August 15 is Honey Bee Day

IT seems highly unlikely that Einstein did actually say that if the bees disappeared, so would man. The earliest known citation of the quote was prefaced by: ‘If I remember aright …’ which casts immediate doubt on what follows.In any case, he would not have been the first to say it, as Maurice Maeterlinck in his work ‘The Life of the Bee’ in 1901, infers that the whole of civilisation could well disappear if bees were wiped off the face of the earth and he was preceded by similar hints from Charles Darwin.

Whoever said it first, the frightening reality is that, with 80 percent of mankind’s crops dependent on pollination by bees, our food security – and our ultimate survival as a species – could well hang in the balance if anything should happen to these tireless little workers.Honey Bee Day is an awareness day started by beekeepers in the United States to build community awareness of the bee industry, through education and promotion. The concept is to bring together beekeepers, bee associations, as well as other interested groups, to connect with the communities to advance beekeeping.

But honey bees are under threat. Just like other animals honey bees are susceptible to a number of diseases, and unfortunately with global movements and intensive farming practices, a number of bee diseases are increasing in their detrimental effects on bees. Products like insecticides, fungicides, herbicides and fertilisers can all be highly toxic to bees, but many of these are commonly used in very high quantities in the horticultural industry and we are seeing their negative impact on bee health and numbers.

Habitat destruction results in a loss of access to nectar and pollen resources, making it difficult to impossible for commercial beekeepers to maintain a viable business and, by extension, to sustain enough healthy and strong hives for pollination services.And wild bees are having an even tougher time. So think about them when you make gardening choices.