Mike Johnson
ECB Publishing, Inc.
All around the United States, the population of honey bees keeps dropping lower and lower. Over the years, in some states, the agriculture department has seen up to a 40 percent decrease in the population. This might not seem that bad to many, and the decrease has not affected anyone down the production chain yet, but change will be coming soon. With the decrease of honey bees comes the increase of product cost.
Honey is the most common product from honey bees. It’s always been a part of the human diet. In fact, the first alcoholic drink humans invented was mead, a beverage made from honey. We all know honey’s use as a delicious natural sweetener, but that’s not all it can do.
Many people use honey for its health benefits. Raw honey is full of enzymes, antioxidants and other nutrients that act as a booster. The antibacterial properties of honey make it a natural antiseptic. This is one of the reasons why people like to put honey in their tea when they’re sick; it works to fight off bacteria and shorten the lifespan of your cold. Honey also has anti-inflammatory properties that prove helpful in relieving sore throats.
Additionally, eating local honey can help you build a resistance to seasonal allergies. Because honey bees make their honey from local flowers, your local honey contains micro-doses of the allergens that cause you trouble every spring. A spoonful of local honey is similar to an allergy shot; it gives you a small, harmless dose of allergens to help your body build immunity to them.
Raw honey plays a big part in the cosmetic world as well. The nutrients in the honey has proven beneficial in natural beauty remedies. It is predominantly used in skincare. Honey has antibacterial properties in which are helpful in acne treatments and can unclog pores to freshen your skin. The antioxidants in raw honey work as an anti-aging treatment as well.
Now you may say, that you don't use anything dealing with bees such as honey, wax, soaps from their honey and waxes, etc., but they can affect your life more than you know.
When honey bees visit flowers in search of nectar, they collect pollen in the hairs of their bodies. This is how they pollinate local flowers and crops. However, they also take a lot of pollen back to their hives, where they use it to make food for the brood. As they carry the pollen, honey bees enrich it with various natural hormones and antibiotic substances. Bees make excellent pollinators because most of their life is spent collecting pollen, a source of protein that they feed to their developing offspring. When a bee lands on a flower, the hairs all over the bees' body attract pollen grains through static electricity. This pollen fertilizes plants for the growth of agricultural farmlands.
Bee Farmers rent out honey bee colonies to local and commercial plant farmers to have the bees help with pollination. Without honey bees, farmers would have a hard time spreading the pollen around to all of their crops. Normally, once a bee picks a flower species to get nectar from, it will stay with that same kind of plant or similar ones. This helps plants pollinate to produce fruits or vegetables. Most crops grown for their fruits, nuts, seeds, fiber (such as cotton) and hay (alfalfa grown to feed livestock) require pollination by insects.
If bees or farmers are not pollinating plants, the grocery store produce sections will become bare, and prices will skyrocket. The decrease of bees would cause farmers to pay more for the pollination, some upward of 20 percent. Markets will either have to shut down from not having the supplies to meet demands or outsource the goods from other areas, which in exchange increases the price of products and labor for stores and markets.
Bee stings are almost as famous as honey. Worker bees use their stingers to defend the hive when they feel threatened. When they sting something, they inject it with a venom known as apitoxin. This venom causes inflammation or, in some cases, a severe allergic reaction. Many people fear bees; however, apitoxin can be extremely useful in the right hands. Medical professionals have developed ways to use bee venom to desensitize people who are allergic to it. Scientists are also exploring its potential benefits as a treatment for arthritis and other forms of chronic pain. On top of that, bee venom has recently made its way into the cosmetics industry with other bee products. Some companies use it in skin creams and serums, considering it a natural alternative to Botox.
Even though many do not believe they will be affected by the decrease in the population of honey bees, it has a significant impact on our nation. You won't just lose the fantastic taste of nature's golden sweetener, but also the fresh garden vegetables we enjoy with our meals. The decrease will also affect your pockets just as much as your stomach. So next time you see these tiny buzzing insects flying around, stop and think before you decide to swat it down. That one bee could be the difference in the agriculture world.
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