Honey doesn't grow on trees:

Or at least that's what the politicians would have you believe:

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A hive of bees must fly a distance of 55,000 miles to produce just one pound of honey.

Oh, busy bee, isn’t it pretty, a flour just right for you. Oh, busy bee what can you see when the flowers don’t start to bloom.

A cheer to the bees, you give us great commodities such as honey, lip wax and shampoo. And here’s to the end as we try to pretend that humans haven’t ruined it for you.

From toxic emissions to reckless inhibitions, we’ve reaped your world apart. Your houses all gassed, your loved ones now past, colours start fading to dark.

So… let’s unite together and start acting clever respecting the credit you deserve.

For what would life be without jam and cream, a thought that is utterly absurd.

Oh, busiest bee, oh your majesty, how do we end this despair:

Our politicians are thoughtless, our people remorseless and the facts are just starting to scare.

Without pollination we're forced to damnation, a thought I'd rather not bear.

‘It’s only when thee, start to take it seriously that our lungs can begin to restore. For 12 years is all we have left on this earth, our wings cease to flap no more.

Take up your banners, and show them good manners, enough to show them you care. For we shall not be swayed into letting the planet degrade, because defeat is a problem we all share!

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AN INSIGHT INTO THE WORLD OF BEE'S:

Bee's have a very distorted colour range. Their visual register is limited to Yellows and Blues, allowing them to easily identify which subjects make suitable harvesting material. However, they can also pickup on ultraviolet patterns (otherwise known as 'honey guides') from a neighboring plants petals. These petals contain a pigment which absorbs UV light (a visual perception we humans aren't capable of) which is then detected by the bees. Interestingly, at higher speeds ( between 6-20 mph), bee's are incapable of perceiving any colour whatsoever and thus can only see in monochrome.

Click here to access an incredible inventory of UV Flowers:

http://www.naturfotograf.com/UV_flowers_list.html#top/

Though bee's have other methods of clarification too. Pheromones emanated from the flower can bind to the bee's smell receptors on their antennae which allows them to gain 3D spatial recognition of the scent, tracking a plants location via their smell.

Once said flower has been located, the bee can begin to rummage around like a dust collector (allowing the pollen to stick to it's hairs). Meanwhile the proboscis (it's honey straw located on the head) can begin gathering the nectar.

THE BEE DANCE:

Bee's have a very intuitive method of communicating with other bees, conversing to their buddies which areas to plunder. The 'round and waggle' social ritual is widely accepted by scientist's as a first major step in bee-recruitment; so now in hindsight when your desperate for someone to join you down the pub, please give a little sympathy to these fellas who have to forfeit their 'hive cred' status.

Waggle Dance

BEE-STATS:

• Roughly 100 flowers are pollinated per flight

• 10 foraging flights per day

• A single bee can therefore pollinate 1000 flowers per day

If a colony of 20,000 bees, performs this level of performance, approximately 20 million flowers would be pollinated each day - now that's some grafting.

However... 9.2 % of european wild bees are reported to be facing extinction - IUCN.

I hope this blog has held a smidge of clarity as to why the bee's are such an integral part of our natural existence. Below I've provided a modest list of steps you may wish to incorporate as a small step forward in saving the bees.

• Buy honey and support local bee keepers who are professionals at conserving the bees.

• Save up for an electric bike. Albeit being rather pricey, they only cost around 14p to charge and can provide a great sweat free commute with the added bonus of not pumping out harmful emissions (such as nitrogen oxide)

• Allow some of your garden patch to grow wild, creating a wonderful campus for bee's to thrive

• Revert from using pesticides/herbicides near flowering plants as bee's are very receptive to these chemicals and increasingly more fragile.

• Bee happy, enthusiastic and encourage others to do the same.

• Promote ecological farming (avoiding monocultures)

The bee species are an eloquent example of how a collectivist endeavour can lead to prosperous outcomes, something mankind ought to learn from.