Ep. 277: Why we need honeybees to survive
Guest: Jeff Lee and Amanda Goodman Lee, Swan Valley Honey
Honeybees are a foundation species; without them, our food supply diminishes.
When bees die, the outcome reaches right inside everything that is on your plate when you sit down to eat. If bees can’t or don’t pollinate, then you don’t eat and neither do the other animals in the food chain.
Colony collapse disorder is the term given to hives that lose the majority of the worker bees, leaving behind a queen – plenty of food, but only a few nurse bees to care for the remaining immature bees.
From 2007 through to 2013, more than 10 million bee colonies around the world were lost to colony collapse disorder. There are several possible causes for CCD that include pesticides, infections, pathogens, changing climate and environments and the introduction of neonicotinoids.
And then there is the honey. Nature’s nectar which in its pure, raw form is a delicious natural sweetener. The key to buying good honey, as you will hear, is to know your honey bee farmer.
We invited beekeepers Amanda and Jeff Lee of Swan Valley Honey to join us for a Conversation That Matter about the intricate relationship we have with pollinators who ensure we all can enjoy a plentiful and delicious diet.
