without bees is a world we don't want to live in.

The busy little honey bees that we know so well collect the nectar that is found deep within the base of the flower. As the bee sits on the edge of the blooms, its body is covered with the pollen that is at the end of the anthers. The bee then leaves the flower and will fly to the next one to search for more nectar. Its body becomes a pollinating necessity that allows the flowers to form seeds. While there are some other insects that pollinate plants, bees are the main form of insect pollination. Some other pollinators include butterflies, ants and ladybugs. Even some animals contribute to pollinating by brushing the flowers with their fur and moving the pollen from one flower to the next.

If there were no bees or other insects to pollinate, there are other methods. The wind is able to move pollen from here to there, but is not nearly as direct and accurate as the little bee. Some plants are also able to be self pollinated where the plant uses its own pollen to fertilize the plant and create seeds.

Bees have been known to sting, but when left alone are virtually harmless. Bee keepers are so efficient with their maintenance and care of the bees that they are hardly ever stung even when surrounded by bees. Areas that have a high bee population tend to be full of blooms and appear to be very lush landscapes.

Bees need wildlife areas to continue their life cycle. Untouched pastures, forests and plains are the best homes for bees. Areas that are mowed often will not be able to produce flowers and if there are no flowers, the bees cannot survive. If the bees are not able to survive, there are not as many pollinators, which leads to fewer plant seeds and the cycle continues to spiral downward. It is in the best interest for bees and all plants to allow wildlife areas to grow without the use of mowers and pesticides.

The United States crop production success is highly dependent on the bee population. Bees are responsible for billions of dollars worth of pollinating! There are over 400 different crops that bees are known to pollinate. This means that without bees, we would not have the food available that we have today. The crops are also used to feed livestock, and with a short supply of feed, livestock would become scarce at the same rate. When looking further into the damaging results of a lower bee population, we can really see how important they are to the livelihood of everyone. Crops that are poorly pollinated produce smaller yields which result in loss for the farmer and for us at the store as well.

If you are a landowner or farmer, try to be bee friendly. Perhaps you could have a bee hive set on your land to create a home for these insects and allow them to pollinate the area around you. You could also try to let the vegetation on your land grow. This means not mowing all the grass you can, but to leave areas alone and allow all the plants to set their flowers and produce more seeds.

Remember that bees are part of the cycle of all vegetation's lives. If we continue to decrease the amount of land the bees can live off of, we will have fewer bees in the land. Fewer bees equal less pollination, which equals less production of produce.