Bees

The three most distinctive noises to our ears must be the scraping on chalk of a blackboard; a baby’s cry and the buzzing of bees! However despite how annoying these sounds may be, without them being known to man, man itself would not be known. We strive from education, reproduce and live on through our children and stay alive due to bees. Yes, bees. A man’s fundamental is a yellow and black flying insect. Biodiversity is the web of life. It is the term used to describe all the Earth’s natural process; ecosystems; genetic/cultural diversities and the connection between all species. We rely on other ecosystems for food, water, shelter, drugs and even the moderation of floods and droughts too. It is this web upon which we are an intrinsic cardinal part and on which we as a race are dependent yet, we as a race are putting all others at great risk. Consider it to be a threaded carpet; if one of the threads holding the carpet together is pulled through, the whole carpet falls apart. Currently we are pulling on several threads in the ‘carpet of life’. Bees are one of the main links us ‘humans’ are breaking.

 

Bees are vital pollinators to our world. They are responsible for 1/3 of all the food we seek growth in each day. There are other pollinators in the world such as birds; bats, and we could even pollinate crops ourselves. However, this would be an expensive and virtually ineffective process. We simply can’t rely on other pollinators, bees do too much. We are a growing population and we need all the pollinated food we can get. What’s more? They also happen to be the only insect that produces food eaten directly by man. Who doesn’t love honey?

 

There are currently 25 species of Bee in the UK, however, there used to be double this number. So why are bees dying? We first discovered the problem through Colony Collapse Disorder; climate change; pollution; habitat loss. I’m noticing a pattern, this is harm we are doing! To tackle the problem the government needs to look into the impacts this could have in the future and discover further, what we could do on a wider scale to help them. On a local front, we can all start simply by spreading the word! Most are blissfully oblivious to the doings we are doing to the bees and more importantly the catastrophic doing people are doing to themselves in return. By planting trees/plants bees love, they will live on. They will find habitats and create new life. Plants like this include: cornflowers; poppies; lavender and other shrubs, all of which will also colour your garden. Win, win? You could even consider keeping bees which is an interesting and rewarding hobby for all ages, which throws in the bonus of honey. Bees do not sting as it kills them, so when going to kill a bee…don’t. Let the bees be.