Bees Bring It All Together

Have you ever taken a bite out of bright red apple and said "Boy those bees make a delicious meal"? Probably not, but you may need to take a closer look at the brilliance of nature's top chefs! Honeybees are the hidden force that drives our food supply and graciously pollinates more than 100 different crops in the United States alone. They are responsible for feeding nearly 1 in 3 American mouths every single day and their contributions bring more than $14 BILLION in crop revenue. I would venture to guess that the majority of Americans are unaware of how important these little creatures are. When we think of bees, or come in contact with one, we have a natural instinct to run the other way or hurl our shoe across the room in hopes of ending the existence of that little horrifying insect. I have no desire to be stung by a flying nightmare, and I'm sure you would rather kick the night stand walking barefoot in the dark than to have to endure the sting of a bee. The fact of the matter is we are in for a much more painful sting should we lose the honeybee population... and that is exactly what's happening.
The honey bee population has been on an accelerating decline for years now in large part to harmful pesticides such as neonicotinoids and deforestation which destroys trees in which they live. There is also a widespread phenomena known as Colony Collapse Disorder that has rapidly destroyed more than 30% of the global bee populations annually. These threats are very serious and have reached the point of a major threat level. Think of it this way, according to a report published on Fox News, if bees go extinct you can kiss many of our favorite foods goodbye including; apples, almonds, blueberries, cherries, avocados, cucumbers, onions, oranges, pumpkins and grapefruit. These are just ten of the nearly 100 crops that bees contribute to. We haven't even talked about the flowers these little guys help grow. Who wants to live in a world where food becomes more scarce than a Van Gogh painting? In all reality, who can live in a world with no food? You guessed it...Nobody! Now is the time to get more involved and start playing a more active role as protector to the honeybee population that has so lovingly given life to our planet and its occupants!