B is for Bees: Food Access Language Series

Buzzing around the kitchen

In the wood-covered kitchen of the ‘90s, I bounced on the stepstool to watch my mother measure, whisk, and taste test. She’d share the taste test responsibilities–always a generous baker.

We’d buzz around the kitchen, flour and sugar sprinkled across the counters like pixie dust.

Once the bakes cooled, we’d eat a few. She’d store the rest in an airtight container. Every so often, though, we’d put them in a cookie jar –it made it much easier to grab a bite.

One of my favorite jars was a pastel version of the silly old bear Winnie-the-Pooh holding a beehive. We’d sing the song:

I’m just a little black rain cloud / Hovering under the honey tree /

For a long time, I didn’t understand Winnie-the-Pooh’s love for honey. Or his fearlessness when it came to bees. Not worth it.

How could he take so many scoops as the bees worked so hard to make it? At least I handed my mother the vanilla extract when she needed it.

And how on earth did he shrug off the stinging? Bees seemed rude and dangerous. Best to avoid eye contact.

But a few years ago, I had clover honey from a nearby beekeeper. And I was hooked.

Bees became a fascinating source of deliciousness.

I didn’t recognize the connections between humans and bees beyond honey until I learned about their impact on our entire food system.

Not just the honeybee

We might think of the plump black and yellow honeybees, like the ones in the Hundred Acre Wood.

Nonetheless, there are over 20,000 species of bees! Many of them have a particular plant specialty due to their shape and size.

“Wild bees,” or bees not kept by humans, are in danger. Between habitat loss, toxic pesticides, and our changing climate, they’re in decline.

Honeybees are also threatened by the same factors, as well as humans. As beekeeping becomes more popular, honeybees have become sick and sometimes succumb to colony collapse disorder. As commercial beekeepers transport colonies, they expose honeybees to toxins and diseases.

Supporting diverse species increases the bees’ resilience. While honeybees are important, let’s not forget the other thousands of bees.

Save the bees!

Many of us hear this phrase as an environmental action.

A call to stop using pesticides that kill thousands of insects –that’s for producers to worry about, of course.

A call to plant certain flowers and herbs to support them –that’s for a gardener to worry about.

But we, ordinary eaters, can and do make a difference.

How we shop for groceries, maintain our spaces, and vote on climate actions impacts bees’ habitats. When we organize, we make a bigger difference.

When we talk about bees, do we recognize how their wellbeing connects to ours?  

Or do we mark them insignificant and swat them away (also increasing the chance they’ll sting)?

When I stood in the kitchen helping my mother mix the butter, vanilla, and sugar, I had no idea bees help these ingredients grow.

Bees + food access

Along with their value as living creatures, bees are crucial to building a better food system and increasing food access. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations describes how bees can help feed the world sustainably, create better jobs, and support healthy ecosystems. 

Bees help increase our food access around the world. They create healthier, more bountiful crops, which can help improve physical access and affordability.

They also like a variety of ornamental and edible plants. This supports biodiversity, which strengthens the soil and plants’ resilience to pests. It also encourages a greater variety of crops, which supports a larger selection of culturally appropriate foods.

Bees pollinate 75 percent of all food crops in the world or one of every three bites.

Other insects help pollinate, like moths, flies, beetles, and butterflies. Wind plays an important factor for some crops. Even humans try to recreate pollination through technology. We’re preparing for the ultimate catastrophe of losing bees.

But what if, while some of us prepared, we primarily worked toward preventing such loss?

Being better together

Food connects every living being. As we learn the language of food access, we must look at where different issues connect.

As bees are threatened, so are we.

Harmful pesticides used in our food production and lawns kill more than the weeds.

Forest degradation, urban sprawl, and climate change are not far-away problems. It doesn’t just impact “others.”

We can create better food access for humans and bees. Let’s change our foodscapes to support more sustainable practices, affordable ingredients, and culturally diverse crops.

Let’s create spaces for the bees, and let’s create more spaces that acknowledge their hard work. May our appreciation lead to action.

Don’t kill bees. Get to know your local beekeepers who often serve as bee-take-away-ers, too.

Find groups to help organize native flower and edible forest areas in urban areas.

Support beneficial farming techniques through advocating better policies, practices, and wages.

In our small garden plots, our corners of the universe, we do what we can. If we have the means to contribute to others’ plots, then may we buzz around happily, pollinating the potential for change.

Library finds:

The Bee-Friendly Garden by Kate Frey and Gretchen LeBuhn

The Bee Book by Fergus Chadwick, Steve Alton, Emma Sarah Tennant, Bill Fitzmaurice, & Judy Earl