The Devastating Truth Behind Honeybee Population Decline

Most people don’t comprehend the extent to which global agriculture and the ecosystem rely on honeybees — particularly in regards to most of our fruits and vegetables. If it wasn’t for honeybees, one-third of the food you eat wouldn’t exist.

So the fact that the bees are all disappearing should have you pretty concerned.

The rate of honeybee population decline is no less than shocking. Last winter, 23% of American honeybee colonies died. In fact, every year since 2006, about 30% of the nation’s honeybee colonies have perished.

Some people may be thankful there are fewer stinging insects around, but bees are a crucial part of the U.S.’s agriculture industry. The recent unprecedented losses have already had a devastating impact on crop production. And if honeybee populations continue to decline, a serious crisis lies ahead.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, about one-third of the human diet comes directly from insect-pollinated plants, and honeybees are the primary driver of cross-pollination. With the death of so many honeybees, we are in the midst of experiencing a pollination shortage, which in turn is threatening our food production.

And with fewer crops going to market, prices could soon soar for the most nutritious foods we eat, including almonds, apples, carrots, broccoli and citrus fruits. And that means more money out of your pocket.

The Cost of Honeybee Population Decline

Honeybees are, in fact, the lynchpin in our multi-trillion dollar food chain. Without bees delivering the pollen to plants that grow our food, those plants would die, severely disrupting the flow of production.

This is no small deal. The USDA estimates $15 billion in agricultural production hinges on the survival of the American honeybee. And we are already feeling that strain, with grocery prices rising twice as fast as they did last year.

That trend is expected to continue as increasing numbers of bees die off, either because of parasites, pesticides, sickness, pollution or monoculture (the practice of growing a single crop over a large area).

Let’s not understate the severity of this issue. It’s more than a money problem. If one-third of our food is coming from insect-pollinated plants, then when all the bees die out, we could follow. The bottom line is that we need to support bee restoration and preservation for the sake of preserving quality, productivity, affordability and availability in our food system.

And, for better or worse, we need to do it ourselves, because the government isn’t helping.

The Government Just Doesn’t Get It

A memorandum from President Obama warns that “continued loss of commercial honeybee colonies poses a threat to the economic stability of commercial beekeeping and pollination operations in the United States, which could have profound implications for agriculture and food.”

For once, I agree with him. But he, and the government, is still getting it all wrong.

While it’s good that the problem has been acknowledged by our government officials — after all, one-third of our food is in jeopardy! — they have proposed a solution that will ultimately fail.

As usual, they think the answer to a glaring problem is just to throw money at it. Just pump money into the market, and the bee population will magically re-emerge.

While the USDA announced an $8 million incentives program last month to help “save the bees,” beekeepers aren’t seeing that money. And these are the people who should be getting it. After all, they have a vested interest in the bee population, and they understand the problem better than most.

Instead, the money is going to landowners, who are already receiving government incentives. Typically, they use the money to stop crop production on endangered land, when what we really need is for them to act proactively by planting better crops to facilitate bee foraging.

Another thing to keep in mind: Handouts, in my opinion, tend to eliminate any stake a farmer has in his land.

Government money is simply not the fix. And there’s more to the bee problem than a poor distribution of cash …

Pesticides are Bee-Killers

There is still some mystery behind colony collapse. Disease, parasites, genetics and habitat loss are believed to be factors. But the increased use of pesticides is certainly one reason bees are dying off.

According to a recent study I just read by the Harvard School of Public Health, neonicotinoid — a pesticide class similar to nicotine — is a significant factor in the shocking decline of American honeybee colonies.

The Harvard study said these widely used pesticides are probably the main cause of “colony collapse disorder.”

Make no mistake: these neonicotinoid pesticides kill bees.

Neonicotinoid are applied to seeds of industrialized crops such as corn. The poison seeps into the seed and renders the plant toxic to insects.

Normally, this wouldn’t affect bees, because they don’t pollinate corn, wheat or soybeans. But modern mechanized planting techniques result in large clouds of neonicotinoid dust. These pesticide clouds can drift and blanket the areas that bees visit.

And neonicotinoids are not only used by Big Ag. We can also find them in our backyards. They are sprayed on bee-attracting trees, flowers and plants that can be purchased at local stores like Walmart, Home Depot and Lowes.

Don’t just take my word for it.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has banned the pesticide in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Hawaii. The European Environment Agency (EEA) has banned three of the seven types of neonicotinoids. They’re even being dubbed the next DDT, an insecticide banned in 1972 for its impact on wildlife, the environment and its threat to our health.

These bans are fine — but it’s not enough. We need to save the honeybee, and in the process, our food. Here are some things you can do:

First, discourage the use of pesticides both residentially and commercially. You can do this by buying food that isn’t coated in pesticide.

Second, cultivate gardens with bee-friendly plants. Most fruits, vegetables and flowers will attract bees, but seek out your local nursery or retailer for advice on what forage grows best where you live. Remember: Be sure the plants are not treated with pesticides, specifically neonicotinoids.

And if you’re feeling really adventurous, a local beekeeper told me hobbyists can get started with a couple hives for only a few hundred bucks. If you’re interested, have some free space and reasonable neighbors, I encourage you to do some research and give it a try.

Furthermore, I urge you to share this story with others. Encourage responsible action to restore and preserve the bee population. Plant a garden. And help curb the use of risky pesticides in an industry that unfortunately depends on them.

To quality living,

JR Crooks
Editor, Sovereign Living

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