Post by account_disabled on Feb 27, 2024 22:31:54 GMT -6
You've heard this call to action before, but what is the buzz really about? It turns out that bees are incredibly important in nature and in the production of food for humans.
According to a report by EarthDay.Org , there are more than , different species of bees worldwide. In the US, there are native bees (over , species) and commercially managed bees (mostly imported European bees). Both are vital for different reasons. The first are wild and keep our forest and grassland ecosystems functioning; The latter are managed by large agriculture to pollinate the crops that feed the world.
Unfortunately, most bees are in trouble. Colonies around the world are collapsing and many species are on the brink of extinction. Their plight has been described as death by a thousand cuts, with causes ranging from widespread pesticide use to disease and climate change.
So what can we do? How can we sav C Level Executive List e the bees? Here's everything you need to know.
save the bees
Why are bees important?
In short, saving bees matters because they are pollinators.
“Pollinators are small but powerful parts of the natural mechanism that sustains us and our world,” Midwest Regional Director Tom Melius said in a statement from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). that accompanied the agency's listing of the rusty-patched bee as endangered. “Without them, our forests, parks, meadows and bushlands, and the abundant and vibrant life they support, cannot survive, and our crops require laborious and expensive hand pollination.”
Ecosystem services
In nature, many plants depend on pollinators to reproduce and continue growing. Additionally, several animals depend on these plants for their survival. That's why, according to the EarthDay.Org report, bees are a "keystone species": they pollinate the food sources of so many other organisms.
By creating floral growth, pollination also provides habitat for insects and birds, the report noted.
Greenpeace described bees as prolific in their work: a single colony can pollinate million flowers each day.
In addition, the bees themselves and the honey they produce are good sources of food for many animals.
“Remove bees from the equation and the effects can be felt throughout the food chain,” another EarthDay.Org article explained . Bees and other insects keep the food chain running.
This is especially true of native bees.
“Native plants attract native bees,” explained Krystle Hickman, bee photographer and community scientist. These plants depend on their bees for pollination. The bees, which were imported to North America, prefer to pollinate non-native species, she added.
In a commentary for Mongabay, Hickman explained how native bees evolved alongside the native plants, to which they are adapted. Over millions of years, these plants and their pollinators adapted to the same changes in climate and habitat. So saving native bees also means saving native plants and therefore native ecosystems, he said.
Bees feed the world
Bees similarly pollinate most human foods. According to Greenpeace, bees pollinate a "staggering" % of the crops that feed people, including our fruits, nuts and vegetables.
Greenpeace also reported that bees, both wild and domestic, perform approximately % of all pollination activities worldwide. This includes everything from asparagus to broccoli, from cotton to coffee, Heifer noted. Certain crops depend almost entirely on bee pollination. Cherries and blueberries, for example, are % dependent, and almonds are % dependent on bees, the American Beekeeping Federation reported . Importantly, honey bees also pollinate alfalfa, an important grass food for beef and dairy cows.
In the future, "pollination deficits" of fruits and vegetables could trigger "nutritional deficits" in diets as fresh foods are replaced by wild-pollinated grains, rice and corn, The Guardian warned.
According to a report by EarthDay.Org , there are more than , different species of bees worldwide. In the US, there are native bees (over , species) and commercially managed bees (mostly imported European bees). Both are vital for different reasons. The first are wild and keep our forest and grassland ecosystems functioning; The latter are managed by large agriculture to pollinate the crops that feed the world.
Unfortunately, most bees are in trouble. Colonies around the world are collapsing and many species are on the brink of extinction. Their plight has been described as death by a thousand cuts, with causes ranging from widespread pesticide use to disease and climate change.
So what can we do? How can we sav C Level Executive List e the bees? Here's everything you need to know.
save the bees
Why are bees important?
In short, saving bees matters because they are pollinators.
“Pollinators are small but powerful parts of the natural mechanism that sustains us and our world,” Midwest Regional Director Tom Melius said in a statement from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). that accompanied the agency's listing of the rusty-patched bee as endangered. “Without them, our forests, parks, meadows and bushlands, and the abundant and vibrant life they support, cannot survive, and our crops require laborious and expensive hand pollination.”
Ecosystem services
In nature, many plants depend on pollinators to reproduce and continue growing. Additionally, several animals depend on these plants for their survival. That's why, according to the EarthDay.Org report, bees are a "keystone species": they pollinate the food sources of so many other organisms.
By creating floral growth, pollination also provides habitat for insects and birds, the report noted.
Greenpeace described bees as prolific in their work: a single colony can pollinate million flowers each day.
In addition, the bees themselves and the honey they produce are good sources of food for many animals.
“Remove bees from the equation and the effects can be felt throughout the food chain,” another EarthDay.Org article explained . Bees and other insects keep the food chain running.
This is especially true of native bees.
“Native plants attract native bees,” explained Krystle Hickman, bee photographer and community scientist. These plants depend on their bees for pollination. The bees, which were imported to North America, prefer to pollinate non-native species, she added.
In a commentary for Mongabay, Hickman explained how native bees evolved alongside the native plants, to which they are adapted. Over millions of years, these plants and their pollinators adapted to the same changes in climate and habitat. So saving native bees also means saving native plants and therefore native ecosystems, he said.
Bees feed the world
Bees similarly pollinate most human foods. According to Greenpeace, bees pollinate a "staggering" % of the crops that feed people, including our fruits, nuts and vegetables.
Greenpeace also reported that bees, both wild and domestic, perform approximately % of all pollination activities worldwide. This includes everything from asparagus to broccoli, from cotton to coffee, Heifer noted. Certain crops depend almost entirely on bee pollination. Cherries and blueberries, for example, are % dependent, and almonds are % dependent on bees, the American Beekeeping Federation reported . Importantly, honey bees also pollinate alfalfa, an important grass food for beef and dairy cows.
In the future, "pollination deficits" of fruits and vegetables could trigger "nutritional deficits" in diets as fresh foods are replaced by wild-pollinated grains, rice and corn, The Guardian warned.