By Anne Ross Hope

People often think of bees as being pesky insects that sting, annoy, and scare people, but, in reality, whether someone likes them or not, they are critical to our ecosystem. Without bees, life would look pretty different. 

Bee on flower. Photo credit: Anne Ross Hope.

Over 20,000 species of bees can be found across the world, 4,000 of which can be found in North America. Unfortunately, half of the species in North America are in decline, and roughly one out every four are facing the risk of extinction. Considering that one out of every three bites of food are pollinated by bees, the decline of bee populations is an extensive issue. 

Bee pollinating almond tree blossoms. Photo credit: Pxfuel.

Pollinating roughly ⅕ of the plants across North America, bees are one of the most (if not the most) important pollinators. Since many trees, crops, and flowers are pollinated by bees, the appearance of plants can imply the relative amount of bees in the area. For example, if a fruit orchard has a poor harvest, it is likely that there is a lack of bees in the area. They pollinate 100% of almond trees, meaning that if bees went extinct, so would almonds. Bees are also responsible for the production of 90% of the apples, onions, cucumbers, blueberries, and carrots in the world. Can you imagine a world where these products were practically non-existent?

Additionally, due to bees’ high impact on the pollination of plants, bees contribute over 1.5 billion dollars to America’s economy. Therefore, not only would the extinction of bees significantly affect human health and the world’s ecosystem, but it would also lead to potentially severe economic stress in the United States.  

Bumblebee. Photo credit: Pikrepo.

Bumblebees are just one of the hundreds of bee species whose populations are dwindling. Their fuzzy large bodies are responsible for carrying pollen to many wild plants. Additionally, the pollination of important agricultural crops, such as tomatoes, blueberries, and squash, are heavily dependent on bumblebees. In America alone, bumblebees are 50% less common in any given area compared to 1974. But what is the cause of this decrease?

Dandelion Springs Apiary. Photo credit: Anne Ross Hope.

Heavily debated among scientists and bee experts, there is still no clear underlying cause for bee population decline. However, almost all experts agree there are a multitude of reasons for bee population decline. Some experts believe that focusing on climate change will help the bee populations, but many others disagree. Chair of the entomology department at Ohio State University, Jamie Strange believes that “focusing on climate change could be problematic, because it ignores the many other causes of decline.” 

Dandelion Springs Apiary. Photo credit: Anne Ross Hope.

Jody Conway, the founder and owner of Dandelion Springs Apiary in Chesterfield, Virginia, got involved with bee conservation after noticing the uncommon sight of bees in Carytown. In an interview, Conway stressed the importance of educating ourselves with bees’ purpose and reasons for their population decline. Conway touched on three factors that are largely responsible for the decline of bees: habitat loss, insect parasites, and the use of chemicals in the environment. 

With more and more people keeping clean cut yards and the growth of industrial land in America, there has been a mass loss of wild habitat. Therefore, spots for bees to forage are rapidly decreasing. Many types of grass and plants, such as clover and dandelions, are considered weeds to humans. However, plants such as these are fantastic sources of nectar for pollinators. Therefore, cutting grass short, removing dandelions, and getting rid of clover all heavily take away from pollinators ability to gather nectar. At Dandelion Springs, they do not cut their grass until it is three to four inches long for this reason. 

Another factor that largely impacts bees is the use of a variety of chemicals within our ecosystem. Insecticides and herbicides can drastically affect the health of bees. When bees come in contact with chemicals, it affects all stages of bee life. 

Honey bee. Photo credit: Wikimedia user Charles J. Sharp.

Honey bee larvae. Photo credit: Needpix.com user VcelarstviThomayer.

Maturing from eggs to adults, honey bees’ have a distinct life cycle timeline. However, the cycle is much more complex than just egg to adult. Around 2,000 eggs are laid by the queen bee every day—each of which has a different destiny. If the queen bee comes back and fertilizes the egg, then it will mature to be a female worker bee, whose job is to feed the other bees, make wax, clean the hive, and collect pollen and nectar. Or it may become a queen bee, whose job is lay many eggs and produce a chemical sent that unifies the colony. If the egg is not fertilized, then it will grow into a drone—a male bee whose sole purpose is to mate with the queen. 

After roughly three days, these eggs will hatch into larvae. All larvae are fed royal jelly, a gel substance produced by nurse bee head glands. The majority of these larvae will only consume this for three days before they switch to eating bee bread, a mixture of honey, pollen, and nectar. The bees that do not switch their diet to bee bread will become queen bees, as the royal jelly will suppress the development of worker bee characteristics. Therefore, queen bees will remain on a royal jelly diet their whole life. Worker bees cap the cell that houses the larvae using wax, giving the larvae a closed cell in which they can mature. At this stage, the bee is no longer considered larvae; rather, it is now evolved into a pupa. During this stage of life, bees will develop key features, such as eyes, legs, wings, and hair. Lastly, the bees will chew their way through the wax cap, and worker bees will immediately clean the cell to prepare for the next egg. 

Honey bee colony. Photo credit: Pikrepo.

From this complicated cycle, it is clear that all the bees in a colony are intertwined. Therefore, the interaction between chemicals and a few bees can affect a colony consisting of thousands of bees. If worker bees come in contact with chemicals while they are out foraging, they will come back to the hive covered in it. Then the honeycomb will absorb the chemicals from the worker bees. Once the honeycomb is affected, all stages of bee life will also be negatively affected as well. Furthermore, future generations of bees will still be affected by the chemicals because the chemicals will still be within the honeycombs. Often, this causes the entire colony to perish. 

In order to help educate others, Conway’s bee club, which consists of fellow bee enthusiasts, meets often to discuss various topics related to bees. During one meeting, an employee from a mosquito spraying company came to speak. The employee strongly believed that the insecticide spray the company used would not harm the health of bees. To prove his theory, he bought bee hives and set them up in his own backyard that had been sprayed for mosquitos. To his dismay, all the bees died over the next couple of months. 

Dead bee colony. Photo credit: Wikimedia user Skinkie.

One of the worst kinds of chemicals insects may come in contact with is neonicotinoid—a chemical related to nicotine. Similar to nicotine, neonicotinoids act on certain receptors in the nerve synapse. This greatly lowers bees’ ability to remember plants, find their way back to hives, and forage for nectar. Therefore, even though neonicotinoids do not directly lead to bee death, they often eventually result in death. Because this chemical is so potent to a bee’s ability to perform tasks, the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] has banned 12 neonicotinoid pesticides from large agro-chemical companies Syngenta, Valent, and Bayer.

Additionally, the presence of chemicals goes well beyond the health of bees. Because the food chain does not end with bees, multiple animals are affected by the use of chemicals. Hive beetles, bears, and skunks, all predators of the common honey bee, can each be affected by the presence of chemicals within bees. After years of beekeeping, Conway has come to understand that “people do not always realize how far down the chain it affects.” 

Beekeeper at work. Photo credit: Wikmedia user Michael Gäbler.

One job of beekeepers is to sell bees and beekeeping equipment to various clients—especially people who work in the agricultural field. Since the presence of bees directly impacts quality of produce, many farmers seek beekeepers to add bees to their fields. Therefore, there is a relevant and important relationship between beekeepers and farmers. However, since limiting the use of chemicals is critical for the health of bee populations, an understanding is necessary between beekeepers and farmers that use them. Conway has encountered situations in which farmers said one thing but did the opposite. When farmers say they will not use pesticides on their crops, it is easy for beekeepers to tell if they kept their word or not. When newly added bee populations die, it is possible that the farmers did not follow through with what was asked of them by their beekeepers. Since the agricultural field is a vast market that involves bees, it’s important that farmers and beekeepers communicate well.

There are many small changes we can make in our own lives to help protect bees. One change humans can make is the elimination of chemicals—both pesticides and herbicides. While this change will not affect bees everywhere, it will help local pollinators. Therefore, if one has the ability to eliminate chemicals in their yards, they should definitely consider doing so. Conway shared that instead of using Roundup or other weed-killing products to kill weeds, one can spot treat patches by pouring hot water onto the weeds. Next time bugs are destroying your vegetable garden, do not spray insecticides. Rather, make a home remedy using natural herbs and spices. For example, making insecticide spray using either garlic or chile pepper can repel a variety of critters.

People using iNaturalist app to take pictures of bees. Photo credit: Wikimedia user Srloarie2.

Another simple way to help bees is participating in something called BeeBlitz. First, one must download the iNaturalist app. Then, go out and take pictures of the bees in your local area. Since many scientists and naturalists are involved with iNaturalist, they can collect data from the photos taken. The scientist will use the photos to determine what species can be found in the area based on submitted photos and their location data. Furthermore, the app will help scientists track the health and population of bees native to the area. 

Maple tree. Photo credit: Pikrepo.

Basswood tree. Photo credit: Wikimedia user Fritzflohrreynolds.

Holly tree. Photo credit: Pixabay.

Consider growing a bee garden—a variety of native plants to attract local pollinators. Native planting will help bring back native pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and beetles. Depending on the location, certain bees will be attracted to certain plants. Look up local plants that attract native pollinators, and plant them. Regardless of species, any bed of flowers will attract some kind of pollinator. Each insect species prefers different plants. For example, honey bees are attracted to herbs, while bumblebees are attracted to tomatoes. In addition to crops and flowers, trees also attract bees. Maples, hollys, eastern redbuds, and basswood trees are all great nectar sources for bees. 

American redbud tree. Photo credit: Wikimedia user Dcrjsr.

The state of critically endangered animals, such as the amur leopard, black rhino, orangutan, and many others, are often publicized. Therefore, it is easy to see how a small insect, such as a bee, can be overlooked. If society is not educated on the decline of bee populations, then even more bee species may start to make it on the endangered list.