Save the Bees!     

   Enough of "save the whales" and "save the snail darters." If we like food, we need to save the bees.

   Easier said than done. We can deal with nuisance bees with methods other than pesticides. But bees face diseases, hurricanes and other troubles not man-made. 

   Bees pollinate a third of what we eat, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Various pollinators contribute more than $24 billion to our economy, $15 billion of it from honey bees alone.

   Managed honey bees dropped from 6 million colonies in 1947 to 2.5 million today. "Colony collapse disorder" killed 23 percent after the winter of 2006-2007. 

   While the nation and the world faces an uncertain (pollination) future, Florida's bee colonies grew from about 150,000 colonies in 2007 to almost 400,000 in 2014. That doesn't necessarily mean more bees, as beekeepers often split their colonies.

   If you see a "save the bees" license plate someday, it will be part of an effort to raise awareness, fund research, education, outreach and husbandry.

   Beekeeper Clifton Best says, "They don't need us. We need them." 

      Jimmy