The Buzz About Bees: Why Saving Them Means Saving Ourselves

Bees are among the most important pollinators on the planet, playing a crucial role in human health, food security and biodiversity. Nearly 90 per cent of the world’s flowering plants depend on pollinators like bees to reproduce, including the fruits, vegetables and crops that sustain our diets. Without bees, global food systems and ecosystems would face severe disruption, making their preservation essential for a sustainable future.

The preservation of bees and other pollinators supports Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2 (Zero Hunger) and 15 (Life on Land), among others. According to Australian researchers,

“…bees potentially contribute towards 15 of the 17 SDGs and a minimum of 30 SDG targets”.

Adapted from Table 1 from V. Patel, N. Pauli., E. Biggs, L. Barbour, and B. Boruff. “Why bees are critical for achieving sustainable development”, Ambio, vol. 50, No. 1 (April 2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-020-01333-9.

Unfortunately, due to harmful human activities, the populations of bees and other pollinators have been declining. Presently, up to 35 per cent of invertebrate pollinators are at risk of extinction, according to United Nations data. This decline is largely attributed to unsustainable practices such as pesticide use, urbanization and mono-cropping. In addition, rising temperatures due to climate change are contributing to the reduction of pollinators.

If pollinators become less plentiful, nutritious fruits and vegetables will become less available, leading to excessive consumption of staples like potatoes and rice as substitutes. Such a shift would make human diets less diverse and more expensive.

Through their extensive pollination abilities, bees contribute an estimated $3.2 billion to Canada’s economy annually, according to the government of British Columbia. Key bee products contributing to this figure are honey, beeswax, royal jelly, propolis and bee venom, all of which are used in modern medicine. Research shows that these products possess anti-inflammatory properties and have been used in cancer treatment due to their bioactive compounds.

Robust bee pollination enhances the nutritional value of fruits and vegetables, contributing to a longer shelf life for perishable foods. Furthermore, bees and other pollinators support forest conservation efforts by pollinating plants that wildlife relies on for sustenance.

In addition to their contributions to human health, food and the environment, bees have inspired scientific and technological breakthroughs. Researchers have studied bee behaviour to simulate human crowd movements, optimize computer-based systems and develop efficient evacuation strategies for crowded spaces. The honeycomb structure has influenced innovations in architecture and structural engineering, demonstrating how nature’s design can solve complex human challenges.

Protecting bees requires collective action—from individuals planting pollinator-friendly gardens to global policies reducing pesticide use. Simple steps like supporting local beekeepers, avoiding the use of harmful chemicals in gardens and creating habitats for bees can make a meaningful difference.

On a larger scale, international efforts such as the 2020 biodiversity framework, which aims to cut pesticide use by two-thirds by 2030, are critical to ensuring pollinator survival. By safeguarding bees, we protect not only their future but our own—ensuring food security, environmental resilience and continued innovation for generations to come.

Did you know?

• Beekeeping is called ‘apiculture’.

• “One out of every three mouthfuls of our food depends on pollinators such as bees”.

• Bees have four wings, not two.

• Researchers at Sussex University spent two years decoding honeybees’ ‘waggle dance’, a form of communication they use to direct nestmates to food.

• Bees ‘create’ their own queens by selecting a young larva and feeding it ‘royal jelly’. This special treatment creates a fertile queen.

See a bee struggling? Do this.

• It might just be resting. Leave it alone.

• Put it on a bee-friendly flower if you think it is struggling.

• If there are no flowers nearby, mix equal parts of white sugar and water and put a few drops near the bee’s front end. Let it recover.

• DON’T use brown sugar—bees find it hard to digest.

• DON’T give bees honey as it can contain pathogens.

Edited by Ali Shahrukh Pracha

Image credits: Main image, 'black and white honey bee hovering near yellow flower in closeup photography' by Boris Smokrovic on Unsplash; SDG images from The Global Goals