If you’ve read about conservation efforts, you might have heard about how important bees are and this can make a number of people say, huh?
How can such a small, seemingly insignificant animal play such an important role? Just why are bees important (and why should I care)?
Bees are important for a number of reasons. They are pollinators, meaning that they help most plants and crops reproduce.
Bee populations can also tell us about changing conditions in the environment in which they live, and bees are an important part of the economy in so many ways!
Are All Bees Important?
On planet Earth, there are roughly 20,000 different kinds of bees, and they’re all important.
The fuzzball bumble bee, the common honey bee, the mining bee, sweat bees – there are many varieties. But the world would be a different place without them.
In fact, some people see bees as a nuisance (and they can be at times), but nevertheless, it’s really important to understand their role in the natural order.
Why Are Bees Important?
If you haven’t thought about the impact of bees in the world, you may be forgiven for thinking that they aren’t that important.
But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
A world without bees would be a very different and a worse place, and I’m going to explain why these flying insects, and a small hive of them, are so important.
They’re Pollinators
When discussing how important bees are, the first thing most people will say is that they are pollinators (they take pollen from one plant to another of the same species). There are many kinds of pollinators, but bees are among the most diverse and essential.
Pollination is the first process of plant reproduction. There are some plants which self-pollinate themselves (means to transfer pollen between male and female parts with no outside help), but other plants rely on pollinators.
Some plants rely on wind or water to transfer pollen, but 75-80% depend on animal or insect for pollination.
Pollination is where an insect or animal will take pollen from the male part of one plant and bring it to the female part of another of the same species. The pollen will stimulate seed and fruit production, which are the beginnings of a new plant.
Bees are one of the most important components of this.
How That Affects You
But let’s assume that bees don’t pollinate anymore, that won’t factor into you and I, right? That’s a very dangerous perspective because the reality is much different.
Bees account for the pollination of approximately one-third of all human crops. While there are some methods of artificial pollination, they are not environmentally friendly, cheap, or as reliable as natural pollination.
If we did not have bees, there would be a greater chance of plant extinction and studies have shown that crops would yield less. Since one-third of every bite we eat can be attributed to bee pollination we should be giving more care to them.
They’re An Indicator Species
An indicator species refers to any species of plant or animal scientists will use to determine the conditions of the environment. These species are typically chosen based on their sensitivity to minor changes in the environment.
One such species is the bee. Bees are among the first organisms to respond to changes occurring in the environment. If an environment has changed for the worse, we may observe a reduction in the bee populations located in that area.
Where conditions are good for bees, we see healthy populations and have a lot of bee activity in the area.
Where changes have caused a decline in bee populations, the scientists are able to assess the situation and then make some changes to improve the habitat of the area.
How That Affects You
Once again, you may be asking why the condition of certain natural environments would matter to you.
It ultimately comes down to biodiversity. What biodiversity means is that there are a relatively high number of species that exist in a particular location.
You are likely familiar with food chain if you are familiar with the ratio of prey and predator species. If there is a disruption to this based on an underrepresentation of species (i.e., low biodiversity), there may be a domino effect.
For example, where there are not a lot of bees, some plants may not flourish. In turn, there are some herbivores that need these plants for food sources. Additionally, we already have bothered herbivores when we farm for meat.
To put it simply, if bees do not have enough food, we are directly affected.
Bees Affect Our Economy
Each year, pollination by animals (including bees) is valued at $235 to $577 billion from the sale of crops and products sold by beekeepers.
How That Affects You
Picture an eruption of almost $600 billion each year from the global economy. Wages would be suppressed, and acquiring employment would be harder, particularly in the sections of agriculture and apiculture (bees).
Not to mention, producers wouldn’t be able to supply honey and wax, tasted and valued so much, or anything else for that matter, enough to meet the demand.
Moreover, as bees will be pollinators of many different types of crops, expectations of bee availability would diminish.
When bees actually become available to you, prices will reflect the diminished expectations, which means you may have to pay a lot more.
Bees Are Under Threat
One of the things that most disturbance is the plight of bees. Studies on this show that between 2006 and 2015, there were up to 25% fewer bee species than there were pre-1990.
Habitat Loss
Things aren’t going to get better unless there is a significant change regarding the threats to the bee population. One of those threats is habitat loss.
Humans are building new developments in places where bees used to have habitat. They are taking away grasslands, woodlands, and meadows that provide food and nesting habitat for bees.
Even if bee habitat exists, they are typically segmented after humans build in the habitat away from the native vegetation, which divides the habitat into small parcels that are not of appropriate size for bees to receive the resources it requires to survive and thrive.
In addition, having less individuals per habitat also means it’s that much harder to find a mate affecting population levels.
An additional serious threat is the use of pesticides and other chemicals that goes on in our households and in agriculture as well. Some agriculture practices are using some fairly significant amounts of chemicals.
Yes, the agricultural pesticides are protecting crops from pests so that can give the crops an opportunity to thrive but killing our bees so they can pollinate our crops can be equally catastrophic.
The challenge now, with more awareness to the public, farmers are now attempting to move more toward organic pest control methods. An example of this practice is farming practice changes to break pest activity.
Climate Change
Climate change poses a substantial risk to many species of animals and plants, and bees are no different. The issue is that bees are emerging from hibernation too early because of the increased temperatures.
When this happens, many flowering plants have not bloomed yet; subsequently, bees have extreme difficulties when it comes to finding sufficient food sources.
Additionally, climate change impacts breeding; optimal flying conditions are important for bees, and wet, rainy weather is common; this is another result of climate change.
With summers considerably more humid and with an increase in rainfall due to climate change, bees, unlike wasps, struggle to fly.
If bees cannot fly, they are unable to forage, and, therefore, they struggle with breeding as well as feeding their young.
How You Can Help Bees
Part of the energy of understanding the great – number of threats to bees can make you want to jump into action and so you might be wondering right now what you can do to help. The positive side is that if we all do our bit. We can help provide them with a safe and healthy environment. Here are my suggestion:
Create A Bee-Friendly Garden
Establish a bee attractive garden by including a variety of native flowering plants that will attract bees in search of nectar and pollen. If planted in groups of similar species, this can aid the foraging process.
Use Alternatives To Pesticides
There are all kinds of organic methods, from handpicking the bugs off your plants, washing them off with water, or spraying with a soap/water mixture to remove aphid like insects.
Provide A Water Source And Nesting Spots
Only a small water source is required, and potential nesting locations could include piles of deconstructed logs, long grasses, and even bee hotels. After you prune your plants, you could even leave behind the hollow stems, as many bees will make residence there.
Raise Awareness
This way, you can even help more people create bee-friendly gardens to give these amazing creatures a safe space to thrive.