URGENT: The Bees are in trouble and need our help!
Instantly Brian brought up how “meeting the bees” made his opinion take a 180 degree turn. Here’s why:
Whether you are aware or unaware, bees are in trouble worldwide and it is time to take notice. Currently, bees are dying at a rapid rate and the decline in their population is only getting steeper. Whether you are scared of bees, or love them, as humans on Earth it is time to start taking action and becoming aware of the problem we have brought upon ourselves.
The bee decline directly effects the environment and our mankind. As stated on sos-bees.org, “Bees and other pollinating insects play an essential role in our ecosystems. A third of all our food depends on their pollination.” A world without pollinators would be devastating for our food production.
Bees are a key factor to successful food production systems, without them a third of the food that we consume would not even exist. Bees are the reason farmers have such a plentiful, colorful produce. Bees make more than just honey. Bees pollinate various different types of fruits, veggies, nuts, and spices including: zucchini, apricots, almonds and coriander.
Ever since the late 1990s, beekeepers have discovered the disappearance of bee’s overtime. Honeybee colonies suddenly declined; it all happened out of no where. This instantly became a huge issue once notice. Without bees, who would pollinate all of the farmers’ crops? Many people not realize how heavily labor-intensive hand-pollination can be.
According to sos-bees.org, “The economic value of bees’ pollination work has been estimated around € 265 billion annually worldwide.” This converts to 279,853,250,000 United States dollars. This proves that, economically, it pays to protect the bees.
Statistically, there has been a 40% loss of commercial bees in the United States since 2006.
Bee lovers are spreading this horrific statistic and teaching others around them about the issue. Brian Boyle, Marquette University student, journalist, and newly acclaimed bee lover, is doing just this.
I met up with Brain and asked him about how he started as someone scared of bees, and turned into an absolute bee lover. As a child Brian was absolutely terrified of bees. He would run away from them whenever in sight. Now after going to Redeemer Lutheran Church’s rooftop and meeting Charlie Koenen, a Milwaukee local beekeeper, Brian loves the bees. He expressed that now when he sees a bee all he wants to do is touch it and watch it with fascination. Brian wants to be friends with the bees.
Boyle stated, “Originally, when I thought about a beehive, I thought ‘hmmm if I go near they will hurt me. But, after you spend time with a hive and beekeepers you realize that the bees are very friendly, and do not mind your company as long as you do not try to harm them.’”
What made Boyle’s story so interesting is that originally, he did not know that there was a big problem and that they were going extinct. It is crazy how one little experience and encounter with the bees can change someone like Brian into a passionate bee educator.
I asked Brian if he had any thing else to add that I might have missed. Boyle instantly responded mentioning that if anyone ever gets the chance to become a beekeeper or go to a bee farm to take it. He told me that once you have a personal experience with the bees you will realize how friendly and important they are to our lives and the environment around us.
