|
|
| From a Born-Again Honeybee Conservationist:
Despite being a lover of all those classified as arthropods, I have never looked too fondly on the honeybee. Admittedly, I am a lifetime member of the school of thought that if a honeybee comes within five feet of me, it is best I relocate a minimum of twenty feet away from it. Given such an extreme reaction, many have been prompted to ask if there was a logical explanation for my panicked expression and darting glances. Yet, my answer is always the same; no, I am not allergic to honeybee venom, and perhaps even more pathetic, no, I have yet to be stung. While unarguably nonsensical, many who see the honeybee as foe rather than friend share my aversion, an aversion that spans simply from the anticipation of such a sting. Though the precautionary action against the intruder seems appropriate at the time, in retrospect, my justification for such aversion is a relatively surface level reason for such a deep-rooted paranoia. So, you may be wondering, why the change of heart and sudden concern for an adversary?
Perhaps it is because I am so attuned to the grating whine of the honeybee’s wings, or its characteristic flight pattern that I quickly began to notice a change in their behavior. The first few times a honeybee appeared to lose the will to fly, plummeting towards the ground, only inches away from my safety zone, I thought it to be merely a coincidence, and even went so far as to jokingly remark to others in my vicinity that apparently the honeybees finally got my message. But, as the days progressed into months, the irregular behavior worsened, and soon it became difficult not to notice the dead or dying honeybees strewn unceremoniously across sidewalks and lawns. My interest sparked, as it became obvious that what was once thought to be a coincidence was quickly becoming an epidemic. Something was wrong, and I new grave consequences would ensue if a key stone species were to suddenly become extinct.
I began to hear the word honeybee mentioned more frequently on campus, in lectures, between students in passing conversations, and on the news, but while there appeared to be many different theories, my quest for understanding the current plight of the honeybee was not truly initiated until viewing a rather surprising commercial on network television. It was at that moment that my suspicions were confirmed, for even the smallest of stones creates ripples when cast into its watery tomb, and it was such a ripple that had finally penetrated the foundation of a well-known corporate company, Häagen-Dazs®.
At first I was surprised at such large-scale interest, but realized that many such businesses rely heavily on agricultural commodities. The very foundation of our society rests on agricultural efficiency, and if such a foundation were to begin to give way, all sectors of civilization would be affected. As technologically advanced as agriculture has become in the States, our seemingly unfaltering success still relies on relatively primitive means of plant propagation. Agriculture may be the foundation of a strong political and economic society, but the foundation of agriculture itself relies on something much less grandioso and even less predictable, nature.
As I look around my immediate environment, nature is evolving, it is adapting, it is living, and it is dieing. Nature is anything but conventional, and whether Earth’s species, the honeybee included, are succumbing to Nature’s own process of elimination or to an unintentionally induced human one, only one thing remains certain, and that is the position of uncertainty. It is clear, now more than ever, that greater attention must be paid towards preserving what’s left of our natural environment. Perhaps all it took was for something as small as a honeybee to remind us of how fragile our own existence is, that even as humans, we are not above Nature’s wrath.
I may never feel complete adoration for the honeybee, but I have gained a solid respect and understanding for it as a species. I am, in a way, a born-again honeybee conservationist, for the naïve fascination I once had with them as a child has seemed to return in a sense, only this time my intrigue comes with the knowledge of just how extraordinary they truly are. At the very least, I can only hope that the material presented on this website leaves you, the reader, feeling informed, and perhaps empowered to seek your own participation in helping the honeybees. Whether it’s planting a pollinator-friendly garden, limiting the use of chemical based pesticides, donating money to current research, or simply speaking on behalf of the honeybee to your friends, family, or captive audience, no contribution is insignificant. As the honeybees themselves have showed us, sometimes it’s the smallest things in life that bear the most weight.
    | |
|