The Importance of Bees in the Garden
The fear of bees is known formally as Melissophobia and it is usually brought on after a negative interaction with a bee in childhood. After all, bees are an essential part of our ecosystem which means that those who purposely kill them are putting our planet at risk as they pollinate a lot of plants that allow some of our most popular foods to remain on the store shelves. Read on as the team here at The Home and Gardens go over a few reasons why bees are so important in the garden…
How many plants are pollinated by bees?
Bees tend to come out during the summer because this is the time of year when flowers bloom and need pollinating. After all, these insects are an integral part of the pollination process because they pollinate around 80% of the world’s plants and, as a result, a reduction in bee numbers means that our ecosystem will suffer greatly.
What food products are reliant on bees?
Although bees are necessary for plant pollination, they are also essential for pollinating food crops too. In fact, they are the reason why humans have such an abundance of fruits like apples, kiwis, watermelon and even blueberries. In fact, ice cream flavours would also be scarce without bees because many of the traditional flavours rely on bee pollination taking place.
How can we protect the bee population?
According to statistics, bees are dying out at a rate of 30% per year and this is a figure that should strike fear into the general public. After all, many foods would disappear from the shelves if the bee population was to diminish extensively. Luckily, gardeners can protect them by using natural pesticides on their crops that won’t harm bees during the pollination process. In addition to this, providing a sugar solution to tired bees during the hot summer months can revive them and ensure that they safely make it back to their hive.
When it comes to the bee population, it is important that gardeners respect the insects as they are very important to the longevity of many plants, particularly flowers. Luckily, bees only sting when they feel threatened which is why it is wise to stay still if one decides to investigate closely. To find out more information about living as one with honeybees, get in contact with a member of The Home and Gardens team today!