What the world would be like without bees

What would Halloween be like with no pumpkins? Or Thanksgiving without sweet potatoes? Or Christmas at grandma’s with fruit cake, minus the fruit? How could the saying “It’s as American as apple pie” still be used if there were no apples for the pie? Would we all be at the doctor’s office more if we couldn’t abide by the old recommendation of “an apple a day keeps the doctor away?” Our traditions aren’t the only thing that would drastically change if bees continue down their slippery slope to extinction. Human health as a whole is threatened by the disappearance of nature’s miracle workers. Our physical health and economic stability would be in big trouble without the help of bees. Pears, almonds, broccoli, carrots, onions, cherries, blueberries, oranges, avocados and cabbage are all commonly used in our diets—and are just a few examples of foods cross-pollinated by bees. Bees, most certainly, qualify as a social problem. Their dire situation fits the three criteria: they affect large numbers of people (like everybody), their population decline requires a collective solution, and they affect our group values—health and big business.

We can relate the issue of bee decline on a state, national, or global level. Oregon State Legislature House Committee on Agriculture & Natural Resources estimated in 2015 there were 70,000 commercial bee colonies bringing in an estimated $500 million in revenue to the state. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the nation has 26 million managed honey bee colonies that pollinate $15 billion in crops each year. And, the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC), one of the nation’s leading groups working to protect the world’s resources, estimates a third of all crops worldwide are cross-pollinated by bees every year.

Let us consider for a moment the amount of money being generated in every country of the world with the help of bees. For example, Ethiopia. The USDA Foreign Agriculture Service estimates 15 million people in Ethiopia, approximately 15% of the population, make a living in the coffee industry. Coffee is also the country’s main source of revenue, bringing in an estimated $750 million annually, according to the USDA Foreign Agriculture Service. World Economic Forum ranks the 140 nations of the world against each other and assesses their ability to provide high levels of prosperity to their citizens. Ethiopia was ranked 109 out of 140 in the 2015/16 ranking. The U.S. ranked third. One need not be a sociologist to recognize how impactful the loss of the coffee industry, for example, would be to a country like Ethiopia that is already suppressed on the world’s economical list. And they are only one example.

In addition to economic value, bees contribute a priceless service in helping the ecosystem thrive. For example, almost 90% of all wildflowers rely on the help of pollinators, according to the NRDC. With the expansion of cities, and more and more landscapes claimed for mankind, bees are facing human induced obstacles on their quest for nectar and pollen. According to the USDA, for the last 30 years their disappearance nationwide has been notable among beekeepers and scientists. Since 2006, also according to the USDA, the decline has increased, with the population suffering a 33% loss each year nationwide. The USDA says that beehives in the U.S. are at their lowest count in the last 50 years, almost half what they used to be. It’s interesting to note that the U.S. population 50 years ago was about 194 million people, as compared to roughly 319 million today. In other words, we have more people requiring more food and less bees to help pollinate crops. A study by OSU researcher Ramesh Sagili found that Oregon beekeepers lost 21.1% of their hive populations in 2013. According to Sagili, beekeepers historically expect to lose 10-15% of their hives from natural causes. Therefore, at a 33% average decline, hive die-off is twice as high as it should be at the state level and three times higher on the national level. It’s no surprise beekeepers and government agencies alike are concerned about bee disappearance, which has been dubbed Colony Collapse Disorder.

In a brand new report released last week, the United Nations sponsored worldwide research on pollinators and their pending demise. In the report, titled Thematic Assessment of Pollinators, Pollination and Food Production, they specifically note that 40% of pollinators, particularly bees and butterflies, are facing extinction, in part, because of human interference.  The report took two years, a team of 77 experts from across the world who studied more than 60 locations, and approximately 3,000 scientific papers to compile their findings. They confirmed that a third of the world’s crops rely on cross-pollination, and cited the 20,000 species of bees as major contributors. “The western honey bee is the most widespread managed pollinator in the world,” the report said. "The growing threat to pollinators, which play an important role in food security, provides another compelling example of how connected people are to our environment, and how deeply entwined our fate is with that of the natural world,” wrote Achim Steiner, executive director of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

The decline in bees affects the availability of human food supply. With continued loss of bees, pollination-dependant crop prices would be driven up. Fresh food prices are already higher than prepared, less nutritious foods. A spike in prices may push welfare recipients, for example, completely out of the market. On a societal level, that brings up concerns for malnutrition, specifically for those living in poverty. According to the Census Bureau, 14.8% of the nation lived in poverty in 2014, totaling 46.6 million people. An increase in produce prices because of Colony Collapse Disorder would most likely deprive the poor of the option to buy many of the foods that supply them with essential vitamins and minerals; the kind that boxed foods can’t replace. At worst, the loss of bees would cause the disappearance of items we are accustomed to finding at grocery stores. In 2013, a Whole Foods Market in Rhode Island decided to temporarily remove all produce from their shelves dependant on pollinators. They removed 237 of 453 products, a whopping 52% of their normal inventory. The huge impact of such small creatures is staggering.

Concerns about bees have arisen at the highest levels of the government. In June of 2014, President Obama directed the EPA and Department of Agriculture to lead a government-wide task force to develop a strategy to combat honey bee decline. The Office of the Press Secretary released this statement after Obama’s proclamation: “Pollinators contribute substantially to the economy of the United States and are vital to keeping fruits, nuts, and vegetables in our diets. Over the past few decades, there has been a significant loss of pollinators—including honey bees, native bees, birds, bats, and butterflies—from the environment. The problem is serious and poses a significant challenge that needs to be addressed to ensure the sustainability of our food production systems, avoid additional economic impacts on the agricultural sector, and protect the health of the environment.” The same press release also included the fact that almonds rely on bees for 90% of their pollination. It said that California’s almond industry alone requires 1.4 million beehives, 60% of all U.S. hives, to pollinate trees. California also provides 80% of the world’s almond production, the press release said, which brings in $4.8 billion a year. Without the help of bees, California will not be able to fill the world’s demand.

I had a chance to interview a few local bee experts for articles I’ve written over the last two years. Last summer I spoke with Steve Oda, president of the Linn County Beekeepers Association. I thought his story would be relevant to the local area. Oda lives in Albany, and has been hosting honey bees for seven years. He currently manages eight beehives. He set up his hives when he noticed his neighborhood’s fruit trees were not producing very well. He decided to introduce bees to stimulate productivity. When setting up his hives, he visited his neighbors and educated them on how the bees would help the neighborhood. He was concerned because, “People don’t distinguish between honey bees and yellow jackets,” he said. Yellow jackets, for clarification, are not in danger and don’t contribute to pollination as carnivores. Since Oda’s honey bees have been around, he says the lackluster fruit trees he once observed are now more fruitful than ever. Some of his neighbors have joined in support of the bees and have started mowing their lawns less, giving chance for wildflower growth, he told me. Others have started to leave sections of their property untouched, letting native plants bloom for the bees. “Someone who wants a weed-free lawn will not be helpful to bees,” he cautioned. Healthy bees need a variety of flowers and plants to consume, just as humans need different food groups. So in essence, if we can continue to provide a buffet of blooms for our buzzing friends, they will continue to help support the varied diet we also require to be a healthy species.

Another conversation I had in the summer of 2014 was with Dirk Olsen, owner of Olsen Honey Farms in Albany. He manages 8,000 hives for his operation, and each hive can include up to 60,000 bees. He told me of the damage being caused in the Willamette Valley because of relandscaping for human needs. Just as Oda had cautioned his neighbors about wildflower growth, Olsen noted that local officials are also taking action to leave wild spaces for the bees. "Municipalities are getting involved now that they see the bees declining," he said. "Like letting the plants grow wild along highways for the bees to have." Olsen told me that he spends $250,000 a year on corn syrup to feed his colonies in order to combat their nectar deficiency. Just as Steiner from UNEP wrote in this month’s pollinator health report, Olsen also reminded of the delicate relationship humans have with bees. "We have a history of taking care of bees for 7,000 years," he said. "There is a direct relationship between us and the bees."

The way I see it, especially after my research, we simply cannot continue to destroy all natural areas in our cities for our selfish gain. Bees require those resources to stay healthy, and we require their services to stay healthy. We have a collective responsibility to ensure wild spaces are available, and in return, our focus on the welfare of bees ensures the welfare of us.