Factual Friday: Save the Bees

  Spring has sprung and with it, we start to see the return of insects. I’ll admit, I’m not a huge fan of insects, especially the ones that find their way into my apartment. However, I do recognize that some of them can play an important role in our ecosystem so as long as they stay out of my way, I’ll stay out of theirs. Unless of course, my Venus Fly Trap gets to them first…But today we’re here to talk about bees. People love to say “Save the bees,” dare I say it’s trendy to be pro bees. However, let’s explore why bees are so important and what it actually means to save them. This week’s edition of Factual Friday, is all about saving the bees.

(Photo from pexels.com)

First things first, let’s start with some fun facts about bees! According to earthday.org, “There are more than 20,000 distinct bee species around the world, and more than 4,000 in the U.S. alone. Bees exist in all types of climates around the world, from forests in Europe to deserts in Africa, even in the Arctic Circle” (earthday.org). In addition to being diverse and versatile, bees are a keystone species. A keystone species means, “an organism that helps define an entire ecosystem. Without its keystone species, the ecosystem would be dramatically different or cease to exist altogether” (nationalgeographic.org). So, needless to say, bees are pretty important. 

In short, that is the answer to why we need to save the bees: because they’re important. But there are other keystone species, why do bees get the most clout?! It is because they are the only pollinators. That’s right, it’s just them! No one else to delegate that task to! What is pollination and why is it so important? Americanscientist.org explains it as, “transferring pollen grains to floral ovaries for fertilization. Not all plants require pollination, but it’s estimated that three-quarters of the global food supply depends on it” (americanscientist.org). Meaning that if bees were to go extinct, that would jeopardize 75% of our food supply. Seeing as we already struggle to feed everyone, that would be quite a dark reality to live in. 

So what exactly is happening to the bees? Word on the street is that there are less of them but why? One of the things threatening bees is, you guessed it, climate change. What is specifically threatening to bees are, “variations in vegetation and rising temperatures, which are destroying habitat or creating inhospitable conditions for many species of bees. For example, spring flowers have been blooming earlier in the season, drastically reducing the bee’s chance to feed on the pollen” (earthday.org). Another threat to bees is pesticides. When bees are exposed to pesticides they are either killed or it puts their health, thus the health of the colony, at risk. Other threats to bees are loss of habitat and agriculture services. The reason bees are losing their habitats is in part due to industrialization. Industrialization causes a lack of biodiversity and if I learned anything from environmental science in high school, it’s that you do NOT want to mess with biodiversity. Why? I can’t remember that far back but just trust me on this one.

Now we know, this is why we gotta save the bees! How do we save them? According to americanscientist.com, saving the bees is not as easy as everyone makes it out to be. Of course there are scientists on the job, doing research and field work, but it’s gonna take more than just that. As always, educating yourself and sharing with others what you have learned, will be helpful. If more people know what’s going on, that will enable us to make a more impactful change. Along those same lines, you can contact your congressional representatives to push them to ban insecticides that are harmful to bees. If you feel so inclined, plant a bee friendly garden! Could be a fun summer project! But at the very least, stand up for our pollinators next time you see someone angrily swatting at them.

Ladies, I know that got kinda deep and maybe a little scary. But you’re already doing your part (the education part) to help save the bees, just by making it to the end of this article! I always link my sources at the bottom of the blog but maybe this time, you could look through them if you feel so moved. Now that we know what’s up with the bees, let’s do what we can to save them. If anyone has a bee joke or pun, please insert it here!

And with that, I wish you a Factual Friday and a fun weekend!

Xoxo,

Zoe

 

https://www.earthday.org/wp-content/uploads/species/bees.pdf

https://www.americanscientist.org/blog/macroscope/6-misconceptions-about-saving-the-bees

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/article/role-keystone-species-ecosystem/