Coronavirus is injuring local bees

By the year 2050, the world’s population is projected to exceed 9 billion, so if you want to reduce harmful carbon dioxide emissions while maintaining enough crops to feed the world, the efficiency of food production Will become more and more important. When the ultimate goals are crop sustainability and the avoidance of global famine, honeybees are an important aspect of our ecosystem that propose solutions to both of these growing global problems.

Without honey bee pollination efforts, the yields of most crops grown in the United States are too low to be profitable. Through our global network of farm beekeepers, farmers can access this important pollination resource naturally provided by local bees, grow profitably and feed the world’s population. ..

However, since 2006, honeybee populations have declined steadily due to impaired colony collapse, habitat loss, lack of economic sustainability, and climate change. The future of honeybees is very important because their presence mainly affects and affects human food production. Therefore, if threats to this small but powerful species continue, our global ecosystem and the existence of the whole human will always be a problem.

Sit with Greg Shved, Founder and CEO of BeeLearn more about the threatening economic impacts of the beekeeping industry and COVID-19 on beekeepers nationwide at one of America’s largest beekeeping networks. It also explains what will happen in the future if we do not work together to save the bees.

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1. Please tell us about your background and why bees.

This is because there are no bees and no humans. I was born to a family of beekeepers in Sacramento, California. My grandfather has always been my greatest role model and inspiration. He first took me to an almond orchard in 2004. There I experienced my first almond pollination season as a beekeeper. I was able to see how important bee pollination is to the whole agricultural process. Since then, I’ve been his right arm, helping everything from bee production to delivery to the orchards in Central Valley, California.

His grandfather’s research, which he was collecting to improve the use of bees during almond pollination, triggered the launch of my own company, Exchange Bees, in 2016. Techniques to continue his research. Almond Growers turned to multiple opportunities that can be offered to increase crop yields and reduce the overall cost of pollination. Without a reliable source of bees, crops cannot achieve today’s high yields. The low crop yields caused by the lack of pollination are causing smallholders to go out of business, increasing the cost of bee-dependent crops and reducing the amount of food available for world population growth.

2. How many honeycombs do you manage?

Today, the beekeeping group manages 17,000 birdhouses across Northern California, expanding annually to meet the growing demand from farmers. Throughout the year, we produce honey for more than 120 Raley, Safeway, and other CA grocery stores. We also provide pollination services to growers of various crops in California’s Central Valley. For almond pollination, an additional 42,000 birdhouses will be contracted to meet the demands set by the California almond growers for annual almond pollination.

3. Why are bees important for food production?

Bees are estimated to be responsible for pollinating a third of the food we eat worldwide. The majority of fruits, vegetables, and some nuts, including almonds, are all dependent on bee pollination. Think this way. In the United States, the food production system is a pyramid. At the top of this pyramid is the food you eat, and at the bottom is the bee. If the number of bee colonies continues to decline and the corresponding commercial beekeeping is not expanded, US crop yields are very likely to fall to the point where they can cause global famine.

4. What do you think about the Asian giant hornet threat to beehive populations?

If you want to destroy all bee colonies in the United States, the giant hornet in Asia is a pretty dreadful threat. Unfortunately, European honeybees are varieties used by commercial beekeepers in the United States, and they have no defense mechanism against the giant hornet in Asia. In my opinion, I don’t think the Asian giant hornets can spread nationwide fast enough without constantly destroying our nests. It can only be a problem if you are not actively trying to eradicate them in the United States.

5. Can American beekeepers adapt to the economic benefits of COVID-19?

In short, the American honey market is the biggest threat to our honeybees. Americans consume four times as much honey as they produce in the United States. But even before COVID-19, the American honey market was declining due to the large imports of foreign honey. Packers prefer imported honey due to its low price, so many domestic commercial beekeeping businesses must stock up on honey. This impacts the beekeeper’s cash flow, which increases the risk that the beekeeper will not have sufficient funds to continue caring for the bees. I want to lobby for better honey laws so American beekeepers can sell all of their honey crops. Just as sugar has a tariff rate quota (TRQ) that affects the amount of sugar available in the US market, honey needs to have the same program in place. Without this program, suppliers can import unlimited honey and sell it at half the price American apiarists need to sell honey to keep their business going.

6. What are some known health benefits of honey?

Raw honey is a superfood rich in nutrients and antioxidants compared to artificial sweeteners with little or no nutritional benefits such as stevia, white sugar, and aspartame. It also contains antiviral and antibacterial properties that benefit the immune system. It is known to help improve cholesterol and lower triglycerides. Overall, honey offers many human health benefits, including cancer prevention, mitigation of digestive problems, and even reduced risk of heart disease. More recently, Manuka honey was discovered to contain a laboratory-validated, independently validated bioactivity rating, which aids in the healing of external burns and wounds due to naturally occurring levels of peroxide activity.

7. What can be done to better protect this important part of the ecosystem?

There are many different ways we can help save bees in the United States. The most effective way is to buy only locally produced honey. This not only benefits your local bees, but also helps with allergies as pollen is collected from your area. Buying honey at a grocery store usually gives you several options. Some of the honey on the shelves comes from local beekeepers and some are imported. Bottle refers to the origin of honey and the front or back of where it is bottled.