February 28, 2021
6 reasons we love bees (and think you should too!)
We may be a little bit biased, but we think bees are one of the best little creatures on the planet!
They’re amazingly industrious and have a profound impact on our planet. Unfortunately, bees are facing an alarming decline across the world. It’s important that we understand the world of bees to help support them and our environment. Here are six reasons why we love bees, and we think you should too!
Bees are the foundation of our food supply
Believe it or not, more than ⅓ of the planet’s food supply relies on bees, including crops such as apples, avocados, blueberries, broccoli, coconuts, cucumbers, and carrots. As bees visit plants looking for nectar, they gather pollen and deposit it about. This allows crops, flowers, and trees to flourish. Additionally, bees pollinate grasses that cows, pigs, and other animals need to survive.
According to a Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) report, these pollinators play a very critical role in a wide variety of ecosystems, claiming “many species of plants and animals would not survive if bees were missing.”
Bees produce delicious honey
We all love honey in our evening tea or drizzled over oatmeal, but there are so many benefits that go beyond its yummy sweetness. From improving hair health to soothing sunburns and treating sore throats, honey’s versatile properties make it a “jack of all trades” type of ingredient.
Bees are adorably social
Bees live with other bees in little communities called colonies. Together, the colony of bees works together for the better good of the group. They communicate through dance to show each other where to find food. They pass geographical information through what is called the “waggle dance.” They also know how to standby one another! Sometimes, when honey production is low in their beehive, they band together to go steal honey from a nearby colony.
Bees love a good caffeine high
A study published in Current Biology found that bees, much like their human friends, cannot resist caffeine. The study took a look at honeybees who consumed caffeinated nectar. These bees tended to “act busier” than non-caffeinated bees, but didn’t accomplish as much… huh, sound familiar? It was also observed that caffeinated bees were way more likely to partake in random bee dancing.
Bees are very intelligent
Have you ever wondered why bees use hexagons instead of circles or triangles to store their honey? Well, it seems that bees have a fundamental understanding of engineering and recognize that hexagons are stable and efficient for their hive shape. Hexagons, opposed to triangles or circles, also provide the most useable space for the least amount of building material.
Bees provide us with medicinal byproducts
Apitherapy is an ancient branch of alternative medicine, also known as “bee therapy,” that has been shown to have extraordinary benefits on skin and hair health, alleviate illness, and heal injuries. It dates as far back as 460 BCE! Various bee products are used in apitherapy like raw honey, bee pollen, beeswax, propolis, and royal jelly.
How can I support the bees?
Bee populations are on the decline due to habitat loss, disease, pesticide poisoning, and other environmental reasons. The loss to the bee population poses a significant risk to our agricultural system along with the entire ecosystem that supports other wildlife. Fixing this large problem can begin with much smaller steps.
Want to take your first step to saving PNW bees? Support your local beekeeper by joining a hive share or purchasing bee-based products directly from those who focus on honeybee health and regenerative principles.
Have you ever heard of Calendula? Take a look at our favorite uses and benefits of Calendula and learn how to grow your own!
They’re amazingly industrious and have a profound impact on our planet. Unfortunately, bees are facing an alarming decline across the world. It’s important that we understand the world of bees to help support them and our environment. Here are six reasons why we love bees, and we think you should too!
Bees are the foundation of our food supply
Believe it or not, more than ⅓ of the planet’s food supply relies on bees, including crops such as apples, avocados, blueberries, broccoli, coconuts, cucumbers, and carrots. As bees visit plants looking for nectar, they gather pollen and deposit it about. This allows crops, flowers, and trees to flourish. Additionally, bees pollinate grasses that cows, pigs, and other animals need to survive.
According to a Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) report, these pollinators play a very critical role in a wide variety of ecosystems, claiming “many species of plants and animals would not survive if bees were missing.”
Bees produce delicious honey
We all love honey in our evening tea or drizzled over oatmeal, but there are so many benefits that go beyond its yummy sweetness. From improving hair health to soothing sunburns and treating sore throats, honey’s versatile properties make it a “jack of all trades” type of ingredient.
Bees are adorably social
Bees live with other bees in little communities called colonies. Together, the colony of bees works together for the better good of the group. They communicate through dance to show each other where to find food. They pass geographical information through what is called the “waggle dance.” They also know how to standby one another! Sometimes, when honey production is low in their beehive, they band together to go steal honey from a nearby colony.
Bees love a good caffeine high
A study published in Current Biology found that bees, much like their human friends, cannot resist caffeine. The study took a look at honeybees who consumed caffeinated nectar. These bees tended to “act busier” than non-caffeinated bees, but didn’t accomplish as much… huh, sound familiar? It was also observed that caffeinated bees were way more likely to partake in random bee dancing.
Bees are very intelligent
Have you ever wondered why bees use hexagons instead of circles or triangles to store their honey? Well, it seems that bees have a fundamental understanding of engineering and recognize that hexagons are stable and efficient for their hive shape. Hexagons, opposed to triangles or circles, also provide the most useable space for the least amount of building material.
Bees provide us with medicinal byproducts
Apitherapy is an ancient branch of alternative medicine, also known as “bee therapy,” that has been shown to have extraordinary benefits on skin and hair health, alleviate illness, and heal injuries. It dates as far back as 460 BCE! Various bee products are used in apitherapy like raw honey, bee pollen, beeswax, propolis, and royal jelly.
How can I support the bees?
Bee populations are on the decline due to habitat loss, disease, pesticide poisoning, and other environmental reasons. The loss to the bee population poses a significant risk to our agricultural system along with the entire ecosystem that supports other wildlife. Fixing this large problem can begin with much smaller steps.
Want to take your first step to saving PNW bees? Support your local beekeeper by joining a hive share or purchasing bee-based products directly from those who focus on honeybee health and regenerative principles.
Have you ever heard of Calendula? Take a look at our favorite uses and benefits of Calendula and learn how to grow your own!