Thank You Bee
Every story begins somewhere and ours started with a bee, so World Bee Day is an extra special day for us. With that in mind, we’d like to say a special thank you to our bees and other pollinators, without whom, our lives could be very boring.
Bees and other pollinators, are an essential part of our planet’s biodiversity. In fact, if it wasn’t for bees and other pollinators, many of the foods we take for granted, might not exist or simply be occasional luxuries due to their high cost.
Summer fruits like the cherry ……
Image by kie-ker from Pixabay, cherry blossom
…… blackberries ……
Image by kie-ker from Pixabay, blackberry flowers
…… raspberries.
By Ihor Hvozdetskyi, raspberry flowers
Stone fruits, such as the apricot.
Image by RitaE from Pixabay, apricots and jam
Image by Sonja Rieck from Pixabay, apricot blossom
Almond trees depend on bees to produce nuts. In fact, California almonds are so dependant on bees for pollination that millions of honey bees are shipped around the state each year.
Image by Couleur from Pixabay, almond milk
Image by Maria Teresa Martínez from Pixabay, almond orchards
Bees pollinate cotton, flax and hemp plants, used not only for fabrics but also to produce rope, cardboard and soaps.
Image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay, cotton clothing
Image by manzar_87 from Pixabay, cotton plant
Flax seeds are used in baking and to produce flax oil, rich in healthy omega 3 fats.
Image by Irina Nünning from Pixabay, seeded bread
Image by Couleur from Pixabay, flax flowers
The origins of many of our medicines are down to plants which have been pollinated by bees. Asprin was originally derived from the willow tree. Today, morphine is still manufactured from poppies, which are pollinated by bees.
Image by Mrdidg from Pixabay, ‘morphine’ poppies
Bees pollinate many of the plants used to make animal feed, such as oilseed rape, soya and lupine.
Image by biancaunduli from Pixabay, oilseed rape
Chocolate, manufactured from the cocoa tree. This species has such a complex reproductive structure, that in actual fact, bees can’t access it! The job of cocoa pollination is down to a group of very small flies, amusingly known as the ‘No See Ums’. They are from the family of biting midges, cursed across the globe for ruining many a day in the countryside.
Image by cgdsro from Pixabay, chocolates
Image by helenacoles623 from Pixabay, the cacoa tree
Arabica coffee plants are self-fertilizing as they are a wind-pollinated plant species. However, when bees are around Arabica plants, the fruit harvest increases up to 16%! Robusta coffee plants make up around 40% of the world’s coffee production. They depend entirely on cross pollination, thriving in an area of strong biodiversity - bees are essential to this coffee.
Image by thiemen from Pixabay, coffee
Image by falco from Pixabay, coffee blossom
Some plants, like the strawberry, do not require pollinators to produce fruit, as they are able to utilise the wind for pollination. However, the more heavily pollinated a strawberry is, the bigger and more colourful the berry becomes.
Image by silviarita from Pixabay, strawberry icecream
Bees are responsible for pollinating broad-leafed trees that produce timber for the construction industry.
In fact, so many plants are reliant on bees and other pollinators, requiring pollination to produce seeds for the next generation.
And, even though many plant foods can be self-pollinated, the presence of bees and other pollinators improves the quality and size of the yeild. In short, nature does it best!
