August 21, 2021
Quick Facts
Honey Bee queens lay 1,500 eggs in a SINGLE DAY
Honey bees are the ONLY insect that produces food for humans to eat.
A single bee makes 1/12 teaspoon of honey in its entire lifetime. A typical little 12-ounce honey bear squeeze bottle takes 864 bees to make all the honey that goes inside it.
Pollination
This is the method that occurs when pollinators such as honeybees, birds, moths, and bats help plants reproduce by transporting pollen from one flower to the next. This is required for fruit and vegetable plants to thrive and live high-yielding lives. However, these plants are not the only ones that require pollination;
- 90% of all plants rely on pollinators
- About 75% of the 115 food crops rely on pollinators
- Over 1,200 crops rely on pollination
- Pollination is responsible for over $200 billion in the global economy
- This does not consider the in-direct plants (alfalfa for cows producing milk and beef) that are estimated to contribute an extra $40 billion.
The global horticulture system helps:
- Produce 1/3 of our entire food supply
- Provide ½ of the entire world’s oils and fibers such as cotton
- Pharmacology, by producing medicine
- Maintain ecosystems
- Maintain clean water systems
- Prevent erosion
- Produce oxygen
- Counteract global climate change
Why is all this important?
Honeybees are among the most numerous and efficient of the 200,000 pollinating species on Earth. They can pollinate 2,000 flowers in a single day and increase the chances of high-yielding plants.
Even though they are so important, we have seen a decline in honeybees from 6 million beehives in 1947 to 4 million in 1970, 3 million in 1990, and about 2.5 million as of 2017. This is cause for concern because as more and more honeybees die off, plants have a harder time reproducing.
To help, we have listed a few programs where you can go to donate or join communities that preserve the life and recognition of honeybees:
- https://bees.gmu.edu/
- https://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/plant-industry-services-beehive-distribution-program.shtml
- https://www.abfnet.org/page/16
- https://beesfordevelopment.org/
- https://purplehiveproject.com.au/
- http://www.parc.gov.pk/index.php/en/hb
- https://www.planetbee.org/why-we-need-bees
Sources
“The 10 Most Amazing Honey Bee Facts Ever” Glorybee.com, 2 May 2017, https://glorybee.com/blog/the-10-most-amazing-honey-bee-facts-ever/?gclid=CjwKCAjwxo6IBhBKEiwAXSYBs8jcX8zW-3eR_cRwKMjDF-OUgCkrGw9g1sEcTcmoNXfYWnMfvvHUphoCle4QAvD_BwE. Accessed 30 July 2021.
“We Need Bees” Planet Bee Foundation, https://www.planetbee.org/why-we-need-bees. Accessed 20 July 2021.
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