Albert Einstein once said that if the bees disappeared, “man would have only four years of life left”.
Please, Sir, Can I Have Some More? Unless someone or something stops it soon, the mysterious killer that is wiping out many of the nation's honeybees could have a devastating effect on America's dinner plate, perhaps even reducing us to a glorified bread-and-water diet. Honeybees don't just make honey; they pollinate more than 90 of the tastiest flowering crops we have. Among them: apples, nuts, avocados, soybeans, asparagus, broccoli, celery, squash and cucumbers. And lots of the really sweet and tart stuff, too, including citrus fruit, peaches, kiwi, cherries, blueberries, cranberries, strawberries, cantaloupe and other melons. In fact, about one-third of the human diet comes from insect-pollinated plants, and the honeybee is responsible for 80 percent of that pollination, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Even cattle, which feed on alfalfa, depend on bees. So if the collapse worsens, we could end up being "stuck with grains and water," said Kevin Hackett, the national program leader for USDA's bee and pollination program. "This is the biggest general threat to our food supply," Hackett said. The link below provides access to the rest of the article. |
Although honey is often the first product that comes to mind, bees also make or are indirectly involved in making other goods. These include honey based products (such as candy), beeswax, pollen (as a supplement), candles, propolis (or bee glue, used in cosmetics), and cotton for clothing and material.
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Starting at 40 min 53 sec, this video shows Sichuan, China's pear farmers hand pollinating their pear crop (which is responsible for 80% of China's pear production.) The region lost their bee population in the 80's and the farmers have had to hand pollinate ever since. |
It's Gonna Cost How Much?!
Bees are worth over $15 billion dollars to the American economy and it is estimated that to try and replace them with human labor would cost upwards of $90 billion. The link below uses systems thinking strategies to show that the U.S. is not the only country that would suffer financially with bee decline. The article linked to the button below shows the impact that would result in the U.K. if we were to lose our bee populations.