Bees We Need Indeed

When Bees Go Extinct, These 10 Foods Will Follow

Humans often overlook the vitally important role that bees play in our lives. Bees are seen as pests or a nuisances that are too be avoided lest one land on your arm and sting you! But, we rarely consider the bigger picture and recognize that without bees, some of the foods we eat every day would disappear. Every third bite of food we take is made possible thanks to our pollinator friends. That measures out to 90 percent of agricultural crops in the United States, which contributes an average of $19 billion to our economy. So, as you can see – without bees the agricultural system in the U.S. would virtually collapse.

I have been thinking about this for sometime now and today, I came across this article and it really hit it home; we really have no idea how much we depend on the work of these little creatures to keep many of our food sources from disappearing. Strange thing though, they omitted a food that should be included and it happens to be the most vital one, one that will survive long after the bees are gone; HONEY.



Personally, I can do without a few of these, like almonds (allergy), avocados (blech), pumpkins (except for Halloween, but the smell makes me ill) or blueberries (try to get a stain out). I am sure many of you love those items, but the point is according to this article and I agree, we need these stingers to survive and at the rate they are dying off in 10 years they could all be gone, except for the superbees being cultivated by Monsantos to step in, thank goodness for GMO. Eventually, we will have no choice but to eat what they force down our throats.

I am going to start saving honey in droves, at least I will have a chance to survive, me and Pooh and our stash of honey.

Worst case scenario, Could bee's be replaced with tiny AI driven pollination drones? Just wondering.

When bees go extinct thank Monsanto.

a reply to: Tjoran

That doesn't compare to an organism that syntactically relies on the prospering of earths plant diversity and well being.

The example of such should show how our technology should be symbiotic with organisms. The narrative we can play God may work in some scenarios, but the ones it doesn't will be our demise.

Cool idea though

a reply to: searcherfortruth

China got too busy with the pesticides a few years ago and decimated their bee populations in the South West. It almost put fruit farmers out of business for the reasons you describe. They got inventive and pay people to hand pollinate the orchards.

In recent years, farmers have been forced to hand-pollinate their trees, carrying pots of pollen and paintbrushes with which to individually pollinate every flower, and using their children to climb up to the highest blossoms. This is clearly just possible for this high-value crop, but there are not enough humans in the world to pollinate all of our crops by hand.

There are simple solutions; studies in Europe and North America have found that planting strips of wildflowers on farms, and leaving patches of natural vegetation such as forests, can greatly boost pollinator populations. These practices can also increase populations of natural predators, decreasing the need for pesticide sprays.

We should look to China and learn from their mistakes in the same way they are.

People are great at hand-wringing and worrying about the environment, but they don't want to pay any taxes to help the environment. Farmers need money like anyone else and people want to buy fruit at cheap prices. With collapsing bee populations, we might start to see more movement from a jobs and economy perspective. People don't need to care about the environment. They will care about jobs and their local economy.

a reply to: searcherfortruth

Instead of "saving honey in droves",
why not give a try at beekeeping yourself.

You might be delighted and challenged.

Needless to say, the cost of Epipens has been
noticed.

P.S. ATS has a wealth of beekeeping information
and beekeepers.

S&F

a reply to: Kandinsky

Impossible if the wall goes up.


Sorry, distasteful joke. Not intended to be vulgar, but rather thought provoking.

a reply to: CriticalStinker

Students maybe?

The knock-ons to the economy will be huge if the US loses its agricultural base.

Ideally changes would occur before it gets as bad as it was for the Chinese. They were spraying everything four times a year and killed off damn near every bug in the area.

a reply to: Wildmanimal

One of my buds is a beekeeper, I find it fascinating. His colony's are healthy this year, going to be hibernating pretty soon I think. I noticed lots of bee's of all sorts at my new digs so I will have my bud set up a box here come spring.

a reply to: vonclod

Now your talking.
Just don't go hog# wild
and steal all their honey.

Give em a chance for a year.

a reply to: Kandinsky

China has about three times the population we do. Our agriculture is huge compared to our population and amount of attention it receives by humans in this country. Thankfully (or not depending on who you are) due to automation, most of which done by bees.

If America loses bees we lose agriculture.

Also you can start being concerned of mismanagement of fresh water threatening desertification and high salt content.

Loss of biodiversity opening the door for mass crop wipe out because most crops are of the same strand can be susceptible to an ailment.

Soil going dead from always growing the same crop and being pumped with chemicals.


While you may have (doubtfully) pointed out a (semi) solution of a very different country, I am not positive in thinking on this one.

a reply to: Wildmanimal

Yes you have to leave plenty for them, my bud was explaining that to me..he say's alot of keeper do not leave enough in his opinion.
Thanks

Bees are cute.
Fuzzy.

a reply to: CriticalStinker

I wasn't pointing out a solution. I was pointing out a lesson.

Bees are a part of the ecosystem - multiple ecosystems. We keep forgetting that...no matter how many times we acknowledge the interconnectedness of the environment.

Groundhog Day...

a reply to: Kandinsky

Which I admire. Please don't take my points as an arguement, more of a sinister statement to everyone. Bees are awesome but our problem are much deeper and require alot of attention.

PS, Einstein didn't say that. And, North America didn't have honeybees before the Europeans arrived, about 1622.

a reply to: CriticalStinker

People.

We talk ourselves into inaction.

a reply to: Kandinsky

Touche. Maybe one day passion will triumph apathy. And hopefully before horrible mistakes.

a reply to: Kandinsky

Interesting use of child labor. I think this is an EPA problem that needs to be addressed with the pesticide lobby. I wouldn't dare suggest that "chemtrails" and what ever the hell they are spraying has anything to do with the bee demise, but hey...

a reply to: Wildmanimal

Nope. I am not a bee farmer, but I will support anyone that has that endeavor up to the task, I will buy the crap out of their honey! I do not use pesticides in any of my planting, so I do what I can to protect my little local buzzers, but this is a govt issue that has gone on for way to long. Blind eyes. Money changing hands to look the other way, most likely.