Honey can be a delectable treat for everyone and anyone. It can be perfected in a delicious dessert and other recipes, added to a sweet drink, or even eaten plain. But the rapid decline of honey bees can change the way we eat.

Throughout the twentieth century, honey bee populations were stable, but in recent years, they have been massively decreasing due to disease. Colony Collapse Disorder threatens the lives of honey bees all over the country. The disorder causes seemingly healthy honeybees to abandon their own hive and queen. The cause for this disorder is unknown, but there are multiple reasons why this might be happening.

One theory focuses on climate change and how temperature shifts cause plants to bloom earlier. Believe it or not, this disrupts the state of mind for bees because when they come out of hibernation, they are not able to fly. This makes it so bees are unable to have the supplies they need, such as nectar and pollen.

Migratory beekeeping is also a potential reason for the problem. Farmers rent honeybees from beekeepers to pollinate their fields, which is often very beneficial in many ways. But with the incessant moving from place to place, bees succumb to stress. Bees like to familiarize themselves with the space around them, and to transfer them to new farms over and over is aggravating. Being moved is also a harsh process. As the hives are placed in terrible conditions, they are often covered and stacked.

There are various reasons why this disorder might be affecting the bees, and these are just to name a few out of the many theories.

Despite who, what, when, where, why or how this Colony Collapse Disorder happens, we need to make conscious efforts to fix this problem, or it will change the way we live forever. There are some precautions you could take to avoid damaging the lives of honey bees and to even benefit them.

Planting a garden is a simple but helpful task. It’s important to plant different types of long-term season, pollen-rich flowers. They will profit because diversity among flowers can be vital to their resources as it increases nectar and pollen.

If you already have a garden, just take care of it. Tidy up by cutting back the dead stalk and not using pesticides, and starting by doing this is already an improvement.

Even if you are busy as a bee and are unable to go through with these tasks, you can use your voice and spread the word.  

Helping bees is a relatively straightforward concept. They do so much for people, so why wouldn’t you at least help, even if it’s in the littlest forms?