Creature Feature: Bee Thankful

A flower? For me?! Oh you shouldn't have! 

I know I'm a few days late for a true Thanksgiving theme, but I wanted to make a little post here about bees. A lot of people are afraid of them, but just because they can sting doesn't mean they are out to get you! In fact they are very important to us, and here's why we should thank them: 

We should thank bees for feeding us! Insects pollinate a third of the food we eat. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and more! Not to forget, a lot of these plants that are pollinated by bees are used to make other products besides food. 

We should thank bees for helping our economy. Their pollination is valued at $16 billion in the USA! In 2007, the export of honey alone was over $7,000,000, and, as mentioned before, bees help make a whole lot more than just honey. 

We should thank bees for helping the ecosystem! By pollinating, bees help floral growth and expansion, creating habitat for other insects and animals. Not to mention, they help keep our Earth looking pretty! 

Speaking of pretty....What? Do I have something on my face? 

I would also like to make a public apology to the entire bee population for maiming a bee yesterday. You see, what had happened was, a bee came a-sniffing my fruity-shampooed hair, very close to my ear, causing me to automatically swat it to the ground. So, I am sorry bees. To make it up, I will try to save more of you by promoting your conservation. 

I bet you're thinking- "bee conservation is an issue?" Yeah. Unfortunately, it is. 

Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) has caused, well, many colonies of bees to collapse. As bees die off in large numbers, the cost of products that require their pollination is driven up, meaning higher food costs. It very well may become an agricultural crisis in the near future. Less bees is also bad for the ecosystem. Research is ongoing, and there are several explanations as to what causes CCD, but no definite cause has been determined. 

But that's not all folks! The EPA has approved several pesticides in the chemical class called "neonicotinoids" (I think I spelled that right...) that have been known to kill bees, contributing to CCD. One of the most recent pesticides approved is sulfoxaflor, and it has many people buzzing about the harm it's caused. In my opinion, we need to be very, very careful with chemical pesticides, if we use them at all. Everyone knows how disastrous DDT was, and we don't want to repeat history. And don't forget, there are other alternatives for pest control, too. Read more about pesticides affecting bees here and here. Want to help stop the use of these pesticides? Send this message from Greenpeace. 

For more info, I will give you some fun links:

Check out Project Bumble Bee- and help with their citizen science project! 
The Honeybee Conservancy has some great tips on bringing bees to your garden. 
And last but not least, here's some simple ways you can help bees today! 

Of course, I will always "bee" thankful for my readers! You are all bee-autiful people (don't worry, that was the last one)!