The Importance of Honey Bees

Possibly one of the most underrated insects is the honey bee. We certainly know that they play a role in our environments and that they help our plants. But the magnitude of honey bees’ importance in our lives is often ignored. 

The problem is that honey bee populations - wild and domestic - seem to be declining. And this poses a serious problem for all of us humans. In fact, their loss would be so bad that home pest control services are barred from killing them. So what is it that makes honey bees so important to us, and how do we deal with them if they become a problem in our home or yard?

Honey bees are one of our most important insects, but what exactly do they do for us that makes them so important? Well, it turns out there are several ways that honey bees help and provide for us.

The most obvious is, of course, that they make honey. Honey is not only a sweet addition to our food, though it’s definitely one we enjoy, it also has some health benefits. It can be used in skin products, in medicine, and it’s a great way to soothe a sore throat. Honey bees also create beeswax, which we use in candles, chapstick, and many other products. 

Making honey and beeswax are not the only roles honey bees play in our lives though. The most important thing these bees do is pollinate plants. As they fly from flower to flower collecting nectar, their hair and legs also collect pollen. Pollen is then moved from male parts of flowers to female parts of flowers so the plant can continue the species. 

This might not seem like a huge deal, but pollination is actually necessary for us to have food on our plates. It ensures that plants can continue to grow and feed us year after year. Without honey bees helping plants pollinate, the plants can’t come back each year. 

Our food isn’t the only thing impacted by the bees pollinating plants. Honey bee pollinating affects almost every industry connected to plants. This includes clothing (particularly cotton-based clothing), medicine, and so on. We are constantly surrounded by things that honey bees have made possible.

Honey bee populations have diminished over the last 20 or so years, and unfortunately, we humans have contributed to that. Honey bees are dying off for several reasons:

The varroa mite is a parasite that feeds on honey bees. If it spreads throughout a hive, the bee population in that hive can drop significantly. This mite is actually considered the number one cause of death and decline in the honey bee population. Research is being done to see if there’s a way to stop the varroa mite from harming honey bees, but there isn’t a standard treatment available. 

Pesticides have become an increasing problem for the honey bee population. Most of the pesticides that affect honey bees are ones sprayed onto plants to prevent unwanted pests, but useful insects like honey bees are also affected by the pesticides as well. Ideally, new bee-friendly chemicals will be created that will prevent pests from damaging crops while still allowing the honey bees to do their important work as well. 

Many honey bee colonies in the United States are cared for by beekeepers. Sometimes the bees are kept only at the beekeeper’s home, but there are others who are commercial beekeepers. They move their bee colonies around the country to help different areas receive bee pollination when they need it most. 

While the commercial bee colonies are extremely useful, especially in this time of bee decline, the travel and conditions the bees are kept in are not always good for the bees. The bees are not always managed well, and this leads to more honey bee deaths than would happen if they weren’t traveling.

Some people also believe that things like pollution are playing a role in the decline of honey bees. The increased pollution could be causing health problems in the bees and shortening their lifespans.

The outlook for honey bees right now isn’t great, but there are ways to help the bees. For example, making sure they are well-taken care of will go a long way. Trying to minimize pollution and pesticides could also make a difference to the lifespan of the bees. 

Knowing how important honey bees are for us humans makes it clear that we need to work to preserve the honey bee population as much as possible. That’s why home pest control services do not kill or get rid of honey bees and their hives. It’s too important to keep their population from declining more, especially because we are beginning to see crops declining because the bees can’t do enough pollination.

But sometimes honey bees can still be a problem in your home and yard. Since it’s a bad idea to kill the honey bees, you need to know what you can do to deal with bees if they do become a problem. 

1 - Leave the bees alone as much as possible. If they aren’t aggravated, they should leave you and your family alone as well. Obviously, this is a temporary solution, but it should help keep you and your family safe from severe stinging.

2 - Call someone to come remove the hive and bees without hurting them.Home pest control services are not the best option to do this. Instead, call a professional beekeeper to move them in a safe way.

Even though home pest control isn’t the best option for moving a beehive, they can help you to know if the insects you’re seeing are actually honey bees or if they are wasps or another similar insect. If it turns out that you have a wasp problem instead of a bee problem, then home pest control services will be able to help you get rid of the wasps quickly.