Economic Importance Of Bees Essay
Why Bees are the Bee’s Knees: The Economic Importance of Bees As Pollinators
Introduction
Bees have indirectly contributed to the United States’ economy for hundreds of years. Dozens of industries have flourished and thrived off the backs of these tiny insects, and without them, the average American lifestyle would not exist. As a society, we are dependent on bees to pollinate our crops and provide us with honey, which in the U.S. alone was worth $317 million in 2013 (“Honey Industry Facts”). Bees also are responsible for the pollination of cotton, which was and continues to be an integral part of the U.S. economy (Sarich). Many household items contain cotton or parts of the cotton plant, and without bees, the price to maintain lifestyles would rise. Additionally, not enough bee colonies exist in the United States for them all to remain sedentary, so commercial beekeepers transport their colonies all around the country during different pollination seasons to boost crop yield (“Economic Value of Commercial …show more content…
Upper and middle class families probably have not minded the slight increase in produce prices over the years as bees died off, but to those living paycheck to paycheck, small changes can add up to hundreds of dollars lost over a few years. Small farmers had smaller crop yields, especially if they could not afford to transport bee colonies to farms to pollinate crops, which means they had less to sell and less money to make, unless they raised prices. The same happened to beekeepers, who have had to compromise the quality of their honey in order to meet demands. Bees are an important part of our economy that we have taken for granted, now that their numbers are rapidly declining, it’s up to humanity to protect and support them or risk losing the lifestyle we have grown so incredibly accustomed
Introduction
Bees have indirectly contributed to the United States’ economy for hundreds of years. Dozens of industries have flourished and thrived off the backs of these tiny insects, and without them, the average American lifestyle would not exist. As a society, we are dependent on bees to pollinate our crops and provide us with honey, which in the U.S. alone was worth $317 million in 2013 (“Honey Industry Facts”). Bees also are responsible for the pollination of cotton, which was and continues to be an integral part of the U.S. economy (Sarich). Many household items contain cotton or parts of the cotton plant, and without bees, the price to maintain lifestyles would rise. Additionally, not enough bee colonies exist in the United States for them all to remain sedentary, so commercial beekeepers transport their colonies all around the country during different pollination seasons to boost crop yield (“Economic Value of Commercial …show more content…
Upper and middle class families probably have not minded the slight increase in produce prices over the years as bees died off, but to those living paycheck to paycheck, small changes can add up to hundreds of dollars lost over a few years. Small farmers had smaller crop yields, especially if they could not afford to transport bee colonies to farms to pollinate crops, which means they had less to sell and less money to make, unless they raised prices. The same happened to beekeepers, who have had to compromise the quality of their honey in order to meet demands. Bees are an important part of our economy that we have taken for granted, now that their numbers are rapidly declining, it’s up to humanity to protect and support them or risk losing the lifestyle we have grown so incredibly accustomed