{"id":12530,"date":"2018-07-09T18:34:53","date_gmt":"2018-07-09T18:34:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aceitecsb.com\/history-bees-and-pollination\/"},"modified":"2025-02-27T12:46:03","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T12:46:03","slug":"history-bees-and-pollination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/csb.demongrafix.es\/en\/blog-en\/history-bees-and-pollination\/","title":{"rendered":"History, bees and pollination"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bees play a fundamental role on this planet. We have been coexisting with them for millennia. Here, we want to highlight the crucial role these insects play in our lives. Additionally, we’ll share some interesting stories from our long history of coexistence. Moreover, let’s not forget about the fantastic delicacy of their honey.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Index:<\/p>\n
    \n
  1. Importance of bees in pollination<\/li>\n
  2. Pollination and bees<\/li>\n
  3. Bee pollination<\/li>\n
  4. Curious historical facts<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    Summary: <\/strong>The pollinitation, a very important process done by bees and other animals. Also, you will discover some curious facts about bees, honey and other curiosities. You can also find a fantastic selection of Spanish honeys in our shop in Las Rozas de Madrid: orange blossom, eucalyptus, arbutus, thyme…<\/p>\n

    Other interesting articles: Where to buy quality honey?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

    1. Importance of bees in pollination<\/h2>\n

    One-third <\/span>of <\/span>the <\/span>plant <\/span>foods <\/span>consumed <\/span>globally <\/span>are <\/span>pollinated <\/span>by <\/span>honeybees.<\/span><\/span> They <\/span>pollinate <\/span>about <\/span>400 <\/span>cultivated <\/span>species <\/span>and <\/span>over <\/span>80% <\/span>of <\/span>plants <\/span>grown <\/span>for <\/span>food.<\/span><\/span> Bees <\/span>and <\/span>other <\/span>pollinators <\/span>are <\/span>essential <\/span>to <\/span>the <\/span>health <\/span>of <\/span>the <\/span>earth’s <\/span>natural <\/span>ecosystem <\/span>because <\/span>they <\/span>not <\/span>only <\/span>pollinate <\/span>our <\/span>agricultural <\/span>crops <\/span>but <\/span>also <\/span>wild <\/span>flowers.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    In <\/span>terms <\/span>of <\/span>money, <\/span>bees <\/span>are <\/span>thought <\/span>to <\/span>be <\/span>worth <\/span>$170 <\/span>billion <\/span>to <\/span>the <\/span>world <\/span>economy <\/span>annually.<\/span><\/span> This <\/span>ignores <\/span>the <\/span>essential <\/span>role <\/span>they <\/span>play <\/span>in <\/span>maintaining <\/span>the <\/span>earth’s <\/span>ecosystem.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    \"flores<\/p>\n

    Photo 1: Flowers of the red royal mallow<\/em><\/p>\n

    With <\/span>their <\/span>ability <\/span>to <\/span>pollinate <\/span>nearly <\/span>90% <\/span>of <\/span>the <\/span>world’s <\/span>wild <\/span>flora, <\/span>bees <\/span>are <\/span>essential <\/span>to <\/span>the <\/span>upkeep <\/span>of <\/span>the <\/span>global <\/span>ecosystem.<\/span><\/span> A <\/span>vast <\/span>array <\/span>of <\/span>birds <\/span>and <\/span>mammals <\/span>on <\/span>Earth <\/span>are <\/span>fed <\/span>by <\/span>the <\/span>seeds, <\/span>fruits, <\/span>and <\/span>wild <\/span>fruits <\/span>produced <\/span>when <\/span>flora <\/span>is <\/span>pollinated.<\/span><\/span> As <\/span>a <\/span>result, <\/span>bees <\/span>are <\/span>vital <\/span>to <\/span>both <\/span>species <\/span>diversity <\/span>and <\/span>the <\/span>chain <\/span>of <\/span>life.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    In <\/span>Europe, <\/span>there <\/span>are <\/span>roughly <\/span>2,000 <\/span>different <\/span>species <\/span>of <\/span>wild <\/span>bees, <\/span>but <\/span>only <\/span>2% <\/span>of <\/span>them <\/span>are <\/span>able <\/span>to <\/span>pollinate <\/span>80% <\/span>of <\/span>the <\/span>crops <\/span>that <\/span>need <\/span>to <\/span>be.<\/span><\/span> The <\/span>majority <\/span>of <\/span>bee <\/span>species <\/span>live <\/span>alone <\/span>and <\/span>many <\/span>are <\/span>specialized <\/span>to <\/span>pollinate <\/span>a <\/span>single <\/span>kind <\/span>of <\/span>plant.<\/span><\/span> Because <\/span>their <\/span>life <\/span>cycle <\/span>is <\/span>in <\/span>sync <\/span>with <\/span>the <\/span>plant’s, <\/span>they <\/span>feed <\/span>their <\/span>brood <\/span>and <\/span>pollinate <\/span>the <\/span>plant <\/span>while <\/span>it <\/span>is <\/span>in <\/span>bloom.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    a) Decline of pollinators<\/h4>\n

    According <\/span>to <\/span>Greenpeace, <\/span>the <\/span>loss <\/span>of <\/span>bees <\/span>and <\/span>other <\/span>pollinating <\/span>insects <\/span>is <\/span>putting <\/span>70% <\/span>of <\/span>Spain’s <\/span>agricultural <\/span>crops <\/span>at <\/span>risk.<\/span> Fruits, vegetables and fruit so common in our greengrocers’ shops, such as: kiwis, pumpkins, melons, watermelons, courgettes, apples, peaches, lemons, almonds, etc. could disappear. Also, crops dedicated to livestock feed. In addition, non-edible crops such as cotton would also be at serious risk.<\/p>\n

    egarding <\/span>the <\/span>potential <\/span>disappearance <\/span>of <\/span>bees, <\/span>it <\/span>is <\/span>common <\/span>to <\/span>come <\/span>across <\/span>the <\/span>doomsday <\/span>prophecy <\/span>credited <\/span>to <\/span>Albert <\/span>Einstein.<\/span><\/span> It <\/span>reads, <\/span>“If <\/span>bees <\/span>were <\/span>to <\/span>disappear <\/span>from <\/span>the <\/span>face <\/span>of <\/span>the <\/span>earth, <\/span>man <\/span>would <\/span>only <\/span>have <\/span>four <\/span>years <\/span>left <\/span>to <\/span>live <\/span>on <\/span>Earth,” <\/span>despite <\/span>the <\/span>lack <\/span>of <\/span>concrete <\/span>evidence <\/span>to <\/span>support <\/span>its <\/span>authorship.<\/span><\/span> In its original language, German (Wenn die Bienen verschwinden, hat der Mensch nur noch vier Jahren zu leben).<\/p>\n

    Even <\/span>so, <\/span>given <\/span>human <\/span>ingenuity, <\/span>four <\/span>years <\/span>is <\/span>a <\/span>bit <\/span>much.<\/span><\/span> However, <\/span>this <\/span>mention <\/span>emphasizes <\/span>how <\/span>closely <\/span>beekeeping <\/span>has <\/span>been <\/span>linked <\/span>to <\/span>human <\/span>survival.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    b) Early domestication of bees<\/h4>\n

    Humans <\/span>began <\/span>using <\/span>bees’ <\/span>labor <\/span>over <\/span>20,000 <\/span>years <\/span>ago.<\/span><\/span> The <\/span>paintings <\/span>found <\/span>in <\/span>those <\/span>caves <\/span>serve <\/span>as <\/span>evidence <\/span>for <\/span>this.<\/span><\/span> They <\/span>demonstrate <\/span>how <\/span>people <\/span>harvested <\/span>honey <\/span>from <\/span>beehives.<\/span><\/span> In <\/span>order <\/span>to <\/span>pollinate <\/span>their <\/span>crops, <\/span>Egyptians <\/span>also <\/span>traveled <\/span>across <\/span>the <\/span>Nile <\/span>with <\/span>their <\/span>hives.<\/span><\/span> They <\/span>also <\/span>buried <\/span>their <\/span>pharaohs <\/span>with <\/span>honey-filled <\/span>containers <\/span>so <\/span>the <\/span>pharaohs <\/span>could <\/span>carry <\/span>the <\/span>honey <\/span>into <\/span>the <\/span>afterlife.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    Conquistadors <\/span>brought <\/span>their <\/span>honeybees <\/span>to <\/span>America <\/span>in <\/span>the <\/span>fifteenth <\/span>century, <\/span>where <\/span>they <\/span>were <\/span>used <\/span>for <\/span>agricultural <\/span>purposes.<\/span><\/span> America <\/span>was <\/span>already <\/span>home <\/span>to <\/span>wild <\/span>bees, <\/span>but <\/span>not <\/span>Apis <\/span>mellifera.<\/span><\/span> Honeybees <\/span>were <\/span>transported <\/span>from <\/span>America <\/span>to <\/span>Australia <\/span>and <\/span>Asia, <\/span>but <\/span>they <\/span>did <\/span>not <\/span>exist <\/span>there <\/span>either.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    2. Pollination and bees<\/h3>\n

    Other insect pollinators of flowers are bumblebees. Although bumblebees are able to pollinate more flowers in a shorter time, bumblebee colonies are much smaller than those of honeybees. A bee colony (hive) usually consists of about 50 000 bees. In comparison, a bumble bee colony usually consists of about 250 bees. Therefore, honey bees are the best insects for pollinating plants.<\/p>\n

    It should also be noted that pollination of flowers by bumblebees is poorer. For this reason, farmers always want to use bees to pollinate their crops.<\/p>\n

    In addition, honeybees provide us with honey, propolis, royal jelly and wax.<\/p>\n

    3. Bee pollination<\/h3>\n

    The great task performed by bees is the pollination of most of the world’s flowers. A simple task that millions and millions of bees do every day, and which is fundamental. A task that only pecorator bees carry out and which requires them to travel for miles.<\/p>\n

    In order to learn more about this beautiful process, we leave you a video. Here you can see how a bee collects nectar and pollinates. A simple, meticulous and very beautiful task as you can see.<\/p>\n

    4. Curious Historical Facts<\/h3>\n

    Finally, among the historical facts worth mentioning, we have the following:<\/p>\n

    a) Roman Era<\/h4>\n

    In the field of warfare, many peoples have used bees either as a weapon of defense or attack. One example of this dates back to the first century BC in the Roman Empire during a campaign led by Pompey against the Heptakometes in Asia Minor. In this instance, bees were not employed directly, but rather their honey.<\/p>\n

    As Roman troops under Pompey traversed narrow mountain passes, they encountered pieces of honeycomb with honey. The soldiers, as was their custom, gathered and added these to their daily food rations. However, shortly after consuming the honey, they experienced delirium, severe vomiting, and other illnesses. In this compromised state, the Roman army was easily defeated by the defenders of Heptakomete, who knew that this honey acted as a poison.<\/p>\n

    Locals in this region of Asia were aware that honey produced during certain times of the year could be toxic to humans. This honey came from plants like Rhododendron ponticum and azalea, which contain alkaloids toxic to humans but harmless to bees. Beekeepers in this area of Turkey are mindful of these toxic plant bloomings and selectively remove toxic honey to prevent harm to the bees when they have little food.<\/p>\n

    Sources:<\/p>\n

    The newspaper The Guardian:\u00a0http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Bees play a fundamental role on this planet. We have been coexisting with them for millennia. Here, we want to highlight the crucial role these insects play in our lives. Additionally, we’ll share some interesting stories from our long history of coexistence. Moreover, let’s not forget about the fantastic delicacy of their honey. Index: Importance […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11769,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[373],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/csb.demongrafix.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12530","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/csb.demongrafix.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/csb.demongrafix.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csb.demongrafix.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csb.demongrafix.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12530"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/csb.demongrafix.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12530\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56826,"href":"https:\/\/csb.demongrafix.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12530\/revisions\/56826"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csb.demongrafix.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11769"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/csb.demongrafix.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12530"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csb.demongrafix.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12530"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csb.demongrafix.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12530"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}