Why Is There No Buzz About Bees?
An opinion piece on why no one is talking about the decline of our bee population.
Why Is There No Buzz About Bees?
Honey is sweet, but this article isn't, so I'll cut to the chase: The world’s bee population is dying. There’s been so much talk in the media about the mosquitoes and Zika virus but discussion has seemingly halted about the rapid decline of the bee population. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not downplaying the seriousness of Zika. My point is that more attention must be paid to bees, considering that the demise of bees essentially means the demise of human beings.
I recently became fascinated with bees although they formerly reduced me to tears, panicked swatting, and rapid sprints to increase the distance between me and them! I mean, what's with the stinging (I thought bees were docile! Side note: they are)?! Not only have I been stung countless times, but once, I witnessed my grandmother get stung in her armpit! And who can’t forget My Girl.. I know I wasn’t the only one to ugly-cry when Thomas J died trying to retrieve Vada’s mood ring. But I digress.. My interest in the bee-human relationship started because of a young girl named Mikaila Ulmer. She started Me & the Bees Lemonade (formerly, Bee Sweet Lemonade), donating a portion of the proceeds to the preservation of honeybees, appeared on Shark Tank and scored a deal, and recently landed an $11M contract with Whole Foods… all before she even hit puberty! The young entrepreneur stirred my interest and opened my eyes to the issue, and now I’d like to keep this topic alive, spreading awareness with my fellow Buzzfeeders.
Why should we care, you may ask? Well… Did you know that bees pollinate about 1/3rd of the world’s food crops? It’s no wonder that we humans are in trouble if a solution isn’t found. Some debate the cause of the rapid decline and, in some cases, mysterious disappearance of bees. Some blame global warming. Some blame pesticides — in small doses, pesticides make bees dizzy and, in larger doses, it proves to be fatal for bees. Still others blame the microscopic parasite appropriately named varroa destructor, which preys on bees typically when they are still larvae.
Bees are truly wonderful creatures, but they're not getting the love they deserve - ecologically superior, socially adept, and hardworking. Worker bees (which are all female, might I add) work together harmoniously to keep the hive running seamlessly. Even the way they communicate is fascinating. “Scouts” share the location of food through a choreographed “waggle dance,” which essentially gives the coordinates of the flowers in relation to the sun. With flowers comes pollination. With pollination comes human food crops. With food crops comes our sustenance and life source. Without bees, who knows. It’s time for everyone to shift our attention from mosquitoes, and start worrying about our bees.
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