HomeFitnessOur Diets Would Never Be the Same Without Bees
Our Diets Would Never Be the Same Without Bees
February 28, 2018
Did you know what would happen if all the bees in the world become extinct? Let us tell you what a world without bees would be like. A world without bees would mean a world without fruits, vegetables, seeds, and nuts. Our diets would never be the same without bees.
Bees are nothing but simply an annoyance for some people. They’re not aware how crucial bees are for their diets and their existence. The simple fact is, humans would also not exist without bees.
It has been estimated that one-third of the world’s crops are totally dependent on honeybees for the pollination process. However, the honeybees have been dying at unprecedented rates both in the US as well as other countries over the last decade.
Why are Bees Becoming Endangered?
Bees have been dying out for various reasons. The increased usage of pesticides plays a huge role in the decline of honeybee population. Other factors such as parasites, poor weather conditions, diseases and the stress of being moved from orchard to orchard to pollinate different crops also contribute towards the decrease in the honeybee population. When there’s a lack of bees, farmers usually feel threatened as they depend on these nectar and pollen eating animals for their pollination services.
Most of the items of food we consume are going to be unavailable if nothing is done to improve the honeybee health. Bees are responsible for the food you see on your plate. The survival of agriculture is possible because of pollination which is the vital task performed by bees. One-third of our global food supply is pollinated by bees. Just imagine.
The bottom line is, bees help keep our crops and plants alive. If there were no bees, we wouldn’t have much to eat. Many of the crops are pollinated by bees include apples, apricots, almonds, cashews, avocados, blueberries, eggplants, kiwis, grapes, coffee, cranberries, walnuts, watermelons, tangerines, strawberries, peaches, mangoes, cucumbers, okra, cantaloupes, and pears. All of these crops would cease to exist if there were no bees. Bees are crucial for our existence, so we must work harder to protect them from getting extinct and also try to preserve them.
How We Will Suffer Without Bees
Many entities are going to suffer if bees become extinct. Beekeepers, who make their living simply by managing bee colonies, will go out of business if there are no bees left to take care of. Without commercial beekeepers, the farmers won’t be able to scrape together enough bees to pollinate their farms. As a result, the whole harvest can fail if the farmer is not able to provide fields with enough honeybees for the pollination process. That means, if there’s no pollination, there will be no crops – we will be left without eating many essential fruits, vegetables, and nuts.
Almonds hulls are often ground up and used as a feed for cows. When cows are not properly fed with nutrients, they won’t be able to produce milk. When there’s not enough milk being produced, there will be a huge shortage of dairy products such as cheese, yogurt, and ice cream. Shortage of dairy products will lead to an increase in their prices. These products will eventually become expensive.
Let’s not forget talking about honey. There’s a crop named as clover which is an important source of nectar that bees must consume in order to produce honey. Lack of bees for pollination would mean the loss of this crop, and as a result, the bees won’t able to produce honey if they’re not eating that crop. When there’s not enough honey being produced, the honey producers will run out of business. With the shortage of honey, the cosmetic industry, which uses honey as a skin moisturizer in many products such as soaps, creams, lipsticks, and shampoos, will also greatly suffer.
How to Save the Bees
Fortunately, we can put in some efforts to save bees population. In the mid of 2014, a Pollinator Health Task Force was established by the president of the US to help repress the loss of important pollinators such as honeybees. Many incentives were also announced for farmers to established hew habitats for bee populations.
In addition to that, we can have gardens to assist the health and livelihood of the honeybee population. Having more gardens mean there will be an increase in the honeybee population. You can plant flowers in your yard and neighborhood. But we should not contaminate them with the excessive use of pesticides. The use of pesticides and other fertilizers will most likely destroy the livelihood of the bee population. This is the only way bees can be saved in this environment. Bees will have a better chance of receiving the nutrition they need to survive if there are more flowers around. Having a large bee population is not only good for the planet but for us as well.
We have already come to realize how many entities suffer if bees become extinct on this planet. We certainly can’t live on diets enriched with carbohydrates and proteins. We need to live on other nutrients as well. The growth of fruits, vegetables, and nuts is solely dependent on the pollination process. Therefore, honeybees must not become extinct if we don’t want our diets to get affected. Unquestionably, our diets would never be the same without the presence of bees on our planet. Our existence is linked with that of honeybees. Let’s do everything we can to protect and preserve them on this planet.
