Say No to GMO
Say Oui to Honeybee
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I woke up with this thought on my mind.
It's kind of fun, isn't it?
Dad once said that we are dependent on bees for pollination. Without bees, all crops would not bear food for harvest, and everyone alive on earth will die of starvation.
I had forgotten about that.
According to the article on page 8 of this month's issue of ZOONEWS, the official magazine of the San Diego Zoo, "About eighty percent of all Earth's flowering plants depend on totally on animal-facilitated pollination to set seer or produce fruit, which not only feeds humans and other creatures but also creates and renews habitat. No habitat, no wildlife. Fortunately team pollination is a diverse group: in addition to a variety of invertebrates other animals including reptiles, mammals and birds pollinate plants in almost every habitat."
The European Honeybee was brought to North America by the settlers in the 1600's. However, there are over four thousand different kinds of bees that are native to North America that do not make honey. For example, one of these native bees, the bumblebee, uses'a behavior called buzz pollination, or sonication where the bee holds the flower with its mouth and legs and moves its wing muscles rapidly, shaking the pollen from the plant with a force thirty times greater than gravity! Blueberries are pollinated by these powerful buzzing bumblebees more effectively than honeybees due to the shape of their flower.
"Over the past few years, there has been an increasing buzz among scientist about declining bee populations. As researchers look into colony collapse disorder, a phenomenon in which worker bees--the ones that perform pollination--vanish, usually without a trace, they are finding that it may well be a combination of diseases and parasites that honeybees have historically weathered. What changed? Increased pesticide use and a continuing, rapid loss of habitat and forage plants are suspected as factors that are tipping the scale in the wrong direction. And it's not just honeybees that are feeling the sting--whatever affects honeybees also affects native bees."
If I am not mistaken, all worker bees are female.
They have the native energy of Gaia, which is a Feminine Planet.
Let's do what we can to 'tip the scales' back in favor of Life on our planet!
- buy organic
- avoid pesticide use in your own back yard
- create bee-friendly habitats in private and public spaces
Other creatures pollinate too--for the record, butterflies aren't so great because they don't get 'in' to the pollen as much as shorter-legged creatures. Hummingbirds do indeed pollinate as they go from one flower to the next. In South Africa, the bird of paradise plant is almost always pollinated by the sunbirds. Lorikeets also pollinate.
Surprisingly enough, female mosquitos only drink blood to obtain protein that is needed to nourish their eggs. For flight, both the male and the female mosquito live on nectar of flowers, and pollinate while doing this.
Geckos, slugs, certain mammals, flies, beeflies, lemurs, and bats are known for their pollination, too. The bat pollinates crops of avocados, cloves, dates, agave, carob, and cocoa trees!
"Looking at how much humans benefit from pollinator actions, it's clear they are a force we can't live without. Power to the pollinators--long may they thrive!"
I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing by mdragon180
Remember, when Gaia heals, we all heal.
And when we heal ourselves, Gaia heals also!
Aloha and Mahalos,
Namaste,
Reiki Doc