Let’s Revive the Hives; Please Our Bees!
- Stacey-Anne Bistak
- May 20
- 5 min read
Oh no! Not the itchy hives. Do you know that a natural remedy for hives is derived from our trusty honeybees?
Allow me to wander a little before I get back to the bees.
Our beautiful habitat, our earth, is self-providing and sustaining. Our marvelous Creator instituted this ingenious ecosystem, featuring such precision in balance. Over the years, man has tampered with it. We are left with an environment that is slowly being destroyed. But the resilience of all things created is noteworthy. And this ecosystem has the power to regenerate itself if we play our part, however small, in its survival and revival.
We barely have the time or energy to find out where our food comes from and its impact on the global food supply. We think that as long as we manage to get in our seven to ten servings of fruits and vegetables, we're on the right path. But are we?
The Industrial Revolution was a blessing. That, unfortunately, became the chemical revolution. Farms that use conventional, industrial agricultural practices often deplete and degrade the land. They pay little to no attention to revitalizing it. Do they prioritize
providing nutrients that the soil needs? Do they follow good agricultural practices such as crop rotation? This means the quality of the food we get from such sources is meagre at best. The crop yields are low in their mineral and vitamin content. They often contain not one but myriad pesticides and chemical residues. Are we nourishing ourselves or feeding ourselves a steady supply of toxins?
Organic, regenerative, or biodynamic farming, on the other hand, emphasize conservation and rehabilitation of the soil. Biodynamic agriculture does not use synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Organic and regenerative farming rarely use them. But if they do, the pesticides and fungicides used are mostly derived from plants such as neem and some flowers.
There are naturally occurring microorganisms in the soil. These organisms help to increase the plants' natural defenses against pests and diseases.
Synthetic chemicals in conventional fertilizers alter soil pH. This assault affects the good soil microorganisms, often killing them. The plants’ natural defenses are vanquished. This necessitates the use of pesticides, which are chemical in nature, in conventional agriculture.
Now, what do plants rely on for good yields? Pollination.
Insects and bees are the illustrious pollinating agents. 75% of all flowering plants owe their survival to the bees. The global honeybee population is responsible for a fourth of all crop pollination activities. A decrease in bee population puts these plant species and their associated ecosystems at risk of destruction. Imagine what havoc this can do to our global food supply!
And, what causes a decrease in bee population? Chemicals!
Neonicotinoids are a class of pesticides. Scientists are naturally concerned about their introduction. They are particularly lethal for bees. They contaminate the food sources of bees and threaten their longevity. But what’s worse, their residue can cause physical abnormalities in bee larvae.
You may have heard of Colony Collapse Disorder or CCD. This has been a global phenomenon since 2006, affecting honeybee populations worldwide. The enigmatic but dire consequence of this disorder is that most worker bees in the colony disappear. It’s just the queen bee and a few nurse bees left to care for the immature baby bees. So, you see fewer little worker bees happily flitting from flower to flower on their pollination rounds.
Scientists have found that chemicals from pesticides and conventional fertilizers are the cause. They reduce bee reproduction 1.75 times more than limiting their food does. Bees that were exposed to pesticides when they were larvae and adults had 44% fewer offspring.
Those bees exposed to them in the first and second years of their lives had a 72% lower population growth rate.
As of 2011, it was estimated the total value of global crops pollinated by honeybees was nearly US$200 billion. It must be much higher now.
Declining bee populations across the US are at an alarming level. According to recent reports, beekeepers lost an average of 1.1 million colonies, which accounts for 62% of their colonies between June 2024 and February 2025.. This is a direct threat to our agriculture and food production.
What about the bee situation in Canada?
There have been significant challenges recently. The Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists reported that about half of Canada’s honeybee colonies did not survive the winter of 2021-2022. It was the largest rate of colony loss in the country in the last 20 years. Of course, parasites, mites, and weather conditions play a part. But pesticides do play a major role. And it’s about the same statistic for Ontario for 2023 - 2024
While the government does what it can to improve the situation, what can we as responsible citizens do on a micro level to contribute to the greater cause?
Action steps we can take as responsible stewards of our bees:
Know where your produce comes from
Buy food from small farmers, local farmers, or those who use organic, regenerative, or biodynamic farming practices, which avoid chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
Cut down on plastic use
We know that plastic is a major threat to all living things. It contributes to the contamination of flowers that bees rely on for food. Avoid single-use plastic and opt for reusable alternatives whenever possible. By reducing the amount of plastic you use, you’re essentially making the world a safer place for our little pollinators.
Use natural fertilizers and pesticides
This is applicable if we have our backyard or fruit or vegetable gardens on our balconies.
Mow lawns when bees are not around
We don’t want them to buzz away!
Create a garden for pollinators -- bees and other precious insects
If we have the space for it, create a garden specifically for our pollinator friends. Here, they can feel safe living and foraging for nectar and pollen. Plants that attract pollinators must have the following characteristics:
Have colorful flowers
Produce a lot of nectar
Flower at different times during the season. These are some flowering plants that can adorn our gardens: yarrow, coneflowers, bee balm, black-eyed Susans, and zinnias. Bees are also attracted to roses, lavender, thyme, and oregano. There it is – a fresh herb garden, a great provider to spice up our summer salads! Can we provide a water source? It will greatly benefit our local bees.
Inform others
Let's encourage our friends and neighbors to become aware of the impact of pesticide use on bee health and, more importantly, on our own health.
Press for pesticide-free areas
Proposed developments in our local areas might include lawn treatments with insecticides, herbicides, and other harmful chemicals. Let’s research them. We can write to our local representatives and encourage them to support the ban of pesticides whenever possible. Sometimes, we must be proactive to protect our bees.
Research suppliers of products we use
Let’s take on detective Poirot’s role -- do some investigation and reach out to companies that manufacture the products we use. Are they following good stewardship practices? Are they protecting our soil, our water supplies, and not harming our insect populations? If they are, that’s great! Support such companies. Buy from them instead of from other suppliers. It will do both us and our planet good in the long run.
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