Did you know that in the past few years about 50 percent of bees in the United States have died? You might be thinking, “Great! I hate bees because they sting.” While I hate bee stings as much as the next person and am allergic to them, that doesn’t mean I want bees to go away - not if I want to eat.

About 30% of fruit and vegetable plants rely on bees to pollinate them. If they are not pollinated, they don’t produce. If bees disappear not only will we not have any more honey to eat, but the bees won’t be around to pollinate the trees and plants that produce, almonds, avocados, oranges, tomatoes, and squash, to name just a few of the many crops that rely on pollination.

It would also hurt the dairy industry since bees are needed to pollinate alfalfa, a staple crop for cows.

Plus, many flowers depend on pollination, so the world would be much less pretty without bees.

While the exact cause of the bee colony collapse that is causing bees to die off has not been established (although a disease that started in the Far East is a suspect), habitat destruction, overuse of pesticides, invasive plants, and global warming are causing greater risks to bees.

What can we do? Burts Bees, which produces and sells bee related products, says it can be as simple as planting wildflower seeds to help give bees a healthy place to live. Burts Bees will send you a packet for free although the offer is for a limited time and while supplies last.

They also suggest supporting local organic farmers because they grow their fruits and vegetables without pesticides which makes them “bee friendly.” Click here for several links to help you find local organic farms.