Honey - not so sweet?

When you look at a beehive, what is the first thing that crosses your mind? Is it the hunger for free honey? Is the fear of a bee sting? Or is the fascination for these marvelous creatures?

Honey forms an essential part of our diets. Its nutritious and medicinal value has been well documented.  We also have learnt in school about the entire process through which bees make honey available. But is it all for us? And did we ever question, why do these bees store the honey? These questions I leave it to you, because today I want to confront you with another, more difficult question – What role do honey bees play in nature?

Albert Einstein, one of the greatest physicists of all time, famously claimed – “If the bee disappeared off the face of the earth, man would only have four years left to live”. Of course back then no one took him seriously, especially because he was famous for making huge claims, which were often proven false. But in this particular case, Einstein was one hundred per cent right.  Honey bees are the single most influential creatures that hold the keys to human life.

Honey bees extract honey from flowers and in the process help the plant in completing the process of pollination. Nearly one third of the global farm output depends on pollination, mostly by bees. About thirty five per cent of the calories, most of the minerals, vitamins and anti-oxidants in our daily meals are obtained from foods, whose production needs pollination by bees. Virtually every fruit and vegetable you enjoy needs pollination by bees. And yet bees are disappearing at an alarming rate – either by being killed by humans or through the process of colonial collapse disorder. But no one seems to care. After all, for a busy man like me, do bees matter?

But the simple fact is that whether we like it or not – bees matter. I had a chat with a friend of mine who owns a coffee plantation. Most planters do not share their troubles or problems with the world outside. But this lady chose to give me a rare look into their grievances. Their problem – a steep drop in coffee production due to lack of cross pollination by bees. She exclaimed and I quote – “There are no bees left!”

The bee crisis has not been accorded a much alarming status as of now, but the UN's food index rating sums it all. Globally food availability has decreased and food prices are at an all-time high. Where food is available in plenty, quality of this food is the cause of concern. Will food security soon be a thing of the past?

Where are we headed? And what are our reactions? Do we care? In my opinion, it is high time we start giving a damn about this problem. Our big bank balances or large properties won’t assure us / our children food. Nor can we / our children go about eating money! It is time we rise and act. Join hands in protecting the bees. Educate your neighbours and prevent them from burning down beehives. In this way, you are securing food for your children.

We live in a selfish world, but we can always work towards a change. Change begins at home. Think about your children and grandchildren. Preserve and protect nature. Remember – it starts from your own backyard.