Bees are the insects from the wasps kingdom, mainly popular for pollination across the globe. The burrows made by the bees were first traced some 100 million years ago in Patagonia, and have been marked as the oldest bee fossil found on earth. Apart than Antarctica, bees are found in all the continents. The harsh cold weather and scarcity of the human population and vegetation don’t allow the bees to live or pollinate in Antarctica. The best quality sweat bees are found in the northern hemisphere of the globe. They mainly consume nectar and pollen as the source of protein for themselves. On an average the life span of the bees are from 30-60 days which goes through four stages (the egg, the larvae, the pupal and the adult stage).
Declining bee population
The major concern for the beekeepers is the decline in the bee population all over the planet. Its a tiny creature but the benefits for the ecology is huge which is almost irreplaceable. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) by UNO have declared 20th May as the World Bee Day to spread awareness on the bee population as they are getting extinct. The major reasons are as follows:
— Intense farming practices
— Mono-cropping
— Excessive use of pesticides and chemicals in farming lands
— Global warming
Benefits of bees
There are varieties of bees are found everywhere, the most popular one is the honey bees, which is now an endangered species. Honey’s extracted from the bees are one of the most valued and appreciated natural food substance. Its also being used in making medicines in many parts of the world. Medical News Today says that bees are highly significant for the human life on this planet.
1. Not all bees produce honey, but the extracts coming from the bees are used to make cosmetics, skin care products, medicines for centuries. They are rich in antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
2. A tiny yet significant portion of bees extracts are used in cosmetics to make them waterproof and also in fuel. Its also being used in various ointments by the pharmaceutical brands. Other bee products like e bee wax, bee venom, bee pollen are on high demand.
3. As the bees are highly responsible for the pollination, they help in increasing vegetation. They carry the pollen grains on their fine hair and drop them in various places. As per the recent report by FAO, almost 70% of the vegetation on this planet grew due to pollination process.
4. Many beekeepers say that bees are very intelligent and are capable of understanding their keepers’ instructions. The ancient Greeks used bees as the “symbol of immortality” centuries ago. Australians uses bees to produce rock art. Bee wax are also used widely in the archeological excavations to restore and polish old artefacts.
5. As the bees help into pollination process, that’s what they grow vegetation, and that helps in growing the human habitation around those natural vegetation areas. Specially, in the hot places where plants and trees need more water to make their own food, humans provide water to the plants and trees and thus helps the vegetation to grow.
5 ways to help the bee population
1. If you have a small garden at the corner of your house, then try to create a bee-friendly garden. You can plant the flowers which attract bees quite a lot, like sunflower, lavender, wildflower seed bombs. You can also install a bee hotel which has a tiny garden in it and some holes through which they can pass through.
2. The global market worth for the honey produced all of the globe is more than $8 million. Unfortunately, they produce honey for their own use, not for humans to add in our smoothie shakes or layer it up on the pancakes to make it look irresistible. On the other hand, vegan honey is getting popular all over the world. It’s gluten-free, cruelty-free, vegan (not extracted from the bees) and is made from the fruit juices.
3. Bees get tired too like any other humans. If you can find some tired bees lying on the floor, you can keep some sugar syrup or sugar mixed in water next to them. They can have it and can gain energy quite instantly.
4. Buy local and eat local. We say this quite often, but we barely follow it. Buying fruits and vegetables from the local farmers or shopkeepers will help them to make money. On top of that, there are high chances of getting organic and unadulterated food is quite common. As per the Soil Association, its good to eat organic food, as they are pesticide-free. It’s beneficial for the bees and for us too.
5. There are various bee conservation projects going on around you. You can be a member of it and can help the beekeepers to keep the bees protected and safe. You can get in touch the organisations like Soil Association, Buglife, the Bumble Conservation Trust, Friends of the Earth and many more.
Every single living organism on this planet deserve to live a happy and safe life. We humans protect each other or our family and friends as we love them. In the same way, animals and insects do the same. So we humans, should do something to protect the bees too. They are providing so much of benefits to us without even asking for it. So we need to help them live safely and should not kill them or harm them in any way. Or at least we can help people who are helping the bees all over the world.