I always get a kneejerk reaction to the Facebook honeybee memes. At least the circulating memes have been updated to include other (native) bees. Part of the premise of the so-called Einstein quote in conjunction with bees is that we will disappear from the earth in four years as well if the honeybees disappear. But most New World foods are not pollinated by bees—and certainly not by European honeybees. Not that I think extinction of any species is ever a good thing.
Speaking of truth versus fiction, it’s interesting to note how many memes are but half-truths. They need a pithy quote, an authority figure (in this case Einstein) and an erroneous extrapolation to support the straw argument. It’s not a question of challenging one’s faith or belief, but a willingness to look at both sides of our quasi-scientific biases in order to see the larger picture.
Folks from my California native plant groups, are focused on helping the environment, but in their misplaced alliance, they don’t see the irony in planting native plant gardens in order to feed non-native European honeybees, which are classified as livestock. Euro-bees certainly help agribusiness, but not necessarily the environment—as they compete with our native bee species. Besides, butterflies want equal rights and equal billing as super-pollinators when the next doomsday bug meme comes along.
Many native bee dining favorites happen to be toxic to European honeybees including buckeye, azalea, rhododendron, death camas, corn lily, mountain laurel, sheep laurel, and locoweeds. Do we next suggest getting rid of those native species because their nectar kills those euro-bees? Gardening articles actually suggest not planting these native species for a more “bee-friendly garden.”
We have 1600 species of native bees in California alone, including Yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, Sweat bee, Halictus spp., Wool carder bee, Anthidium manicatum, Mining bees, Andrena spp., Long-horned bee, Melissodes spp., Leafcutter bee, Megachile spp. to name a few. They can drink the toxic nectar, ingest the pollen from these “toxic” plants because they co-evolved with them.
Here’s the thing, honeybees certainly help the farmers but they don’t necessarily help the environment as they are non-native species—except in Europe and North Africa. If anything, they drive the native populations of insects away, and hog all the local food sources. Check out this National Geographic article. And this Scientific American article.
What’s really killing the honeybees? Pesticides, and varroa mites are a real problem. Monoculture is the real killer. And it is having an illicit affair with Round-up. As for our native bees—they too are threatened by pesticides, loss of habitat, and competition from those Euro-trash bees.
We need to build more bee hotels and create habitats for our native species too. And maybe send those non-native honeybees to bee school. All is not woe. Italian x Carniolan hybrids, are supposed to be more resistant to the narcotic charms of the buckeye. Sounds like both the nectar and the pollen is toxic—like the hallucinogenic mad honey produced by rhododendron and azaleas. I wonder if honeybees hallucinate?
Segue to a bee meme complaint I wrote in 2014: Speaking of daft emails (this time, from a reputable social activism site) where The bee-ginning of the end is nigh.
Whereas I am all for saving the honeybees, I object to the doomsday quote being pandered about—and falsely attributed to Albert Einstein: If the honeybee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live. Bah! I HATE pseudo-science. Einstein was a physicist. Not a beekeeper. He never, ever said it. Never.
Granted, about 130 kinds of fruit and nut crops that we depend upon, are pollinated by honeybees. But European honeybees (tho incredibly efficient pollenators) are NOT native to either of the Americas. It seems that many plants and peoples survived just fine for millennia on end without them. Just sayin'.
OK, so some foods, including cucumbers, and almonds might be in trouble, or less productive...Also, though not as efficient, there are many other pollinators out there—including wind, rain, small animals—bats, birds—hummers, butterflies, moths, bumblebees, native bees (4000 bee species native to the US alone), all manner of bugs, wasps and flies. And soft paintbrushes will work in a pinch too.
Honeybees and the end of the worldBuckeyes as famine food
MAD HONEY The ancients knew something of the properties of toxic honey
Honeybees Help Farmers, But They Don’t Help the Environment
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