Hey everyone, hope you all are doing fine,

The United Nations has proclaimed May 22 as The International Day for Biological Diversity to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. This year’s theme is “Our solutions are in nature”. There are four symbols- bee, bear, goose and girl.  In this report I will be examining “bees”.  Bees are tiny wonder creatures who spend their entire life toiling to get sweet and luscious honey.  However, they have a bigger role in the ecosystem than just collecting honey.  A research shows that More than 90% of the leading global crop types are visited by bees."  Now, we may feel that these tiny creatures don’t affect human life.  But in reality they make up 35% of the worlds pollinators. 

Why we need bees:

Bees gather pollen to stock their nests as food for their young.  Pollination is responsible for the vast majority of plant species in the world.  To put this into perspective, life would become dull and food would become less nutritious if bees didn’t exist.  Moreover, "Loss of pollinators could lead to lower availability of crops and wild plants that provide essential micro-nutrients for human diets, impacting health and nutritional security and risking increased numbers of people suffering from vitamin A, iron and folate deficiency."

The health of our natural ecosystems is fundamentally linked to the health of our bees and other pollinators.  Bees have also showed us many values like unity and teamwork and most importantly, perseverance.  Their sheer hard work is unbelievable. One bee has to fly about 90,000 miles – three times around the globe – to make one pound of honey. 

Threat to bees:

One of the major threats to bees are human activities.  They are prone to habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation, nonnative species and diseases pollution, including pesticides; and climate change.  Another non human threat is the  varroa mite, which attaches itself to the honey bee and sucks its blood. When the bee returns to the hive, the varroa mite can spread and bring viruses and disease with them.

Right now, 35 bee species face extinction. Our wildlife needs our help. We must remember that this earth is not only for us but also for all the organisms living in it.

Reference :

https://friendsoftheearth.uk/bees/why-do-we-need-bees

Pollinators, Pollination and Food Production The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)

https://www.soilassociation.org/organic-living/bee-organic/why-are-bees-in-danger/