The Secret Life of Bees: How Bees Contribute to Farming.
Busy as a bee is not just a saying to depict the proactive nature of the bee towards its surroundings but also a way to show how these activities are not just abstract but in relation to their contribution to various things in the environment. The activities of bees towards nature cannot be downplayed as they play an exclusively important role in agriculture and the growth of crops. Bees and other pollinators ensure food security and nutrition while maintaining biodiversity and vibrant ecosystems for plants, humans and the bees.
There are hundreds of different types of bees. The most commonly found bee is the honeybee. The honeybee is responsible for most of the honey we eat. There are basically three types of honeybees; queen, drones and workers. The workers, all female, ensure the successful collection of nectar from flowers and carry out pollination for various plants. Bees provide essential pollination for flowers that other winged insects cannot do as effectively. This is why bees are limited to farms or gardens with a limited variety of flowering plants.
Three out of four crops across the globe producing fruit or seeds for human consumption and sustenance need the help of pollinators for growth and expansion. Pollination as a reproductive act in agriculture does not exist on its own but needs the external help of pollinators (bees, birds, and insects) that will help complete the process.
Pollinators are essential to the production of many of the micro-nutrient fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and oils we eat. About 75% of the world’s crop producing fruits and seeds for human consumption are highly dependent on the activities of bees and other pollinators either directly or indirectly for sustained yield, production, and quality. One example of food crops that are dependent on the pollination activities of bees in almonds. In California, the white-blossomed almond tree is routinely pollinated by bees brought by beekeepers in the community. California is responsible for the production of 90% of the world’s almonds at an average yield of 1.5 billion nuts per year. Each acre of almond trees must be pollinated by the bees for effective pollination. It looks like a lot of work for the bees as a large number of the workers are needed to pollinate a single nut.
In addition to the pollination of agricultural crops, bees also pollinate native plants that serve as habitat and food sources for wildlife. This sustains the vigor and diversity of the environment while maintaining the ecosystem’s composition. These food sources are also edible to livestock. For livestock farmers, the pollination activities of the bees are highly essential to the agricultural management of the farm and the livestock. Food crops such as soybeans and buckwheat fed to livestock depend highly on the pollinating activities of the bees, so indirectly, bees are essential to the meat and dairy industry.
Away from food crops, bees also pollinate cotton crops. Cotton is known for its versatility, performance and natural comfort as it is used to make all types of clothes and homewares in addition to its industrial purposes like tarpaulins and tents. Cottonseed is also fed to cattle and can be crushed to make oil. Furthermore, cottonseed oil is used for cooking and is a major ingredient in products like soap, margarine, cosmetics, rubber, plastics.
Cotton is also essential in the production of pharmaceuticals products. For example, linters which are short fibers left on the cottonseed after ginning to get its byproducts are used in making pharmaceutical products like bandages, swabs, cotton buds and x-rays. Linters also have other non-pharmaceutical uses. They are also used in the production of banknotes across the countries of the world.
Of course, the production of honey by the bees cannot be overlooked as that is the primary function of the honeybees. The bees use nectar to make honey. Nectar is mostly water and complex sugars. In order to gather enough nectar for honey production, the average bee must visit between 100- 1500 flowers. Beeswax and honey offer a range of everyday uses from cosmetics, lubricants to dental floss and candles. Honey also has huge economic value. There is a ready market for honey as it has many uses. Honey contains antibacterial and antioxidant properties and is widely used as folk medicine. Owing to the low sugar content of the produce, honey has been known to replace consumer sugar in diets.
However, in recent times, as farm fields become larger, agricultural practices have started rendering bees and other pollinators extinct. This can be largely attributed to the increased use of pesticides and chemicals used by farmers. A lot of research has been carried out to see if any external pollinator bar bees can aid the process but the results remain the same everywhere — bees are the most effective pollinators. Extinction of pollinators will lead to a decline in production and yield of vitamin crops like fruits and vegetables thus leading to increasingly unbalanced diets and health problems like malnutrition and other infections and diseases. Therefore, a lot needs to be done to protect pollinators starting with sustainable agricultural practices that preserve the natural composition of the ecosystem.
