How Kids Can Become Beekeepers of the Future

Are Bees Endangered?

Are bees endangered? Some days it feels like we’re living in a post-apocalyptic world. Whether it’s the latest pandemic (yes, I’m speaking about you Monkeypox!) or the tragic consequences of the war between Russia and Ukraine, or skyrocketing gas and grocery prices amidst an economic recession, there’s always some “news” we feel compelled to hide from our children. In fact, we almost never hear good news anymore. And if things couldn’t get worse, we’re now told that there are large killer bees (Asian Giant Hornets)– roughly 2+ inches in length–that are now infesting North America and are actually “murdering” honeybees. Whoa! 

As if honeybees didn’t already have it bad, now they have near relatives ripping their heads off, eating their honey, and stealing their young. But as they like to say, honeybees have 99 problems and this is just one of them. Honeybees are now threatened by “colony collapse disorder,” various pathogens, and dwindling bee habitats. Let’s add to this list pesticides, global warming, air pollution, nutrition deficits, and even drought. And these issues aren’t just impacting commercially raised bee populations, but also wild bees. While many of these problems are interrelated, the fact remains that the two greatest threats–dwindling habitats and pesticides–have been caused by humanity.

But the most pressing problem facing honeybees is a meta-problem: bees are now endangered. Bee colonies have been slowly collapsing for decades, but began to rapidly decline in the last two decades. In 1947, there were over six million bee colonies in the United States. By 1970 that number had declined to 4 million. By 1990, it was down to just three million. Today, U.S. bee colonies represent fewer 2.7 million hives. This means that in the last 60+ years, bee colony populations in the U.S. have declined 55%. 

And this problem is only growing worse. According to the Beeinformed, a non-profit organization that tracks bee population loss via a voluntary survey of beekeepers, between April 2020 and April 2021, beekeepers in the U.S. lost an estimated 45.5% of their hives. This actually represents the second highest loss on record, up almost 3% from the previous year.  In fact, in the last 12 years, honeybee populations have been declining annually at a rate of 45%.

Why Save the Bees? What Happens If Bees Go Extinct?

It goes without saying that pollinators are essential for food security in the United States. But there are also so many other aspects of human existence that will be impacted by the decline of bee populations or their extinction. 

• A single bee colony can pollinate 300 million flowers each day

• Honeybees enable the production of at least 90 commercially grown crops in North America

• 70 out of the top 100 human food crops, which supply 90% of the world’s food, are pollinated by bees

• Wild pollinators, which include bumble bees and alfalfa leafcutter bees, contribute almost 9 billion to the U.S. economy alone

• Pollinators are responsible for roughly $235 to $577 billion in annual food production 

In short, declining bee populations will severely impact world food supply, reducing the availability and diversity of fresh produce. For example, 90% of some produce like blueberries and cherries rely on honeybees. But dairy production would also be impacted, since cows rely on clover, which is pollinated by bees. What this ultimately means is that the extinction of bees could mean the end of ice cream!

Decline in food supply would also damage world economies, increasing poverty, hardship and suffering across the globe. 

But this is just the start of a larger ripple effect. In addition, many species of plant, which are exclusively pollinated by bees, would cease to exist, such as the bee orchid. This would affect other habitats and organisms that live in these habitats, causing more dependent organisms to go extinct. Animals that prey on bees would also go extinct. 

Why Are Bees Endangered?

Unfortunately, the problem of bee population decline is a complex one. I wish this weren’t the case because it would be much easier to solve. As I suggested at the start of this post, there are almost too many reasons to count. So to help you navigate the issues, I’ve curated a list of nine of the most important reasons why bees are endangered and or disappearing.

9 Reasons Why Bees are Endangered

1. Mites – An invasive species of mite, Varroa, is currently a blight upon the community of bees. The mite itself is actually a vector of transmission for three primary viruses impacting bees.  

2. Viruses – There are always new and emerging diseases, but the most recent and deadly virus is called the Acute Paralysis Bee Virus (APBV). The first symptoms of a bee infected APBV is shaking, shivering wings, which progresses to paralysis and ultimately death.

3. Parasites – The Nosema parasite infects individual bees, but it causes quite a big problem when it infects “Nurse” bees or the “Queen” bee of a colony.  Queen bees infected with the Nosema will die prematurely, weakening or destroying colonies.

4. Habitat Destruction – In general, farming practices are slowly making it more difficult not only to find proper nutrition, but also to build nests. 

5. Poisoning – Pesticides, fungicides, toxic chemical cocktails

6. Nutrition Deficit – Recent human farming practices–such as monoculture farming–are making difficult for bees to keep a well-balanced diet and as a result bees globally are suffering from poor nutrition

7. Air Pollution – When air is polluted, it makes it more difficult for bees to “sniff” or identify flowers. More importantly, poisoned air affects bees much more than humans. Even mildly polluted, air can kill 80% of some species of bees.

8. Climate Change/Weather – Drought, cold, or rainy weather can be disastrous for bees. The increasing extremity of temperature from climate change is disrupting bee behavior.

9. Immune System Destruction – Bee colonies that are exposed to pesticides and other poisons experience immune system suppression and destruction. 

What Bees Are Endangered?

Did you know that there are over 20,000 species of bees in the world? While there are currently thousands of bee species, there are just nine species of bees in the world that are endangered, but they basically amount to two distinct types of bees:  

1. Hawaiian Yellow-Faced Bees: Hawaiian yellow-faced bees as their name implies are a rare group of the yellow-faced species endemic to Hawaii. Unlike other bees, these cuties actually carry pollen in their stomachs! They were added to the endangered species list in 2016 for the first time and still haven’t been removed:

   • Hylaeus anthracinus

   • Hylaeus longiceps 

   • Hylaeus assimulans 

   • Hylaeus facilis 

   • Hylaeus hilaris 

   • Hylaeus kuakea

2. Bumblebees: The rusty patched bumblebee is the bee most recently added to the endangered species list and sadly it couldn’t happen to a kinder bee. The bumblebee is one of the kindest and most good-natured bees. In fact, bumblebees are so good-natured, they’ll actually let you pet their “fur” early in the morning when they’re still waking up! 

   Not only are 2 species of bumblebee currently on the endangered species list, but as of September 2021, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that the American Bumblebee whose population has plummeted 90%, may be placed on the Endangered Species List in the near future. Right now, the following two species are currently protected by the American Endangered Species Act:

• Bombus Affinis (Rusty patched bumblebee)

• Bombus Franklini (Franklin’s bumblebee)

How Can We Save the Bees? 7 Simple Ways to Save

Looking for a way to help that’s fast, fun, and easy? Look no further. We’ve compiled the ultimate list of seven ways you and your little one can help save the bees.

Generate Awareness 

In a weird way, Chub & Bug is already taking the first step to help bees by writing this blog post to generate awareness of the problem. That’s right most people aren’t even aware that bee populations are endangered and that honeybees in particular are in decline. We hope that this post helps to generate awareness and educate parents and children about this issue so they can then spread the word to their friends, families, and associates. 

But there are so many ways we can generate awareness, especially kids. With this in mind, we at Chub and Bug have created a special “Save the Bees” notebook and stickers.

Start a BEE-utiful Garden and let it go!

The most obvious thing to do is make it as easy as possible for pollinators to do their thang. Plant as many plants as possible that bees love, such as basil, rosemary and sunflowers! 

Better yet, plant a cherry tree since they produce 10x more nectar that pollinators love than other trees or plants.

You can also take advantage of bee conservation groups, like the BASF, which send out pollinator friendly plants to those who request. 

But rather than requesting pollinator friendly plants, why not plant native plants to your region that attract all kinds of insects, including bees? 

Make a Bee Bath

You read that correctly. Bees get thirsty with all that flying and buzzing and nuzzling flowers. They need to take a rest and get hydrated. They love nothing better than baths, so why not make your own? Bee baths are super easy to create and are a charming accent for your “bee-utiful garden.” 

Schedule a special day with your little one to work on this creative project. 

Check our our whimsical take on real life bee bath’s with our “Bee Bath” hand-illustrated art print.

Go Chemical Free

As we’ve already mentioned, pesticides are one of the greatest threats to bees, and it’s an issue that is entirely manmade and can therfore be controlled. 

When gardening or developing your “bee-utiful garden,” remember to use all organic products or natural solutions like compost, to enrich soil. Also add other helpful insects like praying mantis and ladybugs who eat bugs that harm bees and bee gardens.

Foster a Love of Bees

Did you know that bees can recognize human faces? As we showed in our blog post announcing our Busy Bee backpack, bees aren’t just essential for our survival, they are also increasingly becoming critical for our mental health an well-bee-ing. Bees not only develop a rapport, but also relationships. It isn’t too far of a reach to suggest that beekeeping in the present and future is more like having a loving pet than a business. 

At the very least, teach your kids how to “treat” bees so as not to alarm them. Most bee species aren’t aggressive and won’t sting unless provoked or threatened. In fact, bees rarely sting. Furthermore, not all bees sting (only females do), and for the species that do sting, teach kids not to “fear” bees and/or bee stings, unless your child is allergic to bees. Most honeybee stings produce only a mild and temporary pain and/or irritation. 

Nurture the next generation of bee stewards, not just with guides, lessons and activities, but also with a love and appreciation for bees and all they do for us humans. That appreciation starts early in the home and includes having kids color bees or draw them or even surrounding them with art that honors bees in all of their fat, adorable chubbiness! 

Teach Kids to Be Beekeepers

Once you’ve taught your little one to love bees, the next step is to help them become beekeepers! Your family can keep bees at home and nurture them. You can create your own “backyard beehive.” 

There are also non-profit organizations that actually help families start a home for a bee colony or sponsor a hive.

At Chub & Bug, we have just the art to help inspire your child to love bees. Our “Beehive Beekeeper” painting is perfect art for nurseries and big girl rooms for kids who will develop homes for bees.

Support Local Beekeepers

You know that farmers market you keep wanting to attend? Next week, go and purchase some organic products made by your local beekeeper, including all kinds of wonderful flavors of honey.