by Nancy Seddens

Created on: November 07, 2011   Last Updated: November 08, 2011

Imagine a world without those pesky bees buzzing around. To eliminate the chances of being stung it might just be worth having to do without honey, especially if you are one of the many people who are highly allergic to bee venom. But, as any farmer can tell you, bees give much more to humans than their honey. A world without bees would be a world without many foods people have come to enjoy as well as be dependent upon.

The biggest job bees do for humans is one done accidentally: pollination. Bees, in the process of gathering nectar for their own selfish purposes, brush against the stamens of flowers receiving a dusting of pollen in the process and then, without meaning to do so, transfer some of the pollen to the ovum of the same flower or another of the same species. This moving pollen about is an important part of the reproductive cycle of many plants a goodly number of which provide the human race with food.

Over 400 types of plants grown for agricultural purposes are pollinated by bees and approximately a third of all food grown is relies on bees for production.  Of course bees aren’t the only ways plants can be pollinated. Corn and wheat, among others, are pollinated by the wind while ants do a share of the pollinating as well but without bees the types of food available for humans consumption would be greatly reduced.

Practically all fruit needs bees to produce fruit, with the American Pawpaw being a rare exception and most nut trees require them as well. While most grains don’t need bees to make seed, the feed commercial food producers depend on such as clover for grazing animals require bees to thrive; consequently, the loss of bees would greatly reduce the availability of meat.

Those who wish for the demise of bees and all other stinging insects upon being stung would do well to reconsider;unless a steady diet of the following suits them: pawpaws, walnuts, hazelnuts, corn, flour products, bananas and pineapples, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and a few vegetables such as squash grown in home gardens small enough to depend on ants or humans to pollinating them. Although it would seem a small matter in comparison there would also be no cotton to make clothes from.

Perhaps worst of all would be the chaos as civilization dissolved due to lack of food. Eventually a few humans would be able to survive on the limited foods still available but life would be changed forever.

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