Throughout our lives, we take many things for granted, one such thing being food. Whether it is in the grocery store, in a home garden, or in our country’s fields, food is an integral part of our society.

Unfortunately, many of us fail to see the catastrophe affecting one of the species that provide us this sustenance on which we survive. Honey bees, the ultimate pollinators and food powerhouses, are declining in number at an alarming rate. The necessities required for the survival of our species are regulated and made possible because of honey bees.

There are approximately 20,000 species of bees, 4,000 of those can be found in the United States, with over 1,500 of those residing in California alone. Out of every species of bee, only one is a producer of honey, a pollinator of food, and the sole proprietors responsible for maintaining unique ecosystems which support both human and animal life.

The honey these bees make provide for their own survival through the winter and provide humans with vitamins they need to survive. It has the ability to be a staple of countless species’ diets.

Honey bees, the ultimate pollinators and food powerhouses, are declining in number at an alarming rate.

There are people in the world who naively believe the world would remain the same without honeybees, or bees in general. While there are other insects capable of pollinating none do so as successfully as the honey bee. They are the world’s best at what they do, and nothing science or nature has come up with can compete with their efficiency.

The countless remedies available to help bees, such as planting flowers and avoiding pesticides, make it possible for each and every interested individual to do their part to help. There are of course those people who will go the extra mile, providing freshwater or avoiding products produced by companies who are negligent to the abuse, and every little bit helps.

Honeybees are an essential species in order for us all to live a life of health, order, and natural beauty. There may be thousands of bee species, but there is only one sustaining our fragile environment: honey bees. For the nutrients they provide and the extremely difficult lives they live, each and every person should provide these creatures with the respect they are due.