Page 67 - Wallingford Magazine Issue 54 Late Spring 2025

decline worldwide for several decades.
While commercial bee colonies have
helped restore stability, wild bee popula-
tions continue to dwindle.

U.S. bee populations are declining due
to parasites, pesticides, habitat loss and
disease. This has critical implications for
food production and ecosystem health.
Beekeepers worldwide are making sus-
tainable efforts to help prevent colony
loss rates from increasing.

The importance of bees in nature can-
not be overstated. Bees are responsible
for pollinating 80 percent of flowering
plants. In the U.S. honeybees pollinate
$15 billion in agricultural products each
year, including more than 130 types of
fruit, nuts, and vegetables.

Pollinators, including honeybees and
wild bees, have a vital role in producing
food for wildlife, maintaining soil health,
and keeping water clean. For example,
flowering plants along our waterways act
as a physical filter for macro-pollutants,
absorb micro-pollutants, stabilize banks,
and offer erosion control through com-
plex root systems. These plants support
a healthier, more diverse ecosystem; but
it is the pollinators that allow these flow-
ering plants to exist.

It is awesome to consider the intricate
connection we have with the earth and
every living thing on the planet. Noth-
ing is separate from another and it all
contributes to our way of life. Our good
behavior as world citizens is vital to the
welfare of us all!

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