Friday Fun Facts – Summer Fruits and Pollination

“Unique among all God’s creatures, only the honeybee improves the environment and preys not on any other species.”
~ Royden Brown

Honey Bee coming in for a landing on a peach blossom

Did you know that the sweet honey bee is the only insect that produces food consumed by man?  Now that spring weather has finally arrived in most of the U.S. fruit orchards are beginning to burst with blooms and it is imperative they are visited by honey bees for pollination to occur.  The transfer of pollen in and between flowers of the same species leads to fertilization, and successful seed and fruit production for plants. Pollination ensures that a plant will produce full-bodied fruit and a full set of viable seeds.

One of every three bites of food comes from plants pollinated by honeybees and other pollinators.  Apricots, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, peaches, cantaloupe, raspberries, and watermelons are all summer fruits needing pollination by bees.  What would summer be without a family trip to pick blueberries or cherries ?  No fresh peach ice cream? What?  Picnics without juicy, red slices of watermelon?  No seed spittin’ contests?  I can’t imagine not enjoying a bowl full of sugary blackberry cobbler topped with a scoop of homemade ice cream while swinging on a shady porch, a reprieve from the hot days of summer.  Apricot jam, nope!  Not a slice of sweet, ripe cantaloupe on my breakfast table……Just the thought of that makes me sad and sick.  Sick and sad to think what my table would be like without the fruits I’ve mentioned.  There are many other crops to which the honeybee is also necessary.  I’ll save those for another post.

How about you?  How do you feel about this?  If it concerns you for any reason I ask you to simply buy local, organic if possible and seasonal.  Grown your own if possible!  Do not spray insecticides and do not support those who do.  It is in our best interest to protect and help sustain the sweet little honey bee.  Do your part!