Why Our Bees Beelong: Unbeelievable Benefits, Problems, and Solutions to an Ecological Epidemic

I saw a peculiar quote from Albert Einstein surfacing on Facebook which read as follows: "If the bees were to disappear from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live." While QuoteInvestigator.com states, "There is no substantive evidence that Einstein ever made a remark of this type about bees. Alice Calaprice, the editor of the important collection ‘The Ultimate Quotable Einstein’, placed the saying in the ‘Probably Not by Einstein’ section of her reference," this quote still makes some wonder what the big fuss is about bees.  In this brief write-up I will outline some of the broader benefits bees bring to the ecological table, attempt to identify why they are disappearing, and help provide a few actionable solutions that we should all be aware of.

When they aren’t off stinging [potentially] “innocent” children and making that oh-so-sweet honey for Yogi Bear, bees are offering a great deal of help to sustain our ecosystems.  Honey, bee venom, and royal jelly were among various bee products that researchers found effective in reducing the growth and spread of cancerous tumors in a recent publication in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. Of equal anthropocentric importance, bees pollinate a whopping 1/3 of our food such as apples, coffee, onions, strawberries, broccoli, cucumbers, cotton, almonds, and even alfalfa seeds, used for beef and dairy feed. To quantify bee pollination efforts even further Greenpeaceblogs.org shared studies that found bees are responsible for pollinating $15 billion worth of US crops alone! One study predicted a $5.7 billion global economic loss annually if bees were to disappear.

All of these benefits are currently under serious threat. A 2011 study which sampled four American bumblebee species found that the four species have declined as much as 96 percent over the past century. According to leading scientists, bees are being poisoned by a group of pesticides called neonicotinoids (neonics). Though pesticide producers believe neonics only kill specific, intended organisms, these toxic chemicals weaken and kill bees as they slowly accumulate in hives after consistent bee trips to contaminated sites. The toxins also attribute to hive collapse as bees become more susceptible to viruses, mites, and malnutrition. Another extensive review of scientific studies from 200 countries and for 115 of the leading global crops in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, produced by an agro-ecologist from the University of Goettingen in Germany, predicted the possible outcomes of our economic, and over-all ecological system if steps to increase biodiversity are not taken.

Strawberries, Fragaria x annanasa Duch., after open insect-pollination (left), passive self-pollination (middle) and passive self-pollination and wind-pollination (right). (Photo by Kristine Krewenka, Agroecology, Göttingen, Germany.)

Raspberries, Rubus ideaus L, after passive self-pollination (left and middle) and open insect pollination (right).(Photo by Jim Cane, Bee Research Institute, Longan, USA)

The depletion of wild bees in places like China is forcing farmers to turn to hand-pollination by using paintbrushes. Similarly, in a press release with UC Berkley, the lead author from the University of Goettingen, Klein, said that high insecticide use in the agricultural fields and the destruction of natural habitats has left Brazilians with no other choice but to hand-pollinate their passion fruits using expensive day laborers. The rising demand for laborers as the new “natural” pollinators places high prices on fruits and vegetables, pushing people to turn to less healthy alternatives. Of course, as more fatty meats and sugar products are consumed we see a spike in obesity.

Is there any hope for stably managing crop yields and our bee populations?  While scientists have long been poised to fight for the survival of bees against large corporations bent on producing untainted, modified yields, a few Congressmen are now willing to stand up for the cause as well.  Representative Earl Blumenauer from Oregon introduced a bill in Congress that would impose a ban on the use of neonics until field studies and reviews show that no harm will come to bee populations. This bill comes after 31% of beehives in the US collapsed last winter, and 50,000 bees dropped dead in Oregon after being exposed to the deadly neonics. The EU has made some adjustments as well, and added a number of bee-harming pesticides to their restricted list, pulling three pesticides off the market in early 2013.

Echoing the usual sentiments of a bee advocate, my story is painted through a sustainable, ecological prism that points fingers and addressees “problems”, with very few actionable solutions. Lets try to hash some out. Beyond the seemly endless red tape of legislation and regulation, some scientists believe mere tweaks to current agriculture practices can improve both bee and crop stability.  Creating a progressive form of agriculture that deflates emphasis on the use of synthetic fertilizers and builds closer ties with natural ecosystems is one broad suggestion. To operationalize such a suggestion would be to say farmers could begin to allow weeds and native plants to flourish alongside deliverable crop boarders. These non-crop plants sustain wild pollinator populations when primary crops are not in bloom. Another change may be to rely more on spray irrigation than flood irrigation, which drowns underground beehives.