Winter is ending, and on the second Sunday of March the nation will spring forward. Flowers will start to bloom, temperatures will rise and our friendly neighborhood pollinators will return. Unfortunately, most colonies don’t make it through the winter and this contributes to the rapid decline in the bee population, with loss rates averaging 30% every winter. 

This rapid decline causes many environmental and economic problems, including the scarcity of crops and fresh produce, leading to suffering in human nutrition. In addition, the 14 billion dollars worth of seeds pollinated by bees are lost with the diminishing bee population.  

Without bees, the world would be scrambling for alternative means of pollination. These efforts would be futile, as the amount of food the population consumes would leave us with only 4 years of survival in the absence of bees.

Biology teacher Amy Baker wants to start beekeeping in the near future to foster the bees’ survival.

“We [Mr. and Mrs. Baker] do not use herbicides or pesticides on our property or in our gardens. We plant flowers that attract and feed the bees and other pollinators,” Baker said. “We would like to start a beehive and a mutualistic relationship with the bees. They would pollinate our garden and we would feed them and give them a safe space to live without so many chemicals.”

Baker has been planting more flowers around her house that the bees have enjoyed,  and this addition can help grow the bee population locally.

“I believe that the widespread use of pesticides and herbicides is probably one of the major reasons for declining bee populations. Of course, they are also affected by habitat loss, just like other animals,” Baker said. “With Loudoun County growing so quickly, wild spaces are being lost in favor of housing developments. Another factor may be loss of biodiversity, especially in wildflowers. In an area such as Northern Loudoun, you tend to see yards with similar species of plants. People tend not to want wild areas in their yards, yet these wild areas provide more variety of plant types, as well as protection for small animals.”