On World Bee Day, here’s why you should “bee” grateful for bees!
It’s the 20th of May! The flowers are blooming, the birds are chirping, and watermelon and strawberries are finally in season. And who are we going to celebrate today? Bees! So go smell the flowers, buy some local honey, and “bee” ready for lots of bee puns. These bumble-besties do so much for us, and without them, we probably wouldn’t be here today! Here are some great facts about bees, what they do for us, and how you can support their awesome work.
Bees are responsible for much of our food
After reading several different articles and discussions on various internet forums, I can assure you that the exact amount of food bees are responsible for is a lot (if not up for some serious debate). Bees and other pollinating insects are responsible for helping 75% of crops used for human consumption grow. In case you didn’t know, that’s a lot, adding up to about 64 BILLION pounds of fruits, vegetables, and nuts each year in America alone! Why are bees so helpful in the production of food? Well, these helpful insects land on the flowers of produce plants in search of nectar, and when they leave, they take a little bit of pollen with them! When the pollinators land on another flower, they bring pollen with them, kickstarting the flower’s process of turning into produce! Without bees (and other pollinators, such as butterflies and even birds), our environment would look very different than it does today.
Bees are brainy
Bees playing soccer? It’s not as far-fetched as you think. In a recent study, researchers were able to teach bumblebees how to roll a ball into a goal for a reward. Once considered a strictly-human ability, tool-use has been observed in primates, birds, sea-life, and now insects! Sure, we already knew bees were complex in their social skills; after all, they build and live in hives of thousands of individuals, working in unison towards one common goal. However, this and several other studies have been able to prove that bees are more aware of their surroundings than we ever thought. Next time you see one of these brainy bees, consider it might be better at sports than you!
Bees are getting helping hands from B-Lines
Did you know that bees are endangered? In the past decades, the world has seen a huge decrease in bee populations, especially in developed countries. Populations around the globe continue to decline towards extinction, but some are getting a helping hand! B-Lines are corridors of bee-friendly plants that crisscross the United Kingdom, much like a highway system for bees. These corridors are vital for both pollinators and farmers across the UK, as they provide a safe travel area for bees and ensure that farmer’s crops will be helped to pollinate to their fullest extent. Bringing nature to people across the country also has it’s own variety of benefits, making people more aware of the drastic effect climate change has had on our ecosystem. All in all, there are so many innovative ways that we can help bees back from the brink; all we need to do is get to work!
We hope you have enjoyed World Bee Day and have learned something new about or “beest” friends, bees! Ok, that one didn’t really work. But next time you see a bee, remember how much it has done for you, how intelligent it could be, and how endangered it is! Have an amazing rest of your World Bee Day!
