Dangers to the Busy Bee and the Future of Many Crops

Not too many people stop to think about how important the busy bee is to the world, preferring to think of them as pesky, stinging creatures. The fact is that the bee is very important to the pollination process for countless plants, flowers, crops, trees and more. Without the busy bee, there would be no pretty flowers to cut and admire in vases, no apples, oranges or other fruits that grow on flowering trees and no crops either.

Threats to their Existence
There are several threats to the existence of the busy bee and some of them are the result of man's inability to think ahead to the Earth's future. Pollution is a big problem for bees and because they have very highly sensitized bodies, if they detect something in the air is not right they will abandon a hive or even die off.

Environmental pollution such as pesticides and release of chemical in the air can upset the delicate balance of the busy bee's life in the hive. For instance, everyone knows that the bee collects pollen from plants and flowers so what if that pollen was tainted by chemicals from pesticides? The poor bee is unknowingly bringing poison into their hive which could affect the life of countless bees most notably the queen bee that is responsible for laying eggs to perpetuate the hive.

Illnesses caused by bacteria and viruses could eventually become a global problem for the busy bee as it can be quite hard to pinpoint the problem without extensive testing and study. There have been reports around the world of bees abandoning their productive hives for no apparent reason with the eventual result being attributed to a virus. What researchers are worried about is the potential threat of this virus mutating after they get a handle on how to combat the problem.

Dependency on the Bee
Whether the world likes it or not, everyone is dependent on the busy bee for their health and basic needs, all because they collect pollen on their legs and bodies. Bees are partially responsible for the great biological diversity on the plant because of their pollination skills and everyone needs to play a part in protecting that role.

Reducing toxic emissions in the environment and using only organic, non-toxic chemicals in pesticides are just two ways to help the busy bee maintain a safe haven in their colonized hives. Their lives are held in a constant delicate balance and humans need to do their part to ensure that balance stays on an even keel.