Marla Spivak: Why bees are disappearing

Summary

In this enlightening talk, the speaker underscores the indispensable role bees play in pollinating over a third of our crops, highlighting their unintentional yet crucial contribution to our food supply. The script delves into the fascinating world of bees, from their social structures to their natural healthcare practices, such as using propolis as an antibiotic. It also addresses the alarming decline in bee populations due to monoculture farming, pesticides, and diseases like the varroa mite. The speaker calls for collective action, urging us to plant bee-friendly flowers and avoid pesticides to support these vital pollinators, emphasizing that our individual efforts can make a significant impact on their survival and, consequently, our food security.

Takeaways

• 🐝 Bees are crucial pollinators for over one-third of the world's crops, including fruits, vegetables, and flowers.
• 🌼 Bees unintentionally pollinate while foraging for food, primarily collecting protein from pollen and carbohydrates from nectar.
• 👩‍🌾 In places without bees, humans must pollinate plants by hand, a practice still used in some regions.
• 🍅 Bumblebees are vital for pollinating certain crops, like tomatoes, as they can vibrate flowers to release pollen.
• 🐝 There are over 20,000 species of bees, though honeybees are often the face of bee conservation due to their social behavior and honey production.
• 🌿 Honeybees use plant resins to create propolis, which acts as a natural disinfectant and boosts colony health.
• 🔬 Bees face multiple threats, including pesticides, habitat loss, and parasites like the varroa mite, leading to widespread colony deaths.
• 🌾 Agricultural changes since WWII, including monocultures and the use of synthetic fertilizers and herbicides, have reduced bee-friendly plants.
• 🚜 Bees are essential for crops like almonds, where millions of colonies are transported to provide pollination, but the landscapes often become barren after blooming.
• 🌸 The solution to bee decline is simple: plant diverse, bee-friendly flowers without pesticides and support sustainable farming practices.

Q & A

What is the primary role of bees in agriculture?

Bees are the most important pollinators of fruits, vegetables, flowers, and crops like alfalfa hay that feed farm animals. More than one third of the world's crop production depends on bee pollination.

How do bees unintentionally contribute to food production?

Bees unintentionally contribute to food production by foraging for pollen and nectar, which are essential for their diet. As they move from flower to flower, they pollinate plants, providing a valuable service.

What is the significance of bumblebees in the context of tomato pollination?

Bumblebees are significant in tomato pollination because they can vibrate flowers at a frequency similar to the musical note C, which releases pollen from the anther. This natural method of pollination is more efficient and results in better quality tomatoes.

Why are honeybees considered a 'super-organism'?

Honeybees are considered a 'super-organism' because the colony operates as a single entity, with 40,000 to 50,000 individual bees working together without a central authority, coordinating their tasks and social behaviors.

How do bees practice social healthcare?

Bees practice social healthcare by maintaining hygiene within the colony, such as locating and removing sick individuals, and by using resins collected from plants to create propolis, a natural disinfectant and antibiotic that bolsters the colony's health.

What factors have contributed to the decline of honeybee populations since World War II?

The decline of honeybee populations since World War II is due to changes in farming practices, including the use of synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, and monoculture farming, which have reduced the availability of flowering plants necessary for bees' survival.

What is the impact of pesticides on bees?

Pesticides have a detrimental impact on bees, with research showing that every batch of pollen collected by bees contains at least six detectable pesticides. These chemicals can lead to bees becoming intoxicated, disoriented, or dying.

What is the role of varroa destructor in bee health?

Varroa destructor is a major threat to bees as it is a blood-sucking parasite that weakens the bee's immune system and spreads viruses, contributing to the decline in bee populations.

How can individuals help support bee populations?

Individuals can help support bee populations by planting bee-friendly flowers that are native to their area and avoiding the use of pesticides on these flowers, providing a source of nutrition and habitat for bees.

What is the current situation regarding the die-off of bees, and what is the speaker's hope or concern about it?

The current situation is precarious, with an average of 30 percent of all bee hives lost every winter in the United States. The speaker expresses concern about this trend and emphasizes the importance of beekeepers and the planting of flowers to help maintain bee populations.