The Impact of Bees
To speak of bees is to speak of abundance. These small, shimmering creatures play an outsized role in sustaining life on Earth. Their quiet flight from bloom to bloom makes our gardens bloom brighter, our orchards fruit heavier, and our tables more generous.
Pollinators with Purpose
A single healthy hive of 50,000 bees can pollinate up to 300 million flowers each day. Multiply that across a season, and you begin to understand the astonishing reach of a colony’s work. Their tireless foraging doesn’t just result in honey, it results in the reproduction of plants, the feeding of wildlife, and the survival of the very ecosystems we rely on.
In fact, bees are responsible for pollinating over one-third of the food we eat. Apples, almonds, cucumbers, blueberries, pumpkins, avocados, and so many more fruits, nuts, and vegetables depend on pollination to exist.
Bees and Agriculture
Without bees, many crops would simply not bear fruit. In the United States alone, bee pollination contributes an estimated $15 billion annually to agricultural production. Farmers depend on pollinators not just for volume, but for quality—bees improve the size, shape, and nutritional value of fruits and vegetables.
Bees don’t just support commercial agriculture—they support backyard gardens, wild meadows, native forests, and everything in between.
Threats to the Hive
As essential as they are, bees are facing unprecedented threat, many of them human-made.
Pesticides and Herbicides
Chemical pesticides and herbicides used in conventional lawn care and farming can weaken or kill bees outright, interfering with their ability to navigate, forage, and communicate. Even so-called "bee-friendly" sprays may linger on plants or be brought back to the hive, exposing the entire colony.
Mosquito Fogging & Lawn Treatments
Common mosquito treatments, especially foggers and sprays, are highly toxic to bees, particularly when applied indiscriminately. Bees can encounter treated plants and die before ever making it back to the hive. Entire colonies have been lost after mosquito control treatments were applied nearby.
If you care about bees, or are lucky enough to host a hive, avoiding chemical treatments on your property is one of the most powerful things you can do. Instead, embrace native plants, organic gardening, and natural pest control to create a haven for pollinators.
In Praise of Bees
To protect bees is to protect our food, our flowers, and our future. Whether you host a hive, plant a pollinator garden, or simply choose to buy local raw honey, your choices make a difference.
Because when you care for bees, you’re not just keeping insects—you’re nurturing an entire world.