Bees Do It, So Why Shouldn’t We Do It?

Who of us hasn’t heard the phrase, “Busy as a Bee?” For the most part, if we keep busy, buzzing around like a Bee, it means we are productive, leading a full, meaningful life.
 

Well, as it turns out, Bees are very busy. They lead an industrious life filled with lots of responsibility. Yes, they are pests and some of us are allergic, but what they do is crucial to our existence. Their role is an essential ingredient needed in the development of our food chain. It’s safe to say, that without the Bee, we humans couldn’t survive.
 

Why?
 

Because without the Bee, we wouldn’t be able to pollinate our crops. Without the Bee we’d lose valuable foods that sustain our lives. You see, about one-third of the human diet comes from insect-pollinated plants, and the honeybee is responsible for 80 percent of that pollination.
 

So, to be honest, without the Bee…we are in deep doo-doo.
 

After 20 years of beekeeping, Tim Lovett, a public affairs director of the British Beekeepers Association, explains why bees are vital to our existence and why we need to care. “The more time you spend with bees, the more you get drawn into their amazing world: the way they organize themselves, control themselves, and what they’re responsible for.”
 

Just think. If there were no Bees, there wouldn’t be orange juice on our table. There’d be no jam, no honey. And that’s just for breakfast.
 

For the last several years, Beekeepers from around the world have noticed the dangers that Honeybees are facing. “I’ve been to China,” says Mr. Lovett, “where the bee population was wiped out, and you see men on ladders using paintbrushes to pollinate the fruit trees. Can you imagine the cost of our food if we had to do that ourselves? You’d only be able to afford half an olive on a pizza, and the mozzarella – which comes from cows raised on (bee-pollinated) alfalfa – would be absolutely prohibitive.”
 

Okay, I can do the math. No olives + No mozzarella = No pizza!
 

Say what? Ouch! That stings!
 

Here’s an interesting tidbit. Hubby and I were watching a documentary on the decline of the Bee population in the United States. It chronicled the typical life of a Bee and the business of Beekeeping. We watched as a Beekeeper traveled cross country from Georgia to central California to transport his hives where they’re needed to pollinate Almond groves, one of the largest crops grown in the state.
 

Then, after the bees finish doing what bees naturally do, they were brought back to the east coast in order to prepare them for their next job in Florida. But…they are not allowed to directly pollinate the next crop.
 

Why?
 

Apparently, as the Bee pollinates, they absorb the release of nectar to take back to the hive in order to produce honey. But…they’ve found that after the Bees have ingested the insecticide laden nectar from their last job, they need to detox the Bees before taking them to the next valuable food crop for pollination.
 

Detox the Bees? Have you ever?
 

Yes, I know. These poor little Bees cannot get rid of all the toxic insecticide they absorb from the heavily sprayed California Almond fields. The Beekeeper is forced to take them to another field to pollinate first, thus leaving behind the excess insecticide before being taken to the next job or else there’s a greater chance they will release the leftover toxins and pollute the next vital food crop.
 

Iy, yi, yi! Do you see a problem here? Or is it just me?
 

“It’s not a simple situation. If it were one factor we would have identified it by now,” President-elect Inouye, of the Ecological Society of America said. “The problems in Europe and United States may be slightly different. In America, bee hives are trucked from farm to farm to pollinate large tracts of land and that may help spread the parasites and disease, as well as add stress to the colonies, while in Europe they stay put so those issues may not be as big a factor.”
 

So, even though there are many factors that weigh in on the demise of our Bee population, I think there is something positive that we can all take away from this.
 

And that is…Detox.
 

Yes, detox.
 

Think about it. In order for the Bee to do its job well, it needs to rid itself of the toxins it’s ingested. I mean, if Bees do it, why shouldn’t we do it?
 

What? You thought this was going to be a Birds and the Bees post?
 

Ha, ha, ha, gotcha!
 
 

So what do you think? Are you concerned about the blight of the Bees? Have you been feeling a little bogged down lately? Feeling a little more tired than usual? Not producing like you think you should? Then perhaps it’s time for a detox. What is your favorite recipe for a great pick-me-up?
 
 

Thanks everyone for coming by and for all your wonderful comments!
Karen

 

26 thoughts on “Bees Do It, So Why Shouldn’t We Do It?

  1. Renee Schuls-Jacobson

    Just went to visit my son’s summer camp this weekend, and the bee boxes (which are usually starting to fill up by now) were empty. The Amish farmers are very concerned about the crops this year, and are anxiously awaiting their bee order.

    Yup. They ordered thousands of bees at the end of last year because they noticed that they just don’t seem to be getting the kinds of hives they have in the past.

    This stuff freaks me out.

    And it feels much more important than working on my l’il ole book. 😉
    Renee Schuls-Jacobson recently posted..Don’t Lick the Minivan Prizewinner AnnouncedMy Profile

    Reply
    1. Karen Post author

      Yep, I know Renee. This is why I blogged about it. I had no intention of playing Debbie Downer. Yet, I have a hard time not saying something about it. And it’s just a teeny, tiny, little bee for crying out loud. But, who knew how much is at stake because of the Bee? I bet that was a very rude awakening when you found out that bit of information last weekend. Yeah, it is a bit fready. On an upnote, I really enjoyed our visit Renee! Please stay in touch. I’ve been toying with the idea of forming a new writers group on FB for support. What is your feeling on this? 🙂

      Reply
  2. kim cleary

    How awful for the bees, and for us if we can’t work out how to get toxic chemicals out of the system. I love green tea and ginger to detox … but to be honest I am more likely to have some chocolate 🙂 Great post 🙂

    Reply
    1. Karen Post author

      Hi Kim! Thank you so much for your comment! I am so sorry it’s taken me so long to respond. The WIP has been my main focus, so the blog has suffered along with you, the commenter. But yes, it is an awful situation for the bees. It just shows that from small to great, all of us are being affected by toxic chemicals. So I, like you, drink lots of green tea and ginger along with beet juice. We, after all, need to take care of ourselves girl. And may chocolate be our reward! Yay! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Jennette

    Sad about the bees.
    Hubby and I have talked about detoxing, but we haven’t done it yet. It’s funny you mention about pick-me-ups today and I blogged about our brains on caffeine. If a detox would give us a good pick-me-up, I’m in! ha!
    Jennette recently posted..Coffee BrainsMy Profile

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    1. Karen Post author

      Hey there Jennette! Thank you so much for your comment. Please accept my apology for not responding sooner. My main focus has been on my WIP. Yes, those poor little bees make me sad. They, after all, do not have the power to speak for themselves, do they? But I’ve been where you are. I used to live on caffeine until I burned my adrenals out on it. So thus, the detox. And it doesn’t have to be a heavy detox. Just juicing is a simple way of taking care of our bodies. And a good pick-me-up! Ha! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Kristy K. James

    I did do the lemon, maple syrup and cayenne pepper (???) detox for a few days. I don’t recall that it helped much.

    The bee thing? Yes, I am very concerned. One theory I’ve read is that all the GMO crap is killing them off. That bees were meant to pollinate REAL food, not the food-like substances growing in too many fields today. And I tend to agree with that. When you have genetically modified seeds…seeds that won’t grow without a specific chemical…that’s not natural. And it’s bound to have an effect on everything…bees, animals and humans. We weren’t created to eat fake food.
    Kristy K. James recently posted..The Death of a PetMy Profile

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    1. Karen Post author

      Okay Kristy, you’re doing the Master Cleanse. My hubby goes on that at least twice a year for around two weeks. He had blood taken afterward for a life insurance policy and wow, did his test results come in great. So yeah, we’re believers in that one. Yes, you bring up a very strong argument. I’m sure the GMO foods are contributing to the decrease in Bee population. GMO seeds have pesticide already in them. No, we weren’t created to eat fake food. So keep it up with the cleanse Kristy. It really does work. Best of health to you and yours! 🙂

      Reply
    1. Karen Post author

      Well that sounds pretty healthy to me Coleen! Although I’d have to admit that I’ve never heard of a spinach/mango combo before. You could throw a little ginger which helps to detox the lymph or beets and cucumber which are wonderful for the liver. See, you’re already on your way girl! 🙂

      Reply
    1. Karen Post author

      How interesting Debra. Really? I had no idea. Thank you so much for sharing that little tidbit. Unless you spoke Hebrew, how would someone know that Deborah means “Bee.” That’s cool. And may I just say that I love wine also. But, if teeny, tiny little Bees need to detox, I hate to imagine my dear friend how much we need to do it too. It could be something simple as just juicing to give our body the nutrients needed to detox naturally. Now that doesn’t sound horrible, does it? And then throw a little wine in-between. There, that should do the trick! Take care Debra and have a great weekend! 🙂

      Reply
    1. Karen Post author

      Patricia, I hated to be the bearer of bad news here, but I felt like it was my social duty. Yes, it sounds crazy to truck these poor, defenseless Bees all around the country and then expose them to such high levels of poison. What did they think would happen? But that just makes me worry about us. Glad I could shed some light on the subject Patricia. You take care and detox! 🙂

      Reply
    1. Karen Post author

      Hi Lynette! How are you my dear friend? Yes, I know. Who would’ve thought we’d see the day when they’d be detoxing Bees? Things are a bit crazy Lynette. Ah, I do like the way you roll girl. Detox those toxic thoughts right out on the page. Good going! Oh, and Chai latte isn’t a bad way to go either. And chocolate. Shooting range? “Make my day.” Really? Alrighty then. You sound a little Clint Eastwood, Lynette! LOL! Take care and I hope you and your hubby have a wonderful weekend! 🙂

      Reply
  5. Lynn Kelley

    I knew about the necessity of bees and how their population has diminished. I didn’t know all the stats and didn’t know about the insecticides, but that makes sense. Yes, this does concern me. And the bees needing to detox, that’s insane.

    I bought a Nutribullet, have kale and other veggies in the fridge waiting to try it out, but I’ve been too tired to do it when I get home at the end of the day. I hope the kale doesn’t rot in the meantime. I’ve had it do that before, and it’s quite a stinker when it rots!

    Great post, Karen! And you go, girl, for working on two manuscripts at the same time!
    Lynn Kelley recently posted..Have You Ever Had a Freaky Friday? Parenting Plights & DelightsMy Profile

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    1. Karen Post author

      Hi Lynn! How are you my friend? Bees detoxing insane? Uh, yeah, I thought so. I didn’t want to make this post a downer Lynn. But this is a very serious issue. So glad you invested in a Nutribullet. I hope it helps you feel better. Cause I’m afraid that if the Bees need to detox, so do we. Hubby and I live near a Mother’s natural food market and buy our juices there cause they’re so affordable. But yep, two manuscriptts. Yep, I’m a little bit crazy. I know. I’m just trying to use my creative side of my brain while I re-vamp the first story. I’m using both my right and left brain. We’ll see how this works. LOL! Take care Lynn and thanks for your support! 🙂

      Reply
    1. Karen Post author

      Thank you Kim. I hope it shed some light on the subject without leaving everyone depressed. It is of serious concern and I just wanted to let other people know about it. Take care and have a nice weekend! 🙂

      Reply
  6. Marcy Kennedy

    My grandpa has kept bees most of his life, but in the last few years he’s had multiple hives die because they took in too many insecticides from the plants they were doing their bee duties on. It’s a more serious issue than many people realize.
    Marcy Kennedy recently posted..How to Write a Killer PitchMy Profile

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    1. Karen Post author

      Hi Marcy! Well that’s very interesting. And so sad. I can’t imagine how your poor Grandpa feels about losing his Bees. Besides the pesticides doing havoc to nature, this has effected his business. Yes, this is a a really serious issue. I hate to be the bearer of bad news here. But, as you can see from others comments, not a lot of people are aware of this problem. So, maybe, I helped in some small way. Thank you Marcy for stopping by. Have a great weekend! 🙂

      Reply
    1. Karen Post author

      Hi Rhonda! I’m glad that I could enlighten you. I hate to be a downer girl. But this is kinda serious and I think that we, the public need to be aware of something this big. I see a detox in your future Rhonda. Let me know how you feel afterwards. I think we all could use a good detox. Physically and emotionally. True? Have a wonderful weekend and thank you for coming by! 🙂

      Reply
  7. Prudence MacLeod

    Hey Karen, cool post. Did you know that the EU has banned several substances that are toxic to the bees? Apparently the Europeans are thinking beyond their wallets.
    Now for detox, I’ll confess, I can download a lot of toxic stress with an hour or so of World of Warcraft. :))
    Prudence MacLeod recently posted..Something New and FunMy Profile

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    1. Karen Post author

      Hi Prudence! This Bee thing got me buzzing girl. Yes, it’s all about money. Of course, what else would it be? The europeans are not as easily swayed, but I fear that those of us living on the North American continent have turned a blind eye towards this subject. Hear no evil, see no evil. But eventually, that doesn’t always pan out. I’m glad to hear that you’ve figured out your own way to detox. It’s always a good thing to de-stress. Take care Pru and enjoy your weekend! 🙂

      Reply

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