But bee populations are under threat. Honey Bee Farming. The importance of bees in agriculture is well-known, but the extent of the significance isn’t something that everyone understands completely. Promoting Honey Bee Health. View of the mouthparts of a mite: it sucks on the bee larvae and damages the bee by infecting it with dangerous viruses. Out of the over 2,000 species of bees known to science, the honey bee is one of the most important to humans. Once you see it, you’ll never take bees for granted again. The European honey bee (Apis mellifera) is known for its importance for honey production.In addition to honey production, A. mellifera is the most commonly used species as a pollinator in the U.S. Honey bees are managed and used to pollinate over 100 crops grown commercially in North America. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue declared June 19-25 as “National Pollinator Week” to help call attention to these losses, which are caused primarily by biological and environmental stressors. Bees have been around for over 100 million years+, and unfortunately the effects of climate change will inevitably impact the life of the honey bee. Swarms of exotic bees can bring mites or other pests and diseases that could damage our healthy colonies. We obtain honey from these bees and as we all know, honey is an important food for human beings. The genus Apis, which defines all honey bees, is made up of 7 species and 44 subspecies. Not only the farmers make a sweet dividends but beekeeping also help increase agriculture productivity through pollination. “Honey bees are the most important pollinator – about 90% of pollinator-dependent crops are reliant on the honey bee.” -Carol Poole, SANBI Applied Biodiversity Research Division, discussing bee pollination in South Africa20 “A decline in managed bee colonies puts great pressure on the sectors of agriculture Honeybees provide a wide range of benefits to humans in the form of honey and other bee products, the pollination of food crops, and ecological services. Promoting bee health and protecting crops are both important to the success of Florida agriculture. Destruction of their natural habitat, intensive … Bees Matter Read More » Their role in the food chain is so important that in 2007 The National Audit Office collated research working out the value of honeybees to the UK economy. Another importance of bees to the ecosystem is that they produce honey. This is my humble attempt to pique the interest of environmentally mindful people in the importance of Honey Bees, and inspire them to become beekeepers for the sake of Mother Earth and humanity. Bees andpollination Ensuring our food security Bees are so important to our livelihood as they help to pollinate most of the crops we eat and many that feed farm livestock. bee health and how governments can help stakeholders address these challenges. Honey bees in agriculture are important for another reason too – the products they give us. Bees are some of the best pollinators in nature – The vast majority of a bee’s life is spent collecting pollen that will be converted into honey. Bee-ing (couldn’t resist) well-connected in the world of pollinators, we got to see an advance screening. Flowers of forest trees provide subsistence for honey bees and the trees physically provide shelter for a swarm or bee hive. The main enemy of the honey bee is the varroa mite (Varroa destructor). Exotic bee species are a threat to the healthy populations of European honey bees we have in Australia, and could also cause damage to Australian native species of pollinators. Bees are Hymenopterans, insects of the superfamily Apoidea. Bees belong to the order of insects Hymenoptera, which also includes ants and wasps. So you might be wondering, what is all this fuss about bees? Hiving a swarm of bees is simple when the swarm has settled in a convenient place not too high. Here’s why honeybees are so important. What makes the honey bee so special is that unlike many insects, the honey bee will seek out pollen and not nectar. Honey bees commonly pollinate agricultural crops such as apples, cherries, melons, and almonds. Honey bees convert nectar of flowers into honey and store them in the combs of the hive and the growing market potential for honey and its products has resulted in bee keeping emerging as a viable enterprise. Although they are important for agriculture, honey bees also destabilize natural ecosystems by competing with native bees—some of which are species at risk. Place an empty box under the swarm and a quick shake of the branch will dislodge most of the bees into the box. We all know that they produce honey and wax, but most of us are not aware that these insects play a much more important role in preserving the ecology. There are more than 20,000 types of bees, but the focus of this article is on the honey bee because of its importance in agriculture. Bees are one of the many insects in the world that can produce something that is beneficial to all of us. Honey bees are in decline. Although widely popular for their honey, the bee's greatest contribution to agriculture is as a crop pollinator. Aids in food production. For those who rely on bees for the pollination of agricultural crops, like blueberry farms and others, bees are as necessary … Beekeeping is the practice of maintaining honey bee colonies for their economic significance. In fact, nearly two-thirds of Australia’s agricultural production benefits from honey bee pollination. What Would We Do Without Bees? In this article, let us see what makes bees so important to the ecosystem of planet earth. Consequently, the beekeeping industry is quite small. Bees are crucial to the process of pollination. Bees are renowned for their role in providing high-quality food (honey, royal jelly and pollen) and other products used in healthcare and other sectors (beeswax, propolis, honey bee venom). Honey Bees take care of us humans and it appears it is up to humans to take care of the Honey Bees. 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