Make Meadows, Not Lawns

A world without bees would be like a plate of food without nutrition. Dennis vanEngelsdorp is a Pennsylvanian apiarist who has been studying the behavior of worker bees also known as honeybees. Within the last three years, the worker bee population has dramatically dropped by 36% for two consecutive years. Now there are several major causes of massive population wipeouts across the world. One ongoing problem could be varroa destructors that are tiny mites that latch on to bees and then reproduce once inside the hive eventually overtaking and killing the

queen. However, the most prevalent reason for this widespread attack is known as colony collapse disorder (CCD). It's described as a flu that wipes bees out almost immediately and the effects can be largely attributed to pesticide use from nearby farms.

As daunting as this may seem, beekeepers across the world are getting more efficient and productive during the bee season. Now, qu

eens and hives can be sent around the world via mail allowing bees to get in the hands of people who normally wouldn’t be able to repopulate bee colonies. Dennis draws support to this practice by noting that ancient Egyptians were known to transport bees up and down the Nile when blights wiped out populations of bees. History shows how humankinds heavy dependence on worker bee’s and their ability to pollinate a vast amount of land.

Since one of three bites we eat is in some way or another pollinated by bees, we are selfishly dependent on worker bee’s survival. Our diets would diminish entirely of nutrition because bees pollinate almost all living plants that we rely on. Also, earth’s biodiversity would deplete drastically since bees alone make up more of the species richness than mammals and birds combined. Together, bees and bats make up the worlds largest and most influential pollinators. Unfortunately, both are at high risk of extinction but closely watched. Dennis describes a huge flaw in society (predominantly America) called nature deficit disorder (NDD) that creates this unknown barrier between nature and humankind. He goes on to accuse lawns of being the major proprietor of pesticide use and destruction of what could be meadows. Meadows would invite wildlife into the backyards of people who shiver when a spider crosses their path. This would also create a beneficial habitat for worker bees and would cut back on the 5% of greenhouse gas emissions each year that are attributed to lawn care. In addition, 11% of all pesticide use in America would be alleviated from yards and the amount of water wasted on treating lawns would be utilized more effectively as well. Dennis argues a meadow, as opposed to a lawn, transforms your life by bringing aromatic fragrances and wildlife into the community we inhabit. In conclusion, we as a community need to reach out to nature in an attempt to break free of our unnatural nature deficit disorder. By cultivating meadows from our lawns, we can both reestablish a connection with nature while rekindling a livable environment for bees.

Watch the TedTalk here

http://www.ted.com/talks/dennis_vanengelsdorp_a_plea_for_bees.html