Bees are, perhaps, the most important creature on Earth. They are responsible for pollinating nearly all of the fruits, vegetables, flowers and trees on the planet. In the United States alone, bees are responsible for pollinating nearly 80% of the food supply. Without the bees, there could likely be no food in a very short time.
A recent report put out by the Bee Informed Partnership, just American beekeepers alone lost 44% of their bees over the last twelve months. They are dying off and no one seems to know why. That is a steady increase of 3.5% over the previous year. Losses over the past winter were a whopping 28.1% up from 22% the winter prior.
Winter losses in the bee colonies are considered acceptable if they can be kept int he 17% range. Over the course of the last year, colony losses have been in the nearly 60% range. The study suggests that the bee populations are not surviving and that efforts must be increased to try and determine the causes that the bees of the world are dying off in such alarming numbers. Experts are especially concerned with bees being lost during the summer months when they should be at their healthiest and most active.
The number of bee colonies is only slightly over 2.6 million today. This compares to the over 5 million colonies that thrived back in the 1940’s. Many experts can identify some factors including malnutrition because their habitats are being destroyed through the use of pesticides, as well as a parasite vorroa mite that can’t seem to be eradicated.
The scramble is on to save the bees of the world. Most bee experts firmly believe that if something is not done, and food goes unpollinated, then there could be world wide famines come 2050 or so.
PHOTO CREDIT: Matt Quinn (Unsplash.com)