Farmers, Be Nice to Bee Keepers

Farmers, Be Nice to Bee Keepers

The average American probably doesn’t consider bees to be important in the grand scheme of things. The truth is that bees play an integral role in the success of the country’s farmers.

Whether farmers are growing apples, pumpkins, blueberries, or some other type of fruit or vegetable, they rely on bees to pollinate their crops. The National Resources Defense Council, an international advocacy group that studies the environment, released a report in 2011 that indicated bees are responsible for pollinating about $15 billion worth of U.S. crops every year. At the time, NRDC also reported that bees produce more than $150 million worth of honey every year. Without bees, there would almost certainly be a countrywide food shortage that would affect everyone, which is why farmers and beekeepers need to work together closely to make sure bees are utilized effectively at all times.

“If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live.” ~ Albert Einstein

CDC

Over the last decade, a condition called Colony Collapse Disorder has affected many of the bees living throughout the U.S. Pesticide use, parasites, and other factors have significantly reduced the number of bees and, as a result, there are fewer bees in the country right now than at any point over the last 50 years. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency are working to fix this problem, but individual farmers must work on it as well and find ways to help bee keepers with the issue. Farmers will not be able to produce enough crops without bees, so it’s absolutely essential for them to make time to talk to bee keepers about the practices they can put into place to prevent bees from dying off as quickly as they have in recent years.

Queen Bee Gardens, located in Lovell, Wyoming, is committed to preserving the country’s bee populations. We use the honey produced by our bees to create a wide range of honey-based products, including honey caramels, bee energy bars, honey toffee, and more. You can learn more about our products and the steps we take to treat our bees right by calling us at 800-225-7553 today.