What if the bees disappeared? It is a matter of great importance that can be answered in two different ways, from different premises.
The first answer is based on an unreal hypothesis: that there would never have been bees on Earth. The answer is simple: our world would be absolutely different in its flora, fauna and even we would probably be different.
- The second answer to the question is based on the assumption that the current bees will be extinguished.
- The most likely answer would be this: without the bees.
- The world would end.
If you want to know the vital importance of bees to make all life on the planet work properly, continue reading this peritoAnimal article.
The pollination of bees is absolutely essential for the regeneration of the trees and plants of the planet. Without this pollination, the plant world would languish because it could not reproduce at the current rate.
It is true that there are other pollinating insects, butterflies for example, but none of them have the colossal ability to pollinate bees and bumblebees. The difference in the superlative degree of bees in their pollinating function compared to other insects, is that they suck the flowers to feed. However, for bees, this function is an essential work to support the hive.
Pollination of plants is essential if the ecological balance of the planet is not broken. Without this role performed by bees, the plant world would be considerably reduced. Of course, any fauna dependent on plant life would be halted by its proliferation.
The loss of wildlife depends on the regeneration of plants: new grasses, fruits, leaves, berries, rhizomes, seeds, etc., would cause a colossal chain reaction that would also affect human life.
If cows could not simply graze, if farmers had their crops damaged by 80 to 90%, if wildlife suddenly ran out of food, it might not be the end of the world yet, but it would be very close.
The giant Asian wasps, the mandarin wasp, are bee-eating insects. Unfortunately, these large insects have traveled beyond their natural borders, where native bees have developed effective defense mechanisms against these ferocious wasps. European and American bees are helpless in the face of attacks by these new enemies. 30 wasps can kill 30,000 bees in a matter of hours.
There are other enemies of the bees: the larva of the great wax butterfly, Galleria mellonela, which causes the greatest damage to the hives, the small beetle of the hive, Aethina tumida, is an active beetle during the summer. However, they are ancestral enemies of bees, who have natural defenses to repel them, and also collaborate in defending beekeepers.
Insecticides on agricultural plantations are now the bee’s biggest hidden enemy and the one that threatens their future the most.
It is true that such insecticides are made to kill pests and not to kill bees immediately, but a side effect is that bees living in treated fields live 10% less.
The life cycle of a worker bee varies from 65 to 85 days of life. Depending on the time of year and the subspecies of treated bee. The most productive and knowledgeable bees around them are the oldest and the youngest learn from them. The fact that bees cannot complete their natural life cycle, quietly poisoned by “harmless” insecticides, significantly weakens affected bee colonies.
Something outrageous has been discovered in this regard. A recent study on this problem has shown that bees living in cities are healthier than those living in the countryside. Cities have parks and gardens, trees, ornamental shrubs and a wide variety of plants. Bees pollinate these urban areas, but insecticides are not widespread in cities.
Another adverse effect stemming from the insecticide problem is the fact that some multinationals have developed in their labs more poison-resistant mutant drones that shorten the life of bees. These animals are sold to farmers whose fields are already suffering problems due to the lack of pollination. They are strong animals that move poisoned colonies, but are not a solution for several reasons.
The first problem is related to the trunk with which they suck the nectar of the flowers, which is too short. Do not reach the interior of many species of flowers. The result is a clear imbalance of flora. Some plants regenerate, but others die because they cannot reproduce.
The second problem, and perhaps most importantly, is the criminal shame with which so-called multinationals solve a very serious problem created by themselves. It’s as if a company that is polluting the waters sells us a drug to mitigate the harmful effects of pollution on our body, so that it can continue to pollute the river and sell more medicines to alleviate our health problems. Is this diabolical cycle tolerable?
Fortunately, there are people who are aware of the great problem that will be presented to our children and grandchildren. These human beings are pushing for signature-gathering campaigns to force politicians to face this very serious problem, legislating for the defense of bees, and therefore in our defense.
They are not asking for money, they are asking for our responsible support to avert a catastrophe in the plant world of the future, which will lead dangerously to a dark period of scarcity and famine. Could this kind of future interest a large agri-food company?
If you would like to read articles similar to, we recommend that you visit our Endangered Animals section.