Why do bees matter?
It’s definitely more than you can imagine
I’m sure all of us have come across bees at least once and we all probably have our own little stories to tell. They buzz around flowers quite harmlessly. We don’t necessarily see them doing their bit for the world around us. They make themselves cozy in our apartments and homes. But if you have ever messed with one and got stung. I feel you. I can understand the immediate rush to either run for your life or to make sure you put up a fight before running away, the next time you see one.
So why am I telling you that these pesky little flying hooks mean more to our survival than we can think they do? To set things straight, it’s not just the honey. The honey that we get from bees is just the tip of the iceberg. More on this later because even honey is a topic that needs to be talked about.
Think about the last meal you had. What if I tell you one in every three bites of food depended on bees for pollination? They perform about eighty percent of the pollination throughout the world. Seventy out of the top hundred food crops are pollinated by bees, which by the way, supplies ninety percent of the world’s nutrition. To be a bit more India specific, 50 million hectares of crops depend on bees for pollination. To meet that demand, we need 150 million bee colonies. So that sums up to three colonies per hectare. The harsh reality of the matter is that there are only 1.2 million colonies as of a 2014 study conducted by TNAU. https://agritech.tnau.ac.in/farm_enterprises/fe_api_beefloraapollin.html
The result is that these numbers are not enough to sustain a rising population around the world and without these tiny soldiers, we’d lose entire species of plants and fruits. For all that humans do that endangers these little creatures, there has to be enough information about what they do. And the fact that there are dedicated communities to support them and beekeepers whose lives depend on bees isn’t enough.
This brings to light the connection that bees and the SDG’s(Sustainable Development Goals) share.
When closely looked at — it points out a rather unconventional solution — help conserve and revive the number of bees and that will help in achieving some of the SDG’s themselves.
Bees are considered livestock by many around the world. So, by reviving their numbers, we are also, in turn, helping out the people who take care of them.
Previously, I said bees pollinate for around 80% of the world. So, when we increase that number, we are providing for more people and leading to the achievement of ‘Zero Hunger’ (Goal No.2).
For the bold actions that they take to help bees, by promoting their work, it leads to ‘Decent Work and Economic Growth’ (Goal No.8).
It also means that we are helping towards ‘Life on Land’ (Goal No.15).
When these actions lead to more people being able to take care of themselves and live life adequately, it leads to ‘No Poverty’ (Goal No.1).
One of the reasons for the decline in the number of bees was the use of pesticides that came under neonicotinoids. With better health promised to bees as well as to human beings, it leads to ‘Good Health and Well-being’ (Goal No.3).
With all this considered, the one enemy that we both are fighting against is climate change. With a switch in mentality to not destroy people’s livelihood as well bee habitats, it is only encouraging us towards ‘Climate Action’ (Goal No.13).
Clara Mancini mentions “If we allow anthropocentric technology to drive a wedge between us and those who made us who we are, we will not just lose them, we will lose ourselves too.” — https://interspeciesdesign.co.uk/toolkit/toolkit.pdf
Coming to the sweet side of things, let’s talk about honey. All I have ever come across is the ‘Dabur Honey’ that I buy from my nearby supermarket. And I always thought that was the only ‘honey’. But then, I came across this — https://www.utmt.in/collections. Turns out, there are a bunch of different types and I have never even heard of them. These might be more expensive but in light of recent events where thirteen brands(including Dabur) were found selling adultered honey, makes me want to reconsider now. For more details — https://theprint.in/india/chinese-sugar-found-in-indian-honey-dabur-patanjali-call-cse-report-bid-to-malign-brands/556162/
So maybe spending more and consuming locally produced honey or sold by bee conservation communities might be good instead of consuming sugar syrup which does nothing good for your body.
These matters are important because it’s also talking about our survival as a species on the planet. It is time to break down our assumptions and misconceptions that we have about bees. They play as big a role as there ever will be to our existence and the next time you think about swatting one, I’d encourage you to not do it (unless it’s a swarm of them and you have no other option other than to run!).
