Top Five Things I'll Miss When the Bees Disappear

1. Honey: Oh sweet, sweet honey. But what's so special about it anyway? Besides being a substitute for cane sugar it's superior in many ways. It never spoils. It contains enzymes and trace minerals that help fuel the body. It's still used medicinally in countries that are in the know. Honey. Whether used for mead, a sweetener for tea or as a topping for pancakes, we sure don't want the bees disappearing and taking this good stuff with them.

2. Pollen: What is pollen? It's pure protein. It also has high concentrations of the B vitamin complex, and also contains Vitamins A, C, D, and E. The bees use it to feed themselves and their developing young. We use it in everything from smoothies to protein substitutes. In one recent study mice were fed nothing but pollen for months and they survived with no ill effects. Natures perfect food it seems.

3. Propolis: Propolis, which is Greek for "before city", is the disinfectant and glue that bees use inside the hive. It's a natural sterilizer and it's one of the very few anti-viruses known in nature. We use it in cosmetics, and according to recent research scientists are trying to find a way to take advantage of its disinfectant and antibiotic properties to be used in medicine. Imagine antibiotics that don't kill all the bacteria in the body but only the harmful ones. Could this be an answer to modern medicine as antibiotics fail?

4. Bee stings: They can take these with them you say? Well hold on a minute. Bee stings are now being used in apitherapy for everything from arthritis to multiple sclerosis. Some folks insist that without their daily bee sting they might become crippled as they once were. I know my hands work a bit better after working a few bee hives. Also, a recent article in a foreign venue spoke of bee stings being used in pain therapy. Now how about that? Maybe there's something to this "bee sting" therapy after all.

5. The bees themselves: Here's an astounding fact, every third spoonful of food you eat comes directly or indirectly from honey bee pollination. Without these critters visiting our flowering crops the fruits and vegetables you consume every day would eventually wither and fade away. Not long after that our beasts of burden would follow. Close behind would be... us. No, I don't think we should allow the honey bee to disappear. We've had a long history together, and apart we wouldn't stand a chance.

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