Bees – the Rescuers of the World

Are bees valuable to us?

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Bees have inhabited our planet for millions of years. Since ancient times, people have known honey and practiced beekeeping. The earliest evidence (cave paintings from Spain) of collecting honey from wild beehives dates back to about 10,000 B.C. Honey and wax were very valuable commodities because they were used not only for food, but also for medicine and beautification. Bees were considered sacred in many cultures and played an important role in religion and mythology.

Here is a story about the Egyptians’ reverence for bees and their belief that honey was the food of the gods:

In ancient Egypt, bees had a special place in culture and religion. Egyptians believed bees were sacred creatures and associated them with the gods. In one of the oldest Egyptian mythologies, bees are said to have emerged from the tears of the sun god Ra. According to legend, when Ra wept, his tears fell to the ground and turned into bees.

Bees were a symbol of royal power and order. The very word for bee in the ancient Egyptian language was related to the word for king. Pharaohs often used the image of bees in their titles and decorations. Honey was also important – it was used not only as food, but also in medicine and religious rituals.

The Egyptians were the first to keep bees in specially made clay hives. They realized how valuable bees were for pollinating plants and producing honey, which contributed to the development of their agriculture and economy.

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One of the most famous bee-related quotes is attributed to Albert Einstein:

“If bees disappeared from the face of the earth, mankind would have only four years to live. Without bees there is no pollination, no plants, no animals, no humans.”

This quote highlights how important bees are for pollinating plants and maintaining the food chain. Although there is no concrete evidence that Einstein said these exact words, the meaning of the message is clear – bees play a critical role in the ecosystem and their extinction would have catastrophic consequences for all of humanity.

It is time to immerse ourselves in the wondrous world of bees and their gift – honey. Honey is a treat enjoyed by many, whether in tea, with toast or on its own! But bees are behind so much more than this golden nectar, and recent statistics on bee population decline are a warning to man and nature.

Bees usually live on colonies in hives or colonies. The hive has 3 types of bees:

Queen (Queen Bee) – She rules the entire hive and is the only bee that lays fertilized eggs in the colony (up to 2500 per day). These eggs will become the next generation of bees of this hive. Her role is to provide offspring and maintain order in the hive. The lifespan of a queen bee varies between 1-4 years. Without her, the colony cannot function properly.

Worker Bees – All worker bees are female. They cannot reproduce. Their main job is to collect pollen and nectar from the flowers. They build the honeycombs from the wax they produce in special glands under their abdomens and feed the larvae royal jelly and pollen, remove waste and dead bees from the hive, and guard the queen. They pollinate plants, which is important for the production of fruits and vegetables.

Drones – Male bees are known as drones. They are kept in the hive during spring and summer in order to fertilize the queen. The drones do not collect pollen or nectar, but instead feed on honey and royal jelly produced by the worker bees. In winter, all males are expelled from the hive because they become unnecessary. Although they live a short life, drones are an important part of the bee colony. They play a key role in fertilizing the queen and maintaining the health of the hive.

If the queen bee of the hive dies, the worker bees will select a young larva and feed it a special food called “royal jelly”. This food helps the larvae develop into a fertile queen.

Interesting facts about bees:

A honeybee can fly at speeds of 25 to 40 km/h and travel up to 8 km per day in search of food.

The honey bee has 170 odor receptors. This serious sense of smell is used for communication within the hive. It has two separate stomachs, one for food and the other for nectar collected from flowers.

The bee’s brain has about 900 cells.

The average worker bee produces only 1/12th of a tablespoon of honey in its lifetime. To produce 1 kg of honey, worker bees must fly over 5 million times. They live only a few months during the summer season.

The honey bee has 5 eyes – 2 compound eyes and 3 small eyes. These allow it to see in different directions, see colours, shapes and orient itself on the move. The bee’s prehensile tongue has a straw-like structure and helps it suck out fluids.

What would happen to humanity if bees disappeared?

Watch a short video about the life of bees: https://happylearning.tv/en/why-do-bees-make-honey-educational-videos-for-kids/

Source: https://depositphotos.com/photo/a-dead-bees-104313420.html

More information here:

https://debati.bg/kakvo-shte-se-sluchi-ako-pchelite-izcheznat/

Bees are the only insects in the world that make honey in the form of food, which is also edible for humans. Honey bees are super important in pollinating flowers, fruits and vegetables. They pollinate 70 out of about 100 crops that feed about 90% of the earth’s population.

We could lose all the plants that bees pollinate, all the animals that eat those plants and so on up the food chain. This means that without bees, our world would struggle to survive on its 7 billion population. The supermarkets would only have half the amount of fruit and vegetables we have now.

If bees were to disappear as a species, it would not mean wiping humans off the face of the earth either, but it would cause world hunger. This is because many of the foods we consume daily would no longer be available. Products such as honey, some nuts and beans will disappear, as they are dependent on bees.

Blueberries and cherries will also decline significantly, as 90% of their production depends on bees pollinating them. Other foods that will be affected are apples, grapefruit, melon, broccoli, cucumber, avocado peas, etc.

Meat will also be in limited quantities as cows feed on crops that are pollinated by bees. We will eat mostly fish, but, naturally, the price will be much higher because of the high demand.

Many of the medicines that people use will also be affected, as flowering plants are involved in much of their production.
Wild animals that rely on bees for their survival, such as birds and small mammals, would disappear along with bees.

Source: Project We Teach DATA

Source: Project We Teach DATA

You can see more at https://www.prolandscapermagazine.com/what-would-the-uk-landscape-look-like-without-bees/

What is being done to protect bees?

To discover how important bees are for the ecosystem in nature and how their extinction would lead to catastrophic consequences for all of humanity.

• In the USA, the Environmental Protection Agency has banned the use of pesticides that cause the death of bees. A similar ban has been introduced in Europe.
• Great attention is also being paid to the protection of the bees’ natural habitat.
• Special food has been created for bees to boost their immune system.
• Flowers, shrubs and trees rich in nectar and pollen are planted to provide valuable food for the bees.
• Efforts are made to maintain their natural habitats.
• Government programmes and legislative measures are taken to encourage the development of sustainable beekeeping and the long-term protection of bees.
• A number of international organisations and initiatives have been established to coordinate the efforts of all countries to conserve bees at a global level.