What's the Buzz About Bees?
A few years ago Whole Foods Market did a study and demonstration of what our grocery stores would look like without bees. The results were astounding and it really got the public's attention. The bees' impact on our world as a society and as an ecosystem is perhaps more important than many people realize.
Believe it or not, it's not all about just fruits and vegetables. Bees are key members of our ecosystem and production market for a lot more than just giving us well pollinated crops. Bees are vital to our survival. This is important, and people need to talk about it!
But, What Can the Bees Do for Me?
Bees are more capable and crafty than a person might think. With a brain no bigger than a grass seed and a nasty sting that can leave some people incapacitated, it's hard to believe that bees might be the key to humans living on Earth. However, believe it not...that's not far from the truth.
Bees Provide Food and Balance In the Ecosystem
One third of our food crops rely on the pollination of honey bees in order to thrive and grow. Without honey bees we would not only lose flowering crops such as watermelons, tomatoes, strawberries, and apples, but we would also lose all the flowering wildflowers and plants that our livestock feed upon. If bees were to disappear from our ecosystem all the flowering plants and the animals that feed upon them would die out in less than four years dictate countless studies performed by institutes such as The University of Maryland: College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Science. FOUR YEARS. Could you imagine humans starting to go extinct in your lifetime?
While birds, bats, and insects also help pollinate flowering plants, honey bees are the most reliable and manageable pollinator. Each year, commercial U.S. beekeepers travel from farm to farm around the country with millions of bee hives in tow to pollinate crops such as blueberries, almonds, and other fruits, nuts, and vegetables.
As the main source of pollination, bees play a major role in maintaining natural plant communities. This contributes to biodiversity (or the presence of a variety of species in an ecosystem), which is vital for the health and proper function of the environment.
In the chart below there is a variety of examples of some of the crops that are effected by bee pollination. (INSERT CHART LATER)
Bees Provide Food and Balance In the Ecosystem
One third of our food crops rely on the pollination of honey bees in order to thrive and grow. Without honey bees we would not only lose flowering crops such as watermelons, tomatoes, strawberries, and apples, but we would also lose all the flowering wildflowers and plants that our livestock feed upon. If bees were to disappear from our ecosystem all the flowering plants and the animals that feed upon them would die out in less than four years dictate countless studies performed by institutes such as The University of Maryland: College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Science. FOUR YEARS. Could you imagine humans starting to go extinct in your lifetime?
While birds, bats, and insects also help pollinate flowering plants, honey bees are the most reliable and manageable pollinator. Each year, commercial U.S. beekeepers travel from farm to farm around the country with millions of bee hives in tow to pollinate crops such as blueberries, almonds, and other fruits, nuts, and vegetables.
As the main source of pollination, bees play a major role in maintaining natural plant communities. This contributes to biodiversity (or the presence of a variety of species in an ecosystem), which is vital for the health and proper function of the environment.
In the chart below there is a variety of examples of some of the crops that are effected by bee pollination. (INSERT CHART LATER)
Bees Supply Us with Honey
Most people think of honey as just a sweetener to be added to recipes but it is so much more. Honey has been used for thousands and thousands of years by numerous ancient civilizations dated farthest back with the ancient Egyptians 10,000 years ago. While yes, the sticky substance is quite delicious it is more often found throughout the ages being used for its healing and rejuvenation properties. Just some of the benefits of honey and how it can aide you today are listed in full detail on our What is Raw Honey? page. To quickly summarize what the bees offer we have the following chart.
Bees Supply Us with Royal Jelly
Royal jelly is a honey bee secretion that is used in the nutrition and care of the young bees as well as the adult queen. It provides energy and stem cell growth to the queen and the young. Royal jelly is food for the queen and because of her diet she lives 40 times longer than that of the other bees in the hive, which could be up to 8 years. There have been numerous lab studies over the years concerning the health benefits of royal jelly when consumed or used by humans. While many organizations and labs call the results inconclusive we will not deny that there is something special to the bee's royal jelly.
Bees Supply Us with Much More
Most people think of honey as just a sweetener to be added to recipes but it is so much more. Honey has been used for thousands and thousands of years by numerous ancient civilizations dated farthest back with the ancient Egyptians 10,000 years ago. While yes, the sticky substance is quite delicious it is more often found throughout the ages being used for its healing and rejuvenation properties. Just some of the benefits of honey and how it can aide you today are listed in full detail on our What is Raw Honey? page. To quickly summarize what the bees offer we have the following chart.
Bees Supply Us with Royal Jelly
Royal jelly is a honey bee secretion that is used in the nutrition and care of the young bees as well as the adult queen. It provides energy and stem cell growth to the queen and the young. Royal jelly is food for the queen and because of her diet she lives 40 times longer than that of the other bees in the hive, which could be up to 8 years. There have been numerous lab studies over the years concerning the health benefits of royal jelly when consumed or used by humans. While many organizations and labs call the results inconclusive we will not deny that there is something special to the bee's royal jelly.
Bees Supply Us with Much More