Tag: extinction

America's Effort, Global Impact, Individual Change

Saving the BEES!

Taylor Houghton

What would the world be like without bees? Image result for a world without bees

My first thought is oh no honey! I love honey but would I die if I didn’t have it? Probably not. What about coffee? Clothes? Bees do a lot more that what we think!

Image result for bee colony collapseIn US over these last 10 years, over 40% of the bee colonies have suffered Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). CCD is caused by the increased usage of pesticides. This is a problem because we won’t survive without bees!

BEES ARE LITERALLY THE LIFE BLOOD OF THE FOOD CHAIN! FOOD CHAINS WILL COLLAPSE!

Plants can’t bear fruit unless they have been pollinated. Bees pollinate 70% of the crops that feed 90% of the world! This is about 1/3 of the food you consume. Image result for bees pollinating

What kinds of foods are we talking about? 

  • Apples
  • Mangos
  • Rambutan
  • Kiwi Fruit
  • Plums
  • Peaches
  • Nectarines
  • Guava
  • Rose Hips
  • PomegranitesImage result for food we wouldn't have without bees
  • Pears
  • Black and Red Currants
  • Alfalfa
  • Okra
  • Strawberries
  • Onions
  • Cashews
  • Cactus
  • Prickly Pear
  • Apricots
  • Allspice
  • Avocados
  • Passion Fruit
  • Lima Beans
  • Kidney Beans
  • Adzuki Beans
  • Green Beans
  • Orchid Plants
  • Custard Apples
  • Cherries
  • Celery
  • Coffee
  • Walnut
  • Cotton
  • Lychee
  • Flax
  • Acerola – used in Vitamin C supplementsImage result for food we wouldn't have without bees
  • Macadamia Nuts
  • Sunflower Oil
  • Goa beans
  • Lemons
  • Buckwheat
  • Figs
  • Fennel
  • Limes
  • Quince
  • Carrots
  • Persimmons
  • Palm Oil
  • Loquat
  • Durian
  • Cucumber
  • Hazelnut
  • Cantaloupe
  • Tangelos
  • CorianderImage result for no food without bees
  • Caraway
  • Chestnut
  • Watermelon
  • Star Apples
  • Coconut
  • Tangerines
  • Boysenberries
  • Starfruit
  • Brazil Nuts
  •  Beets
  • Mustard Seed
  • Rapeseed
  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
  • Cabbage
  • Brussels Sprouts
  • Bok Choy (Chinese Cabbage)
  • Image result for no food without beesTurnips
  • Congo Beans
  • Sword beans
  • Chili peppers, red peppers, bell peppers, green peppers
  • Papaya
  • Safflower
  • Sesame
  • Eggplant
  • Raspberries
  • Image result for no food without beesElderberries
  • Blackberries
  • Clover
  • Tamarind
  • Cocoa
  • Black Eyed Peas
  • Vanilla
  • Cranberries
  • Tomatoes
  • Grapes

This list can keep going. Not to mention all the recipes that require these foods!

And it’s not just produce that is at risk here! Were talking about: beef, milk, cheese! We wouldn’t have these either! Bees pollinate alfalfa and guess what? COWS EAT ALFALFA! Think about how much beef you eat? Do you see how these relate?  Image result for cows eat alfalfa

 

Farmers would have to convert to growing wheat and corn because they are wind pollinated. Our diets would lack nutrients, there would be health complications and have less diverse foods. Our economy would be effected as well! Crop prices would raise so much that their prices could be equivalent to gold!! I already think fruits and veggie prices are high enough! Even beautiful plants wouldn’t be able to grow without bees! Trees would even be effected! The Earth would be so bare and look like a desert. Image result for what would the planet look like without bees

Without bees we would have shirking food resources (plants and animals), lack of nutrients, famine, fertility rates would stop…this would eventually lead to extinction! We would BE dead without BEES!

What are the possibly solutions?

Hand pollination, scientist building robotic bees, pollinator drones? These are all being tested but might not be enough. Image result for hand pollination

What can we do? 

Plant flowers without pesticides! Image result for what would the planet look like without bees

 

Check out this ted talk about bees!