Most people think that bees only make honey. They see the buzzing insect in the garden and smile and maybe snap a photo. They don’t know that they just saw one of the most important farming pollinators.
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Check PriceThe single bee buzzing around your flowers is only one insect. It is part of a grand network of insects pollinating flowers worldwide. Have you heard the saying? \"Every third bite of food we eat comes from the service of pollinators. \” Saving the bees is more than keeping the insects alive. It is a way to ensure that we can feed ourselves and our families.
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The Invisible Food Web
Start with your morning coffee and toast. The bread likely has ingredients that were pollinated. The feed for the chickens whose eggs went into that bread? Pollinated. The berries you may spread on top that bread? You guessed it, pollinated. Even the butter comes from cows that eat alfalfa and clover — both of which are bee-pollinated crops.
Most people do not understand how deep this connection goes. Pollinators are needed by 80% of flowering plants and, therefore, 35% of the world’s food production relies on (or, more specifically, bee) animal pollination.
What would occur if bees were to disappear?
If pollinators were to suddenly die, we would quickly start to see the following items disappearing from our grocery stores: Apples, blueberries, almonds, cherries, melons, cranberries, plums, strawberries, and other various kinds of fruits. Also disappearing would be the vegetables that add nutrition and flavor to our diets: Tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, and peppers.
There will be effects from this that won’t just impact the produce sections. The lack of alfalfa will make the dairy and beef industries suffer. The absence of clover means losing a vital protein source for the animals. Our diet would be less diverse and nutritious, relying solely on wheat, rice, and corn.
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The Economics of Pollination
Beekeepers earn more than $15 billion in the USA annually by offering pollination services. Each February, over 2.5 million bee colonies cross the US border to provide their services to almond trees in California which is 80% of the world’s almond supply. This is nearly half of the total managed colonies in the USA. These pollinations provide us the almonds for our breakfast cereals, holiday cookies, and even dairy-free milk.
Managed honeybees are not the only pollinators and not even the most important ones. Other pollinators include native bees, butterflies, and a variety of other wild pollinators. Though the services these other pollinators provide are more difficult to measure, they are vital to the overall health of the ecosystem services that sustain agriculture. They pollinate the wild plants that provide habitat and food for other wildlife and help the forests to regenerate.
Constructing Pollinator Highways in Your Backyard
What's truly amazing is that you can begin to aid in the defense of food systems immediately. Every flower you plant supports local pollinators. Your garden helps form the corridors needed for the movement of bees between different habitats and food sources.
Native plants are the best option because they have evolved with the local pollinators. One native oak tree can sustain over 500 species of moths and butterflies. The caterpillars of those moths and butterflies feed the birds that control pests in farming. Native wildflowers also provide nectar when cultivated crops are not in bloom, which helps sustain the population of pollinators throughout the year.
The Power of Small Actions
Growing bee balm allows you to help sustain pollinators, and you get to grow a beautiful plant that makes tea! \nSunflowers also feed the pollinators, and then you can give the birds food in winter with the seeds that come from the flowers!\nEvery little garden container and planter on your apartment balcony will help the urban pollinator network.
When purchasing food, try to avoid pesticides if possible, especially those that use neonicotinoids as they are very harmful to bees and butterflies. Go for the organic choices to support those farmers who use pollinator-friendly practices. Your buying choices advocate for the type of agricultural system you want.
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The interdependence of parts in thriving ecosystems is exemplified by bees. Protecting bees means protecting the reproductive diversity of plants and in turn increasing both the diversity and strength of crops we harvest. This system has sustained human civilization for thousands of years and provides services that no technology can replace.
Our actions can assist various people’s needs and to assist people in the future. If people continue to grow flowers and purchase pollen-related products, and refrain from using pesticides, they will assist in creating relationships that sustain the food supply cycle from farms to tables.
The next time you see a bee in the garden, remember that small creature is part of a big network that gives us fresh produce and food staples. One bee is very connected to multiple aspects of the food cycle, and that connection is something to appreciate from garden to garden.
