Friday, December 19, 2008 Peña: The birds and the bees By Rox Peña E-ssue
DEMAND for fruits, especially apples and oranges, goes up during Christmas season. Importation is almost doubled, according to a TV news report. Part of the reason for the surge in demand is the collection of twelve round fruits, a tradition said to bring good luck for the coming year.
But we may soon run out of luck and celebrate future Christmases without apples, oranges and pears. That’s because the population of bees, the insect responsible for pollinating fruit-bearing trees, is declining. In fact, the British Beekeepers Association has warned that honeybees could disappear entirely from Great Britain by 2018.
In the US, fruits farmers have to pay to get bees brought to their farms. Did you know that, in China, because of fewer bees, workers with feather dusters have taken the task of spreading pollens? Sounds funny but that’s how serious the problem is. The little flying creatures which we take for granted are important to our ecosystems.
In France, one solution being considered is to attract bees with flowers. Farmers are advised to create patches of bee-friendly flowers like daisies. Now I realized that flower gardens are not just for show after all. They are important to the ecosystem too.
I’m just wondering, what makes a flower attractive to bees? Is it the color or the flower’s shape? Well, I read about a study in Germany which said bumble bees prefer purple flowers because they have more nectar.
Now that we know the importance of bees in our ecosystems especially in our food production, there should be a campaign to save them. How about tapping Jollibee as the mascot for this campaign? The fast food chain may want to take on this advocacy.
By the way, we should save the birds too because they help in pollinating flowers. Not only that. They also help spread fruit seeds. Same is true with fruit bats. They make look scary but they are important to the food chain too. So you want apples for Christmas? Help save these creatures.
I almost forgot. Butterflies are pollinators too. I don’t see them more of them now. Did you know that due to their fragility to ecological change, butterflies are elegant indicators of an ecosystem’s health? It means that their presence indicates a healthy environment.
So food security is not just about securing farm lands, irrigation, fertilizer and seeds. It’s also about protecting the small creatures that play important roles in food production. So don’t harm birds, butterflies, bats and bees. Help save them.
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BEE JOKES:
Q: Who is the bee’s favorite singer? A: Sting
Q: Who is the bee’s favorite pop group? A: Bee Gees
Q: What kind of bees hum and drop things? A: Fumble Bee
Q: What did the bee say to the flower? A: Hello Honey!
Q: What are the cleverest bees? A: Spelling Bees
Q: What bee is good for your health? A: Vitamin Bee
