A Bit Of Uplifting News! 🐝

Posted on by under animals, Economic issues, Environmental Issues, Global Issues

It seems to me like it’s about time for some positive, uplifting news, don’t you think?  Well, it just so happens that I have some, courtesy of our friend Dan Rather …

Oh, Honey!

Buzz about a big comeback

By Dan Rather

01 April 2024

Credit: Getty Images

Spring is springing in much of the country. It is a perfect time to get outdoors and take a break from social media and the relentless coverage of a certain presidential candidate’s constant misdeeds. So today we bring you a story not of divisive politics but of a remarkable recovery. The bees are coming back. And folks, this is a very big deal.

As we have been hearing for more than two decades, bee colonies around the world have been failing at an alarming rate. From 1989 to 2008, more than 30 percent of U.S. commercial honeybee colonies collapsed. The warnings were dire. Without bees, we have many fewer pollinators. Without pollinators, farmers cannot grow crops. Bees are responsible for pollinating one-third of all food grown.

Scientists worldwide have been trying to untangle the mystery of failing hives. It is likely a combination of pesticides, pests, and environmental stressors.

But a new report from The Washington Post suggests a big turnaround for the bees.

New bee farmers are a big reason bees are making a comeback. According to the USDA, more than 1 million honeybee colonies have been added in the United States in five years. Bees, which are classified as livestock, are the fastest-growing herd by double digits. These numbers don’t include wild bees; the total national bee population could be double.

Texas is leading the way in bee farming with a massive increase in farms since 2007. This is partially due to some very persuasive and passionate bee farmers and also because of a legal change that made beekeeping more profitable. Whatever it takes.

But the biggest reason for the uptick in bees is simple supply and demand. According to the Post, almond farming has exploded in the U.S. The demand for almond products — milk substitutes, granola, nut butter, and protein bars — has more than doubled in recent years. Millions of bees are trucked to California in early spring to help the local bees pollinate 170 million almond trees.

California almond trees in bloom (credit: Getty Images)

No one is suggesting scientists and beekeepers have defeated colony collapse, but better and more aggressive management is more than making up for bee losses. Texas bee farmers told the Post they are splitting their hives more often and replacing queens more often.

So while economics — tax breaks and demand — are driving the honeybee comeback, we also need to focus on further reducing the use of insecticides and managing habitats where both domestic and wild bees flourish.

“The way you support both honeybees and beekeepers — and the way you save native pollinators — is to go out there and create beautiful flower-rich habitat on your farm or your garden,” Mace Vaughan told the Post. He is an expert in pollination and biodiversity.

Because if the bees are happy and healthy, so are the humans.

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43 thoughts on “A Bit Of Uplifting News! 🐝”

  2. Pingback: Page Two: Truncated Terrapins … | Homeless on the High Desert

  3. Good news for your bees, but not so great over here at the moment. Bee numbers are still declining, and we have the issue of Asian Hornets and Murder Hornets to deal with if there is a hot summer to come. They can devastate beehives.

    Best wishes, Pete.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Awwww … I’m sorry to hear that … I was hoping for good news ’round the globe for the bees. I hadn’t heard of Asian Hornets or Murder Hornets, but they surely do not sound pleasant! Keeping fingers crossed that it is not a hot summer, though that may be a futile hope, for I think it is likely to be.

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  4. That is great news. I love honey, always have and always will, but haven’t been able to afford it these past few years. People in the area once had thriving bee colonies and sold the honey at a reasonable price, and being local, it helped my allergies. Just really happy to hear the bees are getting stronger and more plentiful.

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      • After all those years on the farm it’s hard to miss the roll the bees play in crop growth, but I sure did miss it by miles here. Too focused on honey I think. I have used it instead of sugar on a lot of things, including to sweeten tea. And poured over ice cream! And just eat it with a spoon right out of the jar!

        Liked by 1 person

        • Heh heh … I have used it to replace sugar and sweeten many things, but never my coffee (I don’t do tea, but am a coffee-addict) and never ate it straight from the jar, though I have licked the spoon I used to get it out! Just out of curiosity … how much is honey there? I bought a 12-ounce bottle this week that was only $4.99.

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  6. Just earlier this week I heard on the radio a Canadian university is testing a new vaccine against bee mites. In Canada the bee mites are one of the largest killers of bees. The vaccine is introduced into hives through some kind of sprwy that so far is harmless to bees, but makes the mites fall off them. I’m not sure how much more testing has to be done, but at least there is renewed hope. Canada’s bee populations have been dwindling for many years now.

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  8. I’ve been happily reading about honey bees’ revival. As an almond milk drinker, I’ve been chastised for being insufficiently concerned about the bees. But now I see I’m part of the solution! Whew!

    Liked by 2 people

  12. Shocking that Texas is leading the way with honey bees. WOWZA! 😲 But nevertheless, good on ya my native state. 👏

    However, Dan Rather is correct about “honey bees,” but he didn’t specify that other bee species are in sharp decline. Not good.

    Sorry to throw a bit of downing, harsh reality to this post Jill. 😏🤷‍♂️ “But I didn’t make the rules” … as they say. 😉

    Liked by 2 people

    • Yes, that surprised me too, but then … sometimes Texas can surprise you! I remember my surprise to learn that Texas leads the way on wind energy!

      I wasn’t aware that other bee species are still in decline. Sad. Without bees, we are toast!

      Liked by 1 person

  13. I have a tiny hive (about 70 bees total) in my backyard…I find myself telling the bees all kinds of things or singing to them. Took a while for me to get up the nerve as I am so strongly allergic to bee venom. My guys seem to know I tend to worry though and are super careful around me…of course I could just be imagini8ng it all.

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    • I think we can make friends-ish with our yard creatures, when we want to. I believe we interact with them when we do; they know good people. Way to go, Suze!

      Liked by 2 people

    • Nah, you’re not imagining it! I have no hive, but every summer when I am watering the sunflowers in the morning, the bumblebees come to visit and we ‘chat’. Well, okay … I chat and they listen. I have not been stung yet, though more than once one has landed on my arm and even once my nose!

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