(NaturalHealth365)  Honey bees have been under attack for over a decade, yet most people don’t know about it.  Bees are threatened with extinction, and their complete disappearance would be catastrophic to life as we know it.  Yet, mounting evidence suggests that pesticides are key factors in their decline.

Considering the importance of bees, why do we keep using products and instituting practices that kill them off?  That is the question the world must finally look in the face and answer, thanks to recent research regarding pesticides’ impact on bee populations.  And it’s about time!

Here is why bees are critical to maintain our food supply

The impact that bees have on our environment is immense.  They are a crucial component in pollination which means the growth of flowers, trees, and other plants that provide food and shelter for animals and humans.  They are major contributors to interconnected, complex ecosystems that support life for diverse species to coexist.

They are master crop pollinators.  Remove the bees, and our food supply will be threatened.  No bees mean no food gardens, and that means empty plates.

They also produce honey which possesses remarkable healing properties.  High-quality, organic, raw honey works as an antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial making it as beneficial for the body as it is for making life a little sweeter.

Yes, bees are that important.

Pesticide combinations are particularly deadly to bee populations, studies suggest

A study published in 2019 had several sobering conclusions:

• Since 1970 nearly half of all insect species have disappeared
• Currently, 41% of insect species are at risk of becoming extinct
• 1 in 6 species of bees have become locally extinct in at least one geographic area or region

An August 2021 report published in Nature identified specific pesticide combinations that pose a substantial threat to bees, causing more damage than previously thought.  When bees interact with multiple agrochemicals, it can increase bee mortality significantly.

More importantly, it synergistically impacts bees, meaning that if one pesticide kills 10% of honeybees in a colony and a different pesticide kills another 10% in that same colony, a synergistic effect could lead to a mortality rate of up to 40% or greater.

And this is what is currently happening and why our bees are dying.

It’s time for more rigorous regulations on pesticides

Researchers and environmental advocates are calling for more stringent regulations for pesticides as the ones currently in place are ineffective in protecting bees.  Scientists recommend that not only should individual pesticides or chemicals be tested, but common combinations be tested as well.

Many chemical companies sell a “cocktail” comprised of several different pesticides and chemicals designed for agricultural purposes.  While the individual ingredients have undergone testing, there is no testing for the compounds formed when the chemicals are combined.

Survival of bees are affected by MANY threats 

Pesticides are not the only threat bees face.  Poor nutrition and parasites can also affect bees, but not in a synergistic manner that pesticides do.  Invasive species, habitat loss, and pollution also factor into the decline of bees, but again, not to the magnitude that unregulated pesticide compounds do.

Our bees are important, and as guardians of our world, it is our responsibility to protect them.  More research is needed to study and address all of the threats that bee populations face and examine and analyze pesticide and chemical compounds used in agricultural settings and elsewhere.

Keep in mind, the bees were here first … and they are vital to sustaining life as we know it and keeping our ecosystems in balance.  Simply put, it’s time to show nature the respect it deserves.  We can all benefit from that way of living.

Sources for this article include:

Nature.com
EcoWatch.com
NewsTarget.com
Independent.co.uk