We have mixed feelings about bees. We fear them, we avoid them, and we swat them. But do we really understand how important they are to our ecosystem? Honeybees are responsible for the pollination of over 90 fruit and vegetable crops worldwide. If bees stopped pollinating, our entire ecosystem would suffer.
Back in 2007, before BEEGrrl arrived on Toronto’s urban beekeeping scene, honeybees had already begun drawing attention. Their population was in decline worldwide. A phenomenon referred to as colony collapse disorder (CCD), said to be triggered by a variety of anthropogenic factors, had emerged as a very serious threat to agriculture.
Sixty to 70 percent of what we eat, at one stage in its development, has been pollinated by bees. CCD therefore poses a threat to the long-term viability of agriculture and very likely the sustenance of the human population.
