5 Reasons Bees Are Vital to Our Lives
As the experts in live bee removal in San Diego, D-Tek Live Bee Removal is always on call to safely remove honey bees from homes, buildings and other locations around the city. We love to do our job and transport honey bees to a proper habitat. After a removal, we transport the bees away from where they are unwanted, to a place where they can thrive. Why? Because these buzzing insects are not only fascinating, but also incredibly vital to our environment.
Bees have an incredible ecological responsibility. They provide food and resources for a variety of species and help carry out environmental processes that otherwise would not happen without insects like them. With U.S. bee populations in decline due to climate change, increased use of pesticides, pollution, the introduction of new predators and other factors, it’s increasingly important that we work to save the bees to avoid environmental consequences. Here are five reasons why bees play a key role in our lives.
5 Reasons Bees Are Vital to Our Lives
Bees are excellent pollinators.
Pollination is the transfer of pollen from one plant to the receptive stigma of the same or other plant of the same species, resulting in the production of fertile seeds that allow the plant to reproduce. These plants rely on external forces to assist with pollination since they can’t complete the process on their own. This can be helped along by wind, butterflies, bats and other insects and animals that visit flowers, including bees.
It’s an unintended but necessary consequence of a natural process that we rely on to produce flowers, crops and other vital plants. Without pollination in the wild, flowers and other plants would not survive, and therefore important food resources wouldn’t be available to countless animals.
Through pollination, bees provide valuable food sources to humans.
Pollinators in general pollinate 180,000 different plant species and over 1,200 important crops. In fact, according to Pollinator Partnership, one out of every three bites of food you eat is there because of pollinators. Honey bees, in particular, perform more than 80 percent of all pollination of cultivated crops, meaning that this symbiotic relationship is incredibly important to our agriculture and farming.
Grocery-store favorites like apples, avocados, blueberries, broccoli, celery, cherries, citrus, cranberries, cucumber and many more are all enjoyed thanks to our striped friends. Outside of these crops, of course, is honey. In 2017 alone, Americans consumed 596 million pounds of the sweet stuff. It’s safe to say that with these figures, honey continues to be in demand, and you can thank bees for the flowing supply.
They ensure biodiversity remains strong.
Since bees are so heavily responsible for flower pollination, they contribute to the biodiversity—the different plants and animals found in a certain area—of forests and other areas they inhabit. We rely on biodiversity for food, medicines, a strong ecosystem as well as protection against natural disasters. Each different species plays a unique role in our planet’s ecosystem, so maintaining biodiversity is vital to maintaining its delicate balance.
Honey bee products have great medicinal purposes.
Honey bees have long been used for medicinal purposes from honey and bee pollen to beeswax and even bee venom. Products with these ingredients have shown “to exhibit anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral and antioxidant activities.” Natural honey bee products have also inhibited tumor cell growth and may prove to be useful in cancer therapies.
Honey itself is considered a goldmine for nutrients, containing a slew of vitamins and minerals like vitamin B, C, calcium, iron, zinc, potassium and more. It’s an antiseptic, an anti-inflammatory, a natural laxative and a blood purifier. It also promotes rehydration and stimulates immunity. With such valuable properties, honey is used to treat sore throats, dehydration, upset stomachs, hypertension and arthritis, just to name a few.
Honey and beeswax have cosmetic and dermatological properties too.
If you’ve perused a natural food or cosmetic store lately, you’ve likely seen several products made with natural beeswax promising skin hydration, healing and anti-aging properties. Honey is moisturizing to the skin, providing and sealing in moisture, leaving it soft and glowing. But, more than that, honey has been widely regarded in treating more serious wounds, since honey from many different floral origins can kill a variety of pathogens. Honey may also be an effective treatment for burns as well since it has been shown to promote reconstruction of skin cells during recovery and promote angiogenesis—the development of new blood vessels.
Call D-Tek Live Bee Removal for Help with Your San Diego Swarm or Hive
We understand. Sometimes these flying insects can seem like pests, especially when they’ve nested in or around your home. But, once you understand the essential role they play in the ecosystem, the environment and our everyday lives, it’s easy to see the need to protect them. So next time you spot a hive around your home, give D-Tek Live Bee Removal a call and we’ll transport these mighty insects safely and effectively to a new habitat.