Essay Sample on Bees: Pollinators of Life & Prosperity

Introduction

Honey bees are small flying insects in the Animal kingdom belonging to the genus Apis (Mader & Windelspecht, 2017). They are among the most beneficial insects to humans as a single group. They undertake many activities that are beneficial to humans, both directly and indirectly. One of their most important roles is pollination (Hung, Kingston, Albrecht, Holway & Kohn, 2018). In agriculture, high yields are usually the target of every farmer or nation. Pollination is the most significant determinant of yields across the world. Cross-pollination from bees is critical in agriculture as it yields crops with highbred vigor. These crops are resistant to detrimental effects such as diseases and climate as well as having high yields. This means that honey bees are very valuable in agriculture with their presence in fields the joy of every farmer.

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It can be said that bees contribute to the food security of a country as they ensure that crops are fertilized. This is a direct benefit of bees to human. Indirectly, they pollinate crops and grasses that are a source of fodder to animals. These animals, in turn, are sources of food to humans either in the form of meat, milk, eggs and many other forms they may be processed into. The fodder consumed by animals is digested, and the waste is passed out and used as organic manure in agriculture. Bees are, therefore, essential in the circles of agriculture.

Additionally, bees are direct sources of food to humans through the honey they produce (Ghosh, Jung, & Meyer, 2016). Honey is a sweet substance which can be eaten raw or can be incorporated in other foods. In the past, it was used as a sweetener, but currently, there are many beneficial substances in honey. It has both antibacterial and antioxidant properties and therefore is utilized as a medicinal remedy (Musa & Juhaimi, 2015; Abeshu & Geleta, 2016). Notably, beeswax is used in a range of beneficial purposes such as in beauty products, chewing gum and candles (Prasad, 2018).

References

Abeshu, M. A., & Geleta, B. (2016). Medicinal uses of honey. Biology and Medicine, 8(2), 1. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Bekesho_Geleta/publication/293638941_Medicinal_Uses_of_Honey/links/56b9f22b08ae7e3a0fa097c6.pdf

Ghosh, S., Jung, C., & Meyer-Rochow, V. B. (2016). Nutritional value and chemical composition of larvae, pupae, and adults of worker honey bee, Apis mellifera ligustica as a sustainable food source. Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology, 19(2), 487-495. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1226861515302521Hung, K. L. J., Kingston, J. M., Albrecht, M., Holway, D. A., & Kohn, J. R. (2018). The worldwide importance of honey bees as pollinators in natural habitats. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 285(1870), 20172140. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rspb.2017.2140

Mader, S. S., & Windelspecht, M. (2017). Essentials of Biology 5th Edition By Sylvia S. Mader Dr.: By Sylvia S. Mader Dr. My Ebooks Planet.

Musa Ozcan, M., & Al Juhaimi, F. (2015). Honey as source of natural antioxidants. Journal of Apicultural Research, 54(3), 145-154. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00218839.2016.1144976

Prasad, K. S. (2018). U.S. Patent Application No. 10/004,679. https://patents.google.com/patent/US10004679B2/en