I am not a big shopper; I never have been. Whenever I go into a store, I typically only stay a few minutes, get what I need, and leave. The grocery store is the only store I could spend the entire day in, especially in the produce section. I absolutely love seeing baskets overflowing with colorful, fresh produce or bins full of nuts and grains. Going to a farmers market or a place that supports locally grown produce is amazing, but I’ve realized that we never give enough credit to the real farmers…honey bees.
When I used to think of the word “bee,” my mind immediately went to, “hurt them before they can hurt me.” I absolutely hated bees growing up and the thought of being stung, scared me to death. They seemed to be like most insects and served no purpose, like they were only around to sit on flowers and sting us when we’re in their way. It wasn’t until I watched a documentary on how much bees affect our every day life that this opinion began to change.
“If the bee disappeared off the face of the earth, man would only have four years left to live.” – Albert Einstein
I was under the assumption that bees only helped flowers spread and grow and never really thought about the impact they have on the foods that we eat. Bees contribute to the pollination of more than one hundred US crops with produce like apples, pears, tangerines, peaches, soybeans, pumpkins, squash, cucumbers, cherries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, carrots, broccoli, avocados, and almonds…and that’s only a few.
I had no idea these little yellow insects did so much…
…But this is when things start to get scary. Millions of bees are dying. In just over 8 years, the global bee population has dropped 30%; the United States alone could lose up to $15 billion worth of crops if bees keep disappearing. If our bees continue to die at this rate, the way we eat will no longer exist. Grocery stores will run out of produce, local farmers will go out of business, there will begin to be a huge decrease in food supply, many of our wildlife will die, and our world will be begin to fall apart.
“Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize that we can’t eat money.”
Sometimes, it isn’t our job to drastically mess with Mother Nature like we are so used to doing.
It’s not too late to do something about our disappearing little friends: Here are some ways you can help save the bees:
- Reduce the amount of pesticides you use when gardening: With flowers or produce, try to plant only pesticide free seeds.
- Grow a small garden: Bees love flowers. Even the smallest garden can help our planet’s bees.
- Buy local: Support your locally grown, organic produce. Join a co-op or visit some farmers markets to get your weekly groceries.
- Donate to the Pollinator Partnership: Their goal it to protect pollinators, like bees. You can donate here http://pollinator.org/donation.htm