Honey Bee Population Needs our Help
April 15, 2015
Bee Colony Collapse, Honey Bees
Perils Facing the Bee Population and How We Can Help
There are many facts about honey bees that are common knowledge – bees produce honey, use stingers to protect themselves, and are a very important part of growing flowers as well as many of the fruits and vegetables we buy and eat every day. Something that many people do not know, however, is that honey bees’ population has been declining over the last few decades and that they are in danger of being wiped from the earth forever. Although this will eliminate bee stings, it will also cause the harvesting of crops to be more complicated and expensive, meaning we all will pay more at the grocery store.
The History of the Honey Bee
People have been benefiting off the work of honey bees for tens of thousands of years. Ancestors of today’s modern bee made honey that became an important part of the human diet, and has continued to be a staple up to recent years. This super food is well known for being packed with vitamins and nutrients, making it a great addition to both human’s and animal’s diets. Honey can be used in a multitude of different ways and has become so much a part of our everyday life it has even worked its way into our vernacular – we reference honey’s sweetness by calling loved one “honey.”
Why the Bee Population is Suffering
There are many theories as to why the honey bee population has been on the decline. Some speculate that recent climate changes have affected the bee’s ability to collect pollen and have removed some of the plants and flowers that once provided a food source. Others believe that, since bees have been pollenating plants for thousands of years through many different climate changes, something other than environmental change is taking its toll. Whatever the case may be, honey bees need our help.
How You Can Help the Honey Bee Population
While having a bee farm is a great way to help stabilize the bee population, not everyone can devote the time and financial backing needed to get that type of an operation off the ground. Something simple that almost anyone could do to help the honey bees is to plant a flower garden in order to give the bees a source of purpose as well as a source of food. In order to make sure it is the most beneficial, choose flowers that bloom early, or even multiple times throughout the year, and last through the beginning of the fall season. This will help to provide food for the bees when they are most active.
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