I’m guessing you don’t think about bees very often, and neither do I. But things like coffee, chocolate, and flowers do cross my mind a fair amount. What I never fully realized though is that these things are only possible because of bees and other pollinators.
Hear me out on this. A cup of coffee is made from coffee beans, which come from the coffee plant. The coffee plant exists because of pollinators. If pollinators weren’t around, we’d live in a world without things like coffee, blueberries, avocados, chocolate, sugarcane, and many, many other foods.
Bees & Other Pollinators
Bees are the largest group of pollinators, but other pollinators include animals like hummingbirds, butterflies, ants, and flies. Most flowering plants need help getting their pollen transported to and from other plants for fertilization to occur, and pollinators handle this not-so-insignificant task.
Pollinators are responsible for 1 out of every 3 bites of food we eat, and, sadly, pollinator populations are in decline due to habitat loss, climate change, and disease.
What We Can Do
- Buy local honey and beeswax products like lip balm and candles to support local beekeepers.
- Plant something. Some good ones that you and the bees will like are lavender, rosemary, sage, sunflower, and verbena.
- Keep doing your part to reduce climate change.
This week is National Pollinator Week (June 17-23, 2019). A great excuse to take a little time out of the day to help the bees!
–Karen
Resources: The Honey Bee Conservancy and Pollinator Partnership.