In ancient Egypt they were known as royal and imperial emblems and a symbol for resurrection.
In Georgia, USA, they have been celebrated as the official state insect since 1975.
They’re the talk of the day—bees.
You hear a lot about the scary prospect of a world where bees are extinct and crops and other plant life are thus not pollinated. Many have noted the decline of bee populations all over the world.
As the word spreads from one person to another to another, it’s easy to lose track of the truth.
Here are some myths, and facts, about the state of bees and how it could affect the world.
Myth:
Bees will soon become extinct.
Fact:
This is not exactly true. Bees are resilient.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), losses from colony collapse disorder (CCD) are heavy.
Annual losses from 2006–2011 averaged about 33 percent, with a third of these losses attributed to CCD. The winter of 2011-2012 was an exception, when total losses were 22 percent, a significant improvement.
It is certain that the bee situation took a turn for the worse, but bees are unlikely to become extinct, at least not in the near future.
A study released by Wellesley College in Massachusetts reveals that genetic diversity in honey bee colonies could greatly improve their chances of survival.
The highly promiscuous mating behavior of queens helps produce a genetic diversity resulting in reduced pathogenic bacteria and an increase in helpful, probiotic bacteria. Incidentally, this also benefits humans, as we use the probiotic bacteria in the fermentation of food.
So, it seems the bees have a back-up plan.
A bee gathers a thyme in France, on Sept. 3, 2013. (Eric Feferberg/AFP/Getty Images)
Myth:
A quote often attributed to Albert Einstein, supposedly said shortly before his death in 1955, states: “Once the bees have left the earth, man will have four years left on the planet.”
Fact:
Garson O’Toole, a Yale PhD who runs a website dedicated to finding the source of popular quotes, was unable to find proof Einstein said this.
O’Toole did, however, find that the Canadian Bee Journal quoted Einstein in 1941: “Remove the bee from the earth and at the same stroke you remove at least one hundred thousand plants that will not survive.”
Even if Einstein did say “Once the bees have left the earth, man will have four years left on the planet,” he would most likely be wrong.
It is very unlikely that mankind would become extinct in four years. Food shortages would impact parts of the world and the food chain would be disrupted, but we would not starve, which brings us to our next myth.
Undated portrait of German-born Swiss-US physicist Albert Einstein (1879-1955), author of theory of relativity, awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921. (AFP/AFP/Getty Images)
Myth:
A world without bees would mean no food.
Fact:
If the bees were to disappear, supermarket shelves would be pretty empty, food prices would rise, but most people would still have food on their plates—albeit with a lot less variety.
The USDA states: “Nationwide, honeybee pollination is worth about $15 billion to the food supply and is credited with helping to produce a third of the nation’s diet. In addition to agricultural crops, honeybees also pollinate many native plants in the ecosystem.”
The Mother Nature Network (MNN) published photos of a grocery store in which all the produce that comes from plants dependent on bees had been removed.
It showed gaping holes in the produce section, but the aisle wasn’t altogether barren.
MNN explains: “University Heights Whole Foods workers … temporarily removed all produce that comes from plants dependent on pollinators. This resulted in a decrease of 52 percent of the department’s normal product mix.
“What’s missing? There’s a definitive lack of apples, avocados, bok choy, broccoli, broccoli rabe, cantaloupe, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, eggplant, green onions, honeydew, kale, leeks, lemons, limes, mangos, mustard greens, onions, summer squash and zucchini—all foods that rely on bees.”
Myth:
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are the only reason for failing bee populations.
Fact:
Genetic modification is, of course, an important agricultural issue and its effects are not yet fully understood, but nobody can really tell the actual reasons for the CCD problem or why bee populations are decreasing.
It’s easy for people to blame the most talked about ecological crook, the GMOs.
The Center for Research on Globalization states on its website: “The genetic modification of the plant leads to the concurrent genetic modification of the flower pollen.
“When the flower pollen becomes genetically modified or sterile, the bees will potentially go malnourished and die of illness due to the lack of nutrients and the interruption of the digestive capacity of what they feed on through the summer and over the winter hibernation process.”
GMOs could definitely be a contributing factor in declining bee populations, but they are hardly the only factor.
Myth:
Cell phones are deadly for bees.
Fact:
Dr. Daniel Farve showed that cell phones can impact bee behavior, but no conclusive evidence has yet shown they are deadly for bees.
Farve’s study for the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, published in 2010, states: “Honeybees are sensitive to pulsed electromagnetic fields generated by the mobile telephones and under these circumstances, observable changes in the behavior of the bees are not artificial, but can be proven to occur reproducibly.”
He told the Daily Mail his study did not show bees died as a result of these electromagnetic fields, but he said his research provides the basis for further studies investigating this issue.
Some experts agree with Favre, but some remain unconvinced that mobile phones are a risk for bees.
Most experts blame the varroa mite—a blood-sucking parasite—as well as pesticide use and changes in farming techniques for causing CCD.
A bee harvests pollen from the flowers of a wild cherry tree in Blankenfelde, Germany on April 25, 2013. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Myth:
If a bee stings someone, the bee will die, contributing to the decrease of bee populations.
Fact:
Honey bees will die after stinging. Other kinds of bees and wasps, however, can sting you and still pick a fight afterward.
Honey bees will only sting when they feel the need to protect their hive or when they are alarmed in some way, and it’s only the female bees that sting.
Honey bees live in large colonies, and the sacrifice of a member when needed to protect the others—on the infrequent occasion it is necessary—does not significantly contribute to the decline of the colony population.
How Better Farming Practices Could Help
Pesticides commonly used in farming, as well as the mono-crop style of farming, leads to a loss of biodiversity—to a loss of undisturbed habitat for pollinators.
The pollination work the bees are doing has an estimated worth of $356 billion annually worldwide, so doing the bees’ job by hand would be an expensive and slow way to go.
Greenpeace runs a website dedicated to raising awareness of the bees’ plight.
The website states: “A major threat to bees comes from the toxic chemical pesticides used in agriculture. Several pesticides are real bee-killers, especially the ones from the chemical group called the neonicotinoids. Neonicotinoids can cause acute and chronic poisoning with deadly consequences for individual bees and entire colonies.”
A report from Pesticide Network North America, titled “Honey Bees and Pesticides: State of the Science,” concludes that not only are the neonicotinoids a threat for bees’ nutrition, but they also cause weakened communication among bees, disorientation, suppressed immunity, disruption of brood cycles, and more.
