(Showroom): When considering all the different aspects essential for sustaining life, it is often the smaller things that are overlooked. The world as we know it faces many threats such as climate change, deforestation, and over-population, however we often tend to underestimate some of the other threats which if ignored, can have catastrophic consequences. It’s hard to believe that something as small as a bee could determine the quality and availability of resources we heavily rely on.

Bees often come and go unnoticed, but it is their daily activities which are truly fascinating. Bees fly from flower to flower and are largely responsible for the pollination of plants. Pollen baskets which are the tiny hairs located on the back legs, collect pollen and by doing so, spreads pollen from male plants to female plants. Additionally, bees collect nectar which once in the hive, is fanned with their wings in order to reduce the moisture in the nectar and as a result becomes honey. Bees can gather a combination of nectar and pollen which can add up to their entire body weight and can do so several times throughout the day. 

Not only do bees help fruit and vegetables, they also help pollinate other plants such as clover and alfalfa (lucerne) which are major food sources for livestock such as cattle and goats. Aside from the role they play in pollination, bees produce honey. Honey is one of the most sought-after products due to its taste and many medicinal benefits. In some cultures, honey is believed to be nature’s antibiotic. 

Bee numbers have been declining for several years as a result of colony collapse disorder which is when the majority of the worker bees disappear leaving the hive with only its queen, nurse and immature bees. Colony collapse disorder occurs due to several factors such as mites, pesticides, pollution, habitat change, climate change and excessive transportation of colonies used for pollination services. 

A world without bees could hold devastating consequences as fruit, vegetable and seed production would drastically decline, which in turn would cause livestock numbers to decrease, which would then result in very little food resources remaining for human consumption. No bees mean no honey or any of the other products associated with bees such as beeswax. 

It is thus evident that bees play an important role in sustaining life and that without them, conditions would not be as sweet. There are many ways to promote bee populations such as protecting hives, bee-hotels, planting more flowers and supporting beekeepers so they can continue helping hives. For more information on bees and how to promote bee populations, contact ENVASS at info@envass.co.za. ENVASS has a highly qualified team who can assist with any faunal related queries.