10 Reasons Why Bees Are Important
Bees are amazing, for sure! Here are seven justifications for why bees are crucial and advantageous to both people and the environment.
Although some of these reasons are well known, there may be some on this list that you had not previously considered.
What is a bee? A short note on Bees
How Important Are Bees?
1. In pollinating
The pollination services provided by bees enable food to be produced in the form of fruits, berries, nuts, and seeds (thereby enabling the production of leaf and root crops as well!).
The elements of our nutrition
that depend on bees (and other pollinators) for cross-pollination are likely
the most intriguing.
We should take into account
here that it's not just delectable fruits that allow us to enjoy foods like
strawberry ice cream, apple pie, blueberry muffins, and so forth, but also
delectable veggies like peas and beans.
Additionally, studies have
revealed a connection between pollination and human health, as bees not only
pollinate food crops but also increase their nutrient content.
Bees also assist in ensuring that many different plant species' seeds will germinate, allowing for the collection of some of the seeds for planting a crop the following year. This is crucial for all crops, even leafy ones like some brassicas like kale. It's important to keep in mind that we could need to use alternative techniques if we don't have insects like bees to pollinate the plants for us.
Some crops in parts of China
must be manually pollinated by people who must climb trees and use a brush.
Think about it!
2. The Significance of Bees in Food Webs
Bees also pollinate crops that
are consumed by birds and other animals.
Berries, seeds, and some
fruits and nuts that are pollinated by bees and other insects may be a source
of food for birds and mammals.
It's important to remember
that pollination benefits some domesticated animals as well!
For instance, cows consume hay
that has been pollinated by bees (leafcutter bee species are especially
effective). Therefore, as you can see, bees are essential to the entire food
chain!
3. Bees' Financial Impact On The Economy
Although it's quite
challenging, attempts have been made to estimate the contribution of bees to
the food crop business.
$15.2 billion was projected to
represent the worth of crops in 2009 that were solely dependent on insect
pollination, with bees accounting for the majority of that value.
Bees are thought to contribute
up to $40 billion USD annually, nevertheless. According to one study, the
production of crops that depend on pollinators in the USA is worth more than
$50 billion annually.
Bees are significant, that
much is certain.
Along with pollination, the
beekeeping sector generates income for beekeepers and their families through
the sale of items and services that consumers desire (such as honey, wax, and
pollination services) as well as for the manufacturers of beekeeping equipment.
4. The Role of Bees In Biodiversity
In addition to being crucial for food production, bees also significantly improve the countryside, gardens, and overall landscape quality.
Therefore, bees are good for
the ecology as a whole. They ensure plant biodiversity and the aesthetic appeal
of landscapes and gardens by pollinating wild flowers, shrubs, and trees.
5. Trees Require Bees!
Bees pollinate more than just
flowers and food crops.
Many trees are pollinated by
bees, although this fact is frequently overlooked (and other insects).
Horse chestnuts, rowans,
hawthorn, whitebeam, the stately native limes, pussy willow, and fruit trees
including cherry, pear, plum, quince, and apple are just a few examples.
Of course, bees also gain from
trees. Trees are the earth's lungs and provide habitat for a wide variety of
creatures. They also aid in stabilizing soil structure and landscapes.
6. Bees Save Elephants And May Even Save Lives of Humans!
There are a few less common ways
that bees might actually benefit populations in underdeveloped nations. For
instance, by lowering violence between humans and elephants, bees in Africa are
saving elephants and ensuring the safety of people.
Even more astonishing is the
discovery that bees and wasps can be trained to identify explosives and
landmines, which could help with bomb detection in areas of the world that are
still sadly afflicted by this hazard. Bees can be taught to detect human
sickness as well.
7. Bees Assist Small-Scale Farmers
Bees benefit people and
communities, particularly in underdeveloped nations.
Through beekeeping,
international nonprofits like Bees For Development assist communities in
generating a sustainable income and pollinating food crops.
8. Bees Are Like "The Canary In The Coal Mine" In That They Provide Insight Into The State Of The Larger Ecosystem
Although they might help with the pollination of particular food crops, it is not necessarily true that other insects might fulfil the role of bees in pollination.
Additionally, it is simple to
examine the pollution-causing potential of honey, wax, and pollen byproducts.
More crucially, these products may be continuously studied by scientists (even
within a single colony).
9. Bees Can Teach Us a Lot
Projects in science and engineering, such as the usage of hexagons in engineering, have been inspired by bees. The study of bees, particularly honey bees, has resulted in enormous volumes of scientific research, making them perhaps the organism that has been researched the most after humans. Bees have also sparked literary and philosophical concepts.
Bees are excellent because
they can teach people a lot about cooperation and diligence, which is why they
are frequently used in symbolism. Who knows what the bees will tell us in the
future?
10. The Amazing Biodiversity Of The Globe Includes Bees!
Bees are significant because
they are a species with the same legal right to exist as any other!
Every living thing is a part
of this vast web of life, and the earth's diverse ecosystem supports not only
other species but also humanity.
In Summary, Pollinators Like Bees And Other Insects Need To Be Protected
A lot of individuals are
helping bees, especially in their gardens. With pollinator margins along the edges
of crop fields, an increasing number of farmers are also carefully addressing
the issue of biodiversity.
In addition to these
outstanding initiatives, we must reduce the use of agrochemicals. Due to their
growing concern for soil fertility, some farmers are once more reaching this
conclusion on their own.
As more people become aware of
the situation of bees and take action to help them, this is the general
tendency. I hope this inspires you as well!
Are Honey Bees Harmful To People?
For humans, honey bees are
extremely vital. We wouldn't be able to generate enough food to feed our
enormous population without bees pollinating plants.
However, is the
ever-significant honey bee a harmful animal? Could they murder you? And will
they swarm you or sting you without cause?
Bees Rarely Cause Human Injury
When a bee sting pierces
someone's skin, it will immediately inflict severe pain. The barded sting
itself causes very little harm. The stinger of a bee is nevertheless joined to
a venomous sac.
Humans are poisoned by the
mixture of various proteins and chemical compounds found in bee venom. The
venom sac and stinger both come off when a bee stings. It can continue to
inject little amounts of venom into the wound because of this.
Do Honey Bees Kill People?
If a person experiences
anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction to a sting from a honey bee, they risk
dying. A person with a severe allergy to bee stings may experience respiratory
obstruction, low blood pressure, and eventual death.
Rarely do bee stings result in
death. For instance, about two individuals every year in Australia pass away
from bee stings. Although snake bites are much less common, that is roughly the
same number of individuals who pass away from them.
Each year, little over 60
Americans pass away as a result of bee, wasp, and hornet stings. As a point of
comparison, the quantity is marginally larger than the 49 persons who pass away
every year as a result of lightning strikes.
Even though some people can
die from bee stings, most people won't have anaphylactic shock. Honey bees
present little to no risk to anyone who are not highly allergic.
They might still be stung to
death, but it would take hundreds or perhaps thousands of stings for it to
happen.
In fact, according to
scientists, the average person could endure 10 bee stings for every pound of
body weight (or 4.5 stings for each kilogram). In other words, a person who
weighs 100 lbs (45 kg) could probably take 1,000 bee stings and still live.
Bees Don't Randomly Attack People
The majority of honey bees are
friendly and won't intentionally attack people. Animals like dogs and cats are
no different. Bees only sting to defend themselves. When you realize that bees
pass away after they sting, it makes sense.
Bees are willing to give their
lives to ensure the survival of the colony. A human is at risk of being stung
if they approach a hive too closely or make hostile gestures like swiping at
bees or flailing their arms about.
That's because a person is far
larger than a bee and could, if they so choose, destroy a colony fatally.
Because they have spent centuries fending off other powerful predators like
bears and skunks, bees are aware of this.
A bee that stings you will
also expel an alarm pheromone that alerts other bees to the danger you pose.
This indicates that the likelihood of being stung again is higher.
Bees aren't hazardous as long
as you stay out of their way and avoid doing anything that would endanger them
(such as approaching their hive or acting aggressively toward them). As long as
you treat them the same way, they will leave you alone.
Why Africa Honey Bee Are Very Dangerous Than European Honey Bee?
Honey bees inherit the genetic characteristics of their queen, therefore if you're beginning your own hive,
you need take diverse bee subspecies into account. Thus, different beehives may
exhibit different levels of aggression.
The Africanized honey bee is
one particular subspecies of bee that some people think is deadly.
Crossbreeding between European and East African honey bees produces honey bees
that have acquired African characteristics. Because they reproduce more
frequently, have shorter developmental cycles, and require less space for honey
storage than European honey bees, they have thrived in the Americas since they
were introduced in the 1950s.
Additionally, compared to
European honey bees, their stings are thought to release more venom, which can
have more severe effects on people. Because of these characteristics and the
way they appear to have a deadly instinct, they have earned the moniker
"killer bees." You can get assistance from a nearby bee removal
business if a hive includes an Africanized colony of honey bees that is a
danger to you or your family.
Final Reflections
Bees only sting to defend
themselves. The majority of people are not at risk from them. Although their
stings will pain and the venom may result in some redness or swelling, these
effects usually go away within a few hours.
However, some people who get
stung by a bee do have anaphylaxis. This is extremely risky and might even end
in death. Thankfully, these instances are uncommon.
11 Myths About Bees That Are Untrue
1. ALL BEES STING
Not every bee has a stinger. For instance, male bees are unable to sting. The stinger, often known as the sting, is an altered egg-laying tool. As a result, only women possess these. In spite of having a stinger, many bee species' females are actually unable to sting. Most bees won't sting until provoked or threatened because they usually sting to defend their nest.
2. HONEY BEES CAN REPEATEDLY STING THEIR VICTIM
The workers of honey bees have
several stingers. The barbs of their stingers, particularly those used on
mammals with thick skin like humans, snag on the skin of the targets they
attack. The bee dies after having its stinger removed because doing so is fatal
to it.
3. WASPS ARE BEES
Wasps are not bees, despite
belonging to the same order of insects. Bees collect pollen and nectar for
their offspring and are vegetarians. Carnivores include wasps. Certain species
are notoriously vicious, especially if you destroy their nests. Bees typically
don't bite. The exception is a species of bee that is uncommon in the United
States called Africanized bees.
4. SPRAYING THE NEST WITH WATER WILL PROTECT YOU FROM BEE STINGS
Never attempt this. A bee nest
won't be impacted by water. Most likely, you'll only agitate the bees there and
raise your risk of being stung.
5. ALL BEES MAKE HONEY
Only 5% of bee species produce
honey. Only stingless bees and honey bees generate enough honey for human use.
One to two teaspoons at most may be found in bumble bee hives. Bumble bees are
not perennial; they are yearly. To survive the winter, they don't need to make
a lot of honey.
6. BEES ARE HARD WORKERS
Worker bees, including honey,
bumble, and stingless females, put in a lot of effort. However, a lot of guys
don't contribute anything to the nest. The solitary bee species' females may
only work for a few weeks.
7. ADULT BEES LIVE A LONG TIME
Solitary bees only have a short
lifespan, just long enough to reproduce, construct nests, and generate young.
Male and worker honey and bumble bee lifespans are around six weeks. The
workers split their time between tending to the hive and collecting pollen and
nectar. Queens have longer lifespan. While honey bee queens can live up to four
years, bumble bee queens can survive for up to one year.
8. BEES WON'T STING AT NIGHT
It's a common misconception regarding bees that they don't sting at night, however this is untrue. Bees can sting at any time to defend themselves.
9. THE MAJORITY OF BEES LIVE IN HIVE
In hives, only social bees
reside. Only a small portion of the ten percent of bee species that are
sociable build hives. The majority of bees are solitary and construct their own
homes in tree trunks or the ground.
10. DANDELION AND FLOWER REMOVAL KEEPS BEES AWAY FROM YOUR LAWN
Even though they pollinate
plants and flowers, bees will build their nests miles away from the flowers and
other plants they visit. It doesn't matter if you have flowers in your yard if
a bee scout finds a nice area to build a nest.
11. BEES WILL BE KILLED IF A
HOLE IN A WALL IS SEALED UP WHERE THEY ARE NESTING
You run the risk of upsetting
bees if you block a nest's entrance. They might dig up areas you don't want
them to, like the inside of your home. Bees have been observed to bore through
drywall and wood. Contacting local bee experts is your best option.
DO YOU KNOW?
A bee colony consists of one queen and 20,000–60,000 honey bees. Female worker honey bees live for around six weeks and are responsible for all the work. The queen bee's job is to lay eggs, and she can live for up to five years.
