Why Do We Need Bees?

Bees are small, but they are very important. Bees fly from flower to flower to drink nectar. When they do this, they carry pollen from one flower to another. This helps plants make fruit and seeds. Many foods we eat need this help, like apples, strawberries and almonds. But today, the number of bees is going down in many places. If we lose bees, it will be harder to grow many kinds of food.

読み上げ ゆっくり

Bees are famous for making honey, but their most important job is something else: pollination. Many plants need pollen to move from one flower to another before they can produce fruit and seeds. Bees do this as they fly between flowers looking for nectar to eat. According to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), three out of four crops that produce fruits or seeds for people depend, at least in part, on bees and other pollinators. Apples, strawberries, almonds and coffee are some examples. However, bees and other pollinators are declining in many parts of the world. The main reasons include habitat loss, intensive farming, the overuse of chemicals and rising temperatures. Without enough pollinators, many foods could become harder to grow and more expensive.

読み上げ ゆっくり

When people think of bees, they often think of honey or painful stings. Yet the real value of bees lies in a quieter job: pollination. Before many plants can produce fruit and seeds, pollen must be carried from the male parts of a flower to the female parts, often of a different flower. Wind and water can do this for some plants, but most flowering plants rely on animals. According to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), more than 80 percent of flowering plant species are pollinated by animals, mostly insects, and bees are among the most important of them. As bees move from flower to flower collecting nectar and pollen, they carry pollen with them on their hairy bodies. The FAO says that three out of four crops producing fruits or seeds for human consumption depend at least in part on pollinators. It is worth noting that some of the world's staple foods, such as rice, wheat and corn, are pollinated mainly by wind, so losing bees would not mean the end of all food. But it would make our diets far less varied and nutritious, as many fruits, vegetables and nuts would become scarce and expensive. Unfortunately, bees and many other insects are declining in abundance. The FAO points to intensive farming practices, habitat loss, the excessive use of chemicals and higher temperatures linked to climate change. Small actions can help: planting a variety of flowers, avoiding unnecessary pesticides and leaving some areas of grass to grow wild. World Bee Day, held every year on May 20, aims to raise awareness of these tiny but essential workers.

読み上げ ゆっくり