Bees are the pillars of our food-system and it’s high time we started taking note
February 2022
There is a rather alarming statistic doing the rounds at the moment.
One in three bites of food is dependent on bees.
While true, however, the science behind this number is much more complex.
Barna Szocs, owner of local rent-a-hive company Tiaki Bees, says that although a compelling fact, these little pollinators are far more important than you would first believe. “Bees are quite literally the pillars of our ecosystem. Where there are no bees, there is no biodiversity, plant pollination or growth. Bees not only pollinate the crops we eat, but the crops our animals eat. And these plants, in turn, provide a global food supply, produce oxygen, prevent soil erosion and help absorb Co2 – and around it goes,” Szocs said.
Pollinators not only ensure the abundance of food, but also the variety and quality. The more a fruit or vegetable is pollinated, the more ‘effort’ the plant puts into growing it resulting in riper, more nutritious produce that is essential for our health. Bees can even be directly linked to the production of biofuels, cotton, linen fibers and medicines. In fact, the majority of flowering species will only flourish if insect pollinators move pollen, and without it, many species and their interconnected ecosystems would collapse.
It would be logical to assume that an abundance of happy bees would make for an abundance of happy plants, but Szocs says pollination has always been taken for granted.
“The rapid urbanisation of once-rural areas is threatening the habitat of our bees, and with it, our food system and health as we know it. Humans need to understand that pollination doesn’t just happen as it used to anymore. We need to give the bees a helping hand, and that’s what we do here at Tiaki, ” Szocs said.
The Tiaki Bees premise is simple, they provide carefully crafted hives, the education and the work while you receive the honey and contribute to our ecosystem. Only one square metre is needed – meaning that even those in the heart of suburbia can participate.
The hope is that by increasing the number of bees throughout our residential neighborhoods, we are returning the days of old, improving the quantity, quality and vibrancy of our food, and ensuring we regain the biodiversity that is so vital to our future.
Want to learn more, or host your very own hive?
Get in touch with Tiaki Bees, Hive Rental & Pollination Services
Phone: +64 21 090 75375 / 0800 LOVE BEES
