A Word on The World

When a bee is seen in nature, it is often thought as either a scary, mean, killer bug or a cute little honey maker. They are rarely seen as guardian angels responsible for the world's food production - which is what they are. Bees are the primary pollinators of the world. They are responsible for 27% of the world's food production, a staggering amount. Without pollination, plants cannot reproduce. If the bees die out, humanity could be hard-pressed to survive. To see into a life without bees, we can take a look at parts of China.

An example in China - present day

A massive die-off in the bee population in parts of China has resulted in a massive reduction in plant pollination. As a result, some farmers have even taken to hand pollenation. The picture above was taken in Hanyuan county of the Sichuan province, historically known as the “world’s pear capital.” Of course, such labors are painstaking and reduce farming profits to a very small fraction of what they were originally, squeezing farmers for cash. This is a tangible reminder that through efficient pollination, bees are crucial for agriculture.

Colony Collapse Disorder - a global catastrophe

The reason that bees are dying is mainly because of a phenomenon called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). The most likely cause of CCD is pesticides. Pesticides are made to kill bugs who eat plants, which technically includes bees, even though bees help plants. Enough pesticides can lead to direct death of beehives, but trace amounts just weaken the hive enough so that the hive cannot survive the winter, or is susceptible to other diseases that are lethal. Other causes of CCD are loss of habitat and climate change. Because of CCD, bees are dying at record rates - 42% of bee hives failed in the United States alone in 2015.

It is upon hearing about this crisis that I decided to do something, and found Friendly Farms. Our mission is to put more healthy hives into the world, by starting in our own community. The hives are supported by loving adoptive families, and by Friendly Farms customers that enjoy our honey. Thank you for all that you are doing!