Bees: Small but Significant

Buzzzz….Buzzzz…..BUZZZZ

People have polar opposite reactions to the sound of a bee flying around them as it curiously investigates what it's come across.

Some swat at it, some sprint in the opposite direction, and many simply freeze in hopes to avoid being stung.

On January 10th, 2017, the US listed the Bumble Bee on the Endangered list for the first time ever, due to the populations decrease by 90% since the 1990s. This was extremely alarming, seeing as bees are a crucial species for life as we know it to exist, because of their ability to pollinate.Without pollination, valuable crops such as almonds would not produce. Not only that, but according to Bryan Walsh from TIME, in the United States alone, bees contribute to $15 billion in crop value. For those who are driven by the dollar sign, think about this: Bees are money; no bees would lead to a devastated economy.

Every effort counts, which is why Mr. Stewart, and the Sustainable Agriculture classes have all put forth effort to have bees kept close to campus. Located in the marsh, the bees have an obviously positive effect on the thriving environment surround them.

Earlier this week, we watched an intriguing movie "More Than Honey".  We learned that ⅓ of our food would not exist without bees. Stephen Repasky, a certified master beekeeper and field technician confirms that without bees, we wouldn't have ⅓ of our food, and specifically, "80 percent of all fruits and vegetables. Without pollination, fruit yield is less and fruits and vegetables tend to be malformed." A large reason that bees are dying down could be caused by harmful pesticides we spray on crops. The chemical spray will stay on the bees, and they will bring them back to the hive where the babies are exposed to and eat it. This is seen just a few weeks later when the bees are sick.

Not only pesticides could be the problem; Bees experience a lack of nutrition when their food source is all from one crop, which is very common thanks to monoculture. Polyculture is essential because not only is it sustainable, but it's better for the bees. On the farm, we practice polyculture by planting crops from many different families on a single bed. Of course, we need to be careful which families we plant together. But, for the most part, the plants are able to thrive together successfully. Simply by avoiding monoculture, we are helping out the bees tremendously.

Local bee expert and Sustainable Agriculture alumni, Morgan Glasser, created a beekeeping business with a friend. He explains it as a huge part of his life and something he wants to pursue later on. Glasser should be an inspiration to many other teens and adults who want to make a change in their community, or even just in their garden. Having a hive of bees will most definitely improve the yield of your crops and "glow" in your garden.

If managing a hive seems like it may be too much work, then another way to support the bees would be to plant a variety of flowers that bloom at different times of year so that the bees will always have a food source.

Next time you hear that loud Buzzzz in your ear, don't run, and definitely don't swat. Instead, appreciate the bee and remember how important it is to the crops you eat, the flowers you plant, and the world you live in.

Isabella Karman