Weather of Arabia - “If bees disappear from the planet Earth, humans will have only a few years to disappear,” a saying attributed to the German scientist Albert Einstein more than half a century ago.. But how so?
The United Nations has warned that the decline in bee numbers and their disappearance will have serious consequences for global ecosystems and thus for humans. Estimates indicate that more than three-quarters of the world's leading species of food crops depend partly on bees and insects for pollination, and bees are considered the most important in this. Context.
Bees play an important role in pollinating about 90% of wild flowers to produce their seeds, and they are also responsible for pollinating 35% of the world’s crops, according to United Nations reports.
For its part, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) stresses the need to preserve the biological diversity of these species by building sustainable systems that are resistant to climate change. It stresses the importance of taking urgent and comprehensive efforts to protect bees in wild areas, farms, and cities.
In its report, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) indicated that one of the most important factors contributing to the decline in bee numbers is unsustainable human activities, such as the excessive use of pesticides and the harmful effects of climate change.
Bees are a prominent vital creature in the environmental and agricultural system. Bees are a major pollinator of flowering plants and food crops. Bees and other pollinating insects play a major role in the pollination process that contributes to the growth of a wide range of plants and crops. With such a significant impact on agriculture and the environment, bees are a major contributor to keeping the global food system in balance.
It is worth noting that bees not only play an important role in pollinating food crops, but also in pollinating wild plants and preserving biodiversity. Both environmentally and economically, bees are of great importance to the environment, agriculture and the global economy.
It is noteworthy that bees face major challenges, including the effects of climate change, the use of pesticides, the loss of wild habitats, and environmental pollution, which reinforces the importance of protecting this creature and working to preserve its resources and environment.
This is an important point and is often overlooked. Bees and pollinating insects in general play a vital role in supporting the entire food chain. When plants are effectively pollinated, more fruits, seeds, and berries are produced that animals and birds depend on as part of their food. This directly affects the environment and biodiversity.
For example, bees play a major role in pollinating many fruits such as almonds, apples and cherries, which represent a major source of nutrition for many animals including birds and mammals. In addition, bees pollinate plants that produce seeds that are consumed by animals and birds, which contributes to enhancing biodiversity and sustainability in the environment.
Bees are not only pollinators of flowers and agricultural crops but also play a major role in pollinating trees and wild plants. These trees play a vital role in the environment, biodiversity and ecosystem health.
These trees provide homes for animals and birds, contribute to improving air quality and reducing environmental erosion. Also, the fruits and seeds it produces are a source of food for wildlife, including birds and mammals. Bees play an essential role in achieving this vital process by pollinating the flowers of these trees and plants.
The health and prosperity of bees provide two vital indicators of the health of the overall environment. Bees are one of the few pollinators that allow researchers to understand long-term impacts on the environment. What affects bees often affects other pollinators, resulting in general environmental impacts.
The presence of honeybees provides a unique opportunity for long-term ecological analysis. This is because they form long-term communities rather than short-term communities containing a limited number of colony members. Thanks to this long-term trend, bee byproducts such as honey, wax and pollen can be easily used to understand the effects of pollution. Most importantly, these products can be scientifically studied over time, even within individual bee communities, subject to strict scientific standards.
Estimates indicate that honey bees contributed to the production of the equivalent of about $19 billion in agricultural crops in the United States during 2010 alone. This represents about a third of Americans' consumption of agricultural crops. In addition, other pollinators contributed approximately $10 billion in the same year.
Other estimates indicate that bees contribute significantly to the agricultural crop industry, worth about $40 billion annually. The American Beekeeping Federation estimates that honey bees contribute to the production of the equivalent of $15 billion in American crops alone.
In addition to honey bees, wild bees also play an important role in the economy. By one estimate, pollination by wild bees could contribute an average of $3.25 per hectare per year to crop production.
A study conducted in 2014 revealed that about 2% of wild bee species, which are the most widespread, play a role in pollinating about 80% of the crops that bees inhabit around the world.
In addition to its major role in pollinating crops, the beekeeping sector is a source of income for beekeepers and their families. It is also a source of income for suppliers of beekeeping equipment and related goods and services. This includes selling products such as honey and wax, as well as pollination services that people require.
Climate change is thought to be exacerbating a disruption in the synchronization of flower bloom and bee saturation, causing them to die off. In addition, pesticides contribute to environmental degradation and pollution, thus increasing bee mortality.
Most of the causes of bee deaths are due mainly to the impact of human activities and the destruction of the wild habitats that bees depend on to find their food, in addition to the ongoing problems related to climate change. The tragic irony is that when we cause bee deaths, we are actually causing harm to ourselves. So, since our survival depends on the health of the planet, the health of the planet also depends on the survival and health of the creatures that live in it, and this includes bees.
Sources:
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