This particular insects life is one of the most important to us humans. Humans have found chemical ‘fingerprints’ of beeswax on artifacts dating as far back as tenth millennium B.C. across Europe, the Near East, Egypt, and North Africa. Early direct archaeological evidence is from Israel, in the ancient city of Tel Rehov (Tell es-Saram in Arabic) dating to the tenth-to-ninth centuries B.C. Egyptians were believed to be the first domesticators of bees, which is supported by wall illustrations dating back to 2422 B.C. Neolithic farmers probably procured honey from the early bees, as it would have been a rare source of sweetness in their diet, researchers write. Beeswax may also have been valuable, as it could have been used as a glue, in cosmetics, or medicinal purposes.
Bees are one of the most important types of pollinators in agriculture and natural ecosystems, responsible for pollinating about one-third of all the food that we eat. Honeybees pollinate crops such as apples, cranberries, melons, broccoli, blueberries, cherries, peaches, coffee, pumpkins, and almonds, to name just a few. Simply defined, pollination occurs when the pollen is moved within flowers, or carried from flower to flower by pollinators. Without our pollinators, certain fruits, vegetables, wildflowers, and trees would cease to exist.
In the past few decades, the population of bees in the U.S. is declining steadily by around 30 percent each year. At this rate, the days of bees are becoming numbered. Researchers have grappled with understanding what's causing the decline in the bee population. At the same time, we're forced to face the reality of what the losing the bees means for the global ecosystem. Bees play a vital role in keeping the balance between other species and their environment. Basically we need bees. We need to push for zero use of harmful pesticides, as well as be more abundant with our pollinator planting. Fill the earth with more pollinator friendly plants and vegetation. It's up to us to become more aware of our direct impact on the environment, and start to live in harmony with nature.
Comments