OPINION
Bees are, well, the bee's knees.
They work well together to produce their hives, they have sophisticated means of communication and that sweet honey they produce is not just delicious.
One thing they're not great at? Protecting themselves against us.
Whether it's sacrificing themselves for the collective, facing fewer food sources or bringing home pollen and nectar laced with pesticides, the little bumbles face immense challenges.
Recently, I saw several coming and going out of the water meter box next to my mailbox.
I attempted to contact a beekeeper I've interacted with in the past, but she never buzzed me back.
Instead, I got a message from a hobbyist beekeeper, Darren Dyal from Denton, who wanted to know if he could come out to collect the critters and try to help us keep them from recolonizing our water meter.
We were thrilled because there just aren't enough bees to go around, and we didn't want these ones to be harmed for just trying to find a safe place to live and raise their colony. The Agricultural Research Service, information about which can be found at ars.usda.gov, has a whole hive of information about the six-legged pollinators.
'Honey bees are a critical link in U.S. agricultural production,' according to the website. 'Pollination by managed honey bee colonies adds at least $18 billion to the value of U.S. agriculture annually through increased yields and superiorquality harvests.'
If, like we did, you have a problem with bees bugging you, find a beekeeper who is willing to come collect them.
The flowers and the farmers will thank you.
Abigail Bardwell is the Editor & Publisher of the Post-Signal, and she serves on both the North and East Texas Press Association and the Texas Press Association boards. She can be reached at [email protected].
