Bees, master pollinators | Sunday Observer

Bees, master pollinators

9 April, 2022

Many think of bees as nothing more than pesky insects. But the bee sets an example of peaceful coexistence for people who fight to share properties. While the other animals appoint a leader to protect their team, the bee risks its life to protect the queen.

Protecting the queen means protecting the future generation. Anyone who is hostile to the queen is attacked by the bees, knowing that their lives end.

The bee also sets an example for people who destroy the environment for personal gain. The best example of a socialist regime in the world is the bee colony. Under one leadership, under one command, all liberated labour is equally under one queen to gather food for the survival of their group.

The bee colony is one of the most amazing in the world, lining up around a visionary leader that sacrifices its life to save its army from a life challenge. The communication between them at a time when their colony was under threat and a loss of life was amazing. Bees are essential for our ecosystem, food supply, and daily life. These pollen seekers collect pollen and nectar from the flowers and carry pollen from one plant to another as they go.

Without bees, we would certainly lose a lot of food. We are not just talking about the delicious honeycomb they produce. As pollinators, bees make up over 35 percent of our food supply and are essential for maintaining many flowering plants.

Main ingredient

Bees collect nectar without harming the flower. Nectar is the main ingredient in honey and also the main source of energy for bees. Using a long straw-like tongue called a proboscis, honey bees suck nectar droplets from the flowers.

When bees collect pollen and nectar from flowers, pollen from the male reproductive organ of the flower sticks to the hairs of the bee’s body. When the bee visits the next flower, some of the pollen is rolled off and onto the female reproductive organ of the flower. Once the bees land on a flower, their feet are placed in a groove that contains the flower’s pollen sacs. When the bee is finished and on to the next flower, it carries off this sac on its feet. Then, upon landing on another flower, the pollen falls off the bee.

These fertilised flowers turn into fruits and quench the hunger of the world. The ancients said that other animals die the day after the last bee’s death.

Threat of extinction

Albert Einstein said that if bees became extinct, human life would last only four more years. The bee is so important that even though his bite is painful, the pain and loss that humans feel when bees become extinct is even greater.

Scholars from the Earth Watch International Institute also made this amazing revelation during a scientific discussion held by the Royal Geographical Society in London. One of the dangers they pointed out was that bees are an endangered species. If that happened, then the world would be in danger of extinction.

Recent studies show that the world has lost about 90 percent of its bee population. In the early part of the 20th century, American expert Charles Robertson reported that half of the world’s 109 species of bees were extinct. Of great concern in this crisis is not only the disappearance of honey, an ancient and nutritious food item. Bees have a decisive impact on human life and the ecosystem of the earth, even more than honey.

About 70 percent of the world’s agriculture depends on bees. In other words, bees are responsible for the survival of 70 out of 100 foods in the world.

Two-thirds of the plants that humans eat and one-third of global food crop production depend directly on animal pollination. Thus, the success rate of one-third of all food crops consumed worldwide depends on pollination. Still, the disappearance of bees, a group of primitive pollinators, from the earth, or their declining population, will adversely affect global food crop production as the primordial and staple food source of terrestrial animals is herbivorous.

Many of the world’s flowering species are pollinated by animals. The most common pollinator is bees. Especially since the bees depend on their flock for survival, instead of killing each other indiscriminately in response to a particular threat, the entire beehive is destroyed at once. That is, the whole colony collapses.

For example, when a bee colony collapses, most of the other bees usually disappear, although the honey and the queen remain. It is detrimental to the survival of the plants they pollinate. Since no other single species on earth plays such a decisive role in the production of food that we humans in general consume, the consequences of the extinction of bees will affect our food chain and pose a grave threat to our very existence.

No pathogen

Another important finding about bees was revealed in a study conducted by the Institute of Entrepreneurship and Studies on Beekeeping in Chile. This suggests that bees are the only organisms that do not carry any kind of pathogen, such as fungi, viruses, or bacteria. Bees are so important to the world.

According to experts, honeybee colony collapse disorder (CCD) is a major cause of declining bee populations. It has been identified as a crisis that needs to be addressed soon.

From 2007 to 2013, it is estimated that over 10 million beehives were lost as a result. In addition to the large number of bee deaths, the health of endangered bees is also under serious threat.

These studies themselves have shown that there are various reasons for this in different parts of the world. The main reason is the lack of suitable shelters for bees to build hives due to deforestation.

In addition, the lack of flowers to obtain honey from, the uncontrollable use of pesticides by humans, and changes in the soil are other factors that affect the world’s bee population.

The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology emphasises that cell phone use may be one of the main causes of bee extinction.

They explain that the waves produced during telephone calls change the direction of the bee. That is, telephone waves change the direction in which they perceive where they are going. It endangers their lives. Exhaust fumes during the harvest season are another cause of bee extinction.

In Colombia, 34 percent of bees die from farm poisoning.

There are several solutions to this problem. These include banning pesticides, proposing natural agricultural alternatives, and continuing to conduct studies on the life cycle of bees and their effects.

Honey is one of the healthiest foods in the world. Honey, a wonderful gift of nature, has long been used as a food flavouring, preservative, and medicine for a variety of ailments. Bees are an essential part of an endangered species.

Natural honey

Raising bees or getting honey as a crop is good for the world. There are various benefits that we get from honey. But to get these benefits, we need to get the best natural honey.

We also remind you to use high quality genuine honey, as there is inferior quality honey mixed with sugar on the market today.

Honey is a great remedy for weight loss. It provides essential nutrition to the skin. A way to a healthy sleep. It cures diseases of the respiratory system. It stimulates memory and strengthens the immune system.

Another important aspect is beekeeping. Beekeeping is the scientific method of obtaining human-derived substances, including honey and beeswax, for human consumption. This is a hobby as well as a method of earning extra income. Beekeeping can be done as self-employment.

An understanding of the scientific basis of such activities, as well as training in active practice, is essential for successful beekeeping. Research on the genes of bees has revealed that they migrated from Africa to Southern Europe and from there to Northern Europe about a million years ago. Apis Mellifera, a species of bee, is used for beekeeping in many parts of the world. Apis Cerana is used for beekeeping in Asian countries, and only the subspecies Apis Cerana Indica is used in Sri Lanka.

The economic benefits of beekeeping are many. Getting the equipment, we need to start a beekeeping business can be a costly endeavour, but it is also a cost-effective business as no maintenance is required.

A person with basic training in beekeeping can maintain 50 to 100 bee colonies or more. About five to six bottles of honey can be obtained from one state, even under normal maintenance. Properly maintained, it can hold up to 10 bottles of honey. This can be done as self-employment.

There is a high demand for honey. Honey is imported according to the demand of the market. If we can produce this amount domestically, we can save foreign exchange.

It also generates revenue from the manufacture and sale of other equipment, including boxes in which bees can create their habitat. As it is essential for crop pollination, it is also possible to get higher yields through it.

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