be next. So with the dramatic decline in bee population, should we be worried? What happens

if the bees all die?

Simply put, if a plant produces a flower, you can bet that bees help them reproduce.

This long-standing, working relationship evolved with flowers being bright and fragrant to

attract bees, and the bees fuzzy, velcro-like bodies helping them to efficiently transfer

pollen from the male part of the plant to the female part. This seemingly simple mechanism

is directly responsible for the production of 70% of fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts

that we consume on a daily basis. 70%! Which translates into almost $200 billion in global

agriculture revenue. This huge responsibility is accomplished by droves of commercial bees,

reared by professional beekeepers for the sole purpose of being transported to farms

and orchards to pollinate crops.

But since 2006, these hardworking, busy bees have been mysteriously disappearing. This

Colony Collapse Disorder has seen an average of 1/3rd of commercial bees abandoning their

hives. In fact, some beekeepers have even reported that 90% of their bees have simply

buzzed off.

In some colonies, mites, viruses and parasites have been to blame, but many are now looking

at a class of insecticides called neonicotinoids. This neurotoxin is used to kill off crop eating

insects and pests, but also affects the central nervous systems of bees when they consume

contaminated nectar. And since nectar is brought back to hives, the entire colony can be affected,

leading to mass confusion and disorientation. On top of this, other factors such as extremely

cold and long winters, a lack of genetic diversity in commercial bees, and less variable nectar

in the fields may be at fault.

If the trend continues, entire food chains and webs may be at risk. Take almond plants

for example; the hulls of these nuts are used as feed for farm cattle and chickens. Fewer

bees means fewer almonds, which could mean declining livestock, and ultimately less milk,

cheese, eggs and meat production. Not to mention almonds are used in cereal, baking and many

other food products. Beef and dairy cows would also be harshly affected by the vanishing

alfalfa fields which are used to harvest hay for cattle. Looking for a morning buzz? Considering

bees pollinate Coffea arabica, whose seeds we grind for coffee, you can count that out.

Without bees, our diet would consist of mostly corn, wheat and rice, as they are wind pollinated

plants.

Like your clothes? Not only is cotton the biggest cash crop in the US, it also makes

up about 35% of the world’s fiber use. So you can forget those blue jeans, towels, mattresses

and high quality paper products.

Simply put, we’d be living in a completely different world without bees, not to mention

suffering a substantial economic strain from their disappearance. So while we may not necessarily

go ‘extinct’ should the downward trend persist, a world without the buzz of bees

would definitely…sting!

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