Bees Pollinate One Third of the Crops in the World

Did you know bees pollinate one third of the crops in the world? In other words, for every three bites a person takes, he/she can thank a bee for one (Grossman, 2013). Although one may not notice it, the bee decline in the U.S. has been on the move and is taking a toll on U.S. farmers, which affects everyone. For instance, bees are certainly a main pollinator in the world. Since the start of their decline, crops have been on the decline as well. As a result of fewer flourishing crops, the U.S. has been losing money from the bees. Consequently, farmers have resorted to letting workers go just to be able to keep their farms productive. The decline of bees in the U.S has taken a toll on farmers to an extent where they lose crops, money, workers, and many are losing their farms as well.

Crop Decline

Over the past ten years, thirty percent of bee hives have been lost which has affected the environment and plants especially. It is crucial to protect the bees because they provide stable fruits and vegetables for the country. For instance, almonds are dependent upon bees particularly in California. Since there aren’t as many bees now, California almond farmers have a difficult time pollinating their almond crops (Zhang, 2018). Furthermore, the loss of bees means the plant reproduction cycle declines thus leaving plants in danger of going extinct. While the decline of bees has hit plants hard, which has left them vulnerable to diseases, farmers have lost not only crops but money too.

Profit

While bees are important to the environment, the money that their honey brings in is profitable as well. Since the honey is so valuable, Asia has sold it for 50-60 dollars per pound before, while in America its usually sells for one dollar per pound (Garcia, 2018). In addition, bee pollination is worth an estimated 15 billion in U.S. farming which is essential to farmers and their crops. Without the pollinations of feedstock, meat has declined which has forced an increase in price. Furthermore, this price increase on meat has pushed price increases on crops in the U.S. also. Now making fewer profits, the U.S. recently spent 2 million dollars to help the bee’s population by fixing 10 million bee hives (Lee, 2018). Furthermore in California, the almond growers sometimes have to pay an extra 83 million a year just to help repair hives and get good pollination (Grossman, 2013). Without pollination, farmers won’t have a surplus of crops, and without an adequate supply of crops, they won’t make enough money to pay their workers which will force layoffs.

Employment

Since farmers are now losing profits as a result of the decline of bees and their pollination, the workforce has declined. For example, when farmers can’t pay workers, they must find work elsewhere. This results in less meat and plant options in grocery stores. With fewer options to choose from, grocery stores are not able to adequately fill their shelves, resulting in fewer workers as well. Consequently, bees contribute to keeping the economy strong.

In conclusion, bees can affect much more than just crops. For example, they affect the farmers when they start losing workers and money. Furthermore, some farmers are forced to shut their farms down which can affect how much food and plants are at the grocery store. In addition, U.S. farmers start losing money while trying to help bees flourish. These are the many different ways bee pollination affects farmers and the people consuming their products.

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