America and the Tiny Apocalypse, Part 5

This is the last part of my series on the demise of bees and its implications. I will offer some ideas about what we can all do to stop this possible catastrophe.

First, urge every politician you can think of to stop the use, or at least the excessive use, of pesticides.  This will be an uphill battle, since we have a President who seems hell bent on removing every environmental regulation we have.

Second, try to buy from farms that use little or no pesticides. We have been on this Earth for long years, growing crops without drowning them in chemicals. This is easier done with smaller scale farms. Hopefully, if enough people get the idea, the huge mega-farms will come to the end of their run.

Third, provide habitats for the little insects. You can do this. Grow gardens with lots of flowers, trees that bloom, and do not spray. Yes, you will see insects chomping on them, but wait. You will soon see other critters chomping on those bugs, frogs, wasps, spiders  birds, etc. Welcome them. Put out bird feeders. Let some parts of your property get a little bit overgrown (a bit, don't get code enforcement on your back). Put in a water feature, just a hole in the ground lined with plastic. These things will draw beneficial animals who will eat the bugs on your plants.

While we're on the subject, get rid of your lawn, all of that useless grass. A bit here and there, as a highlight is okay, but huge grassy lawns are an expense to tend to, feed and water. Replace it with shrubs and flowers and ground covers.

By doing these things, you will provide a habitat for bees and other beneficial creatures.. You will also make your property a lot more interesting.

The loss of bees would be a catastrophic event and it is preventable. Say a prayer for our wee friends. 

America and The Tiny Apocalypse, Part 4

I promised that this time I would mention some alternatives to pollination   by bees. As such, this will be a very brief post. There are only 2.

First, and you might have guessed this, mechanical drones. Yes, technicians are already at work on these mini-substitutes for Mother Nature. As usual, Mother knows best. It seems that they can make wee, tiny drones, and they have come up with a substance that make pollen stick to them. Controlling those flights, getting the drones in and out without tearing up the plants are problems. They are not really very close  to figuring that out. In addition, it will take vast numbers of those tiny machines to do the job, so the cost will be enormous.

Second solution. Hand pollination. This is being done in the apple orchards in China, because the natural pollinators no longer hand out there. Pollen is gathered, by hand scraping into pots, then applied by hand, using paint brushes. The work is physically back breaking and mind numbingly tedious. Can you imagine how many people it would take to hand pollinate some of America's huge farms. On the other hand, it would solve the unemployment problem. Well, no, now that I think about it, because, those folks would have to be fed very well to stand up to that labor and if we are in a food crisis that would be a problem. In addition, you would never get Americans to do such labor. We have become a lazy bunch.

Sorry, I wish there were better alternatives, but that seems to be about it. So, next time, I'll offer some ways we might save our little friends, the bees.   

America and the Tiny Apocalypse, Part 3

This time, let's discuss the politics of the loss of our main pollinators, the bees (keep in mind, I am talking about all bees, not just honeybees and all are threatened).

There will be some alternatives in pollination. That will be the topic of the next post. But, they will be limited and expensive. All fruits, vegetables and meats will be reserved for the wealthy elite. The rest of us, the 99%, will be grain dependent, until we start dropping from lack of nutrients. It will take a lot of grain to feed us. However, there is a problem.

A great deal of the Earth is not suited to growing grain and much that was, is no longer able to grow a lot. China now has to import foods and Southeast Asia seldom has an excess of rice. Same with India. Much of Europe is now unproductive ( this may be why Putin is so concerned with the Ukraine and its rich farm lands). Even in the USA, those 'amber waves of grain' are only found in the Mid West. Trust me, you can't grow a lot of wheat in Florida or Maine or the Rocky Mountains. So, the supplies, under optimal growing conditions will be strained.

To further complicate things, the climate is undergoing some kind of major shift. Just what and what the cause is are debatable points, but we definitely know that what have been prime farming areas will, in some way, change. A few rough weather years in grain growing regions, will further stress food supplies.

Food shortages in a country like the USA and other prominent grain growing Nations will produce shortages and severe rationing, which will lead to extreme unrest, which will lead to intense crackdowns on behavior. Kiss the Constitution and all other guarantees of rights goodbye. It will be devastating.

In other parts of the World, such as the African Nations, where even subsistence farming for small groups is iffy, it will be catastrophic. They will starve and in desperation, bloody wars will ensue.

Just think, all of this because a tiny insect disappears. Next time, I'll discuss alternative ways of pollination and, trust me, they are not great.

America and the Tiny Apocalypse, Part 2

Today, let's look at a number. 70% of our crops require pollination, and bees are the main pollinators.

It is true that some major crops can be grown without the little critters. Grains, such as wheat, barley, oats, and rye. Yes, we could survive on those, but not well and not for long. They provide inadequate supplies of nutrients. Think, no strawberries, no beans, no leafy green, no apples or pears, no oranges, or peaches, no nuts. And that is just a few things we would lack.

Meat? Forget it. True, many animals can live on grains, but  those grains will have to be turned to human use. No wild game either, since they depend on fruits, leaves, etc.

What about sea food and plants? Sorry. We have overfished the water and turned it into a garbage dump. In addition, the climate changes are making the water more acidic and the kelps, etc are dying. The coral reefs, home to many fish and shellfish are also dying.

Could we survive without bees? For awhile, but not long. It is conceivable that we could adapt to such a limited diet, but we evolve slowly. Next time, I'll mention the political fallout from the famine that is. possibly, even likely to occur.