What are we without bees?

Born 100 million years ago, bees are among the oldest animals still present on Earth. Constantly evolving since their appearance, they have been able to survive and adapt to the major changes of our era and much more. Currently, there are 20,000 different species of bees spread across almost the entire globe, including 1,960 in Europe and more specifically 1,000 recorded in France. Bees are an integral part of our lives today and as small as they are, they are essential to our environment.

Why are bees essential to humans?

To our greatest joy, bees delight us all year round by producing honey. But their permanent mission goes far beyond; bees constitute an essential link in our ecosystem. Indeed, they ensure the reproduction and thus the survival and development of more than 80% of flowering plants thanks to their pollinating role. Of the 350,000 existing species of flowering plants, 310,000 depend to a greater or lesser extent on pollination by insects and in particular by bees. Among them, 39 plants are part of our daily diet and represent 35% of global agricultural production. This is the case for most fruits, all cucurbits, vegetables such as carrots, eggplants, potatoes or even beans, but also several seeds such as buckwheat, sunflower, rapeseed or coffee. Thus, it is quite easy to see that our lifestyles and in particular our diet would be greatly modified if bees were to disappear.

Why are bees threatened?
For several years now, bees have been greatly threatened to such an extent that we are talking about “colony collapse” syndrome, which brings together the different causes of the increasing mortality of our dear workers, for which man is mainly responsible. . Indeed, bees evolve in an increasingly hostile environment where they must fight daily for their survival. The massive disappearance of colonies is partly due to the use of pesticides that are harmful and deadly to bees. Indeed, when a bee collects nectar from a flower treated with an insecticide, it dies before being able to return to its hive... and even at low doses, these chemical substances affect their nervous system to such an extent that they become incapable of find their way back to their apiary. Added to this is, intensive agriculture which reduces biodiversity and thus the food resources of bees. The latter, hungry, are finding it more and more difficult to meet their needs and those of their colony, for the benefit of a few multinationals... In addition, the global warming that we are facing represents a growing danger for insects since drought affects plant survival and deprives animals of water. And as if human threats were not devastating enough for the colonies, the bees must face formidable predators such as the varroa parasite or the Asian hornet, which are very fond of bee flesh and blood. are having more and more difficulty meeting their needs and those of their colony, for the benefit of a few multinationals... In addition, the global warming that we are facing represents a growing danger for insects since drought affects the survival of plants and deprive animals of water. And as if human threats were not devastating enough for the colonies, the bees must face formidable predators such as the varroa parasite or the Asian hornet, which are very fond of bee flesh and blood. are having more and more difficulty meeting their needs and those of their colony, for the benefit of a few multinationals... In addition, the global warming that we are facing represents a growing danger for insects since drought affects the survival of plants and deprive animals of water. And as if human threats were not devastating enough for the colonies, the bees must face formidable predators such as the varroa parasite or the Asian hornet, which are very fond of bee flesh and blood.

Hédène's commitment to protecting bees
 Aware and alarmed by these deadly dangers, Hédène is actively engaged in protecting the French bee by supporting the Biodiversity Network for Bees. Each year, Hédène finances 25,000m² of honey flower planting through the Coup d'Pousse operation ( www.coupdpousse.fr ) supported by the Biodiversity Network for Bees. The objective is to increase the bee's food resources by developing the floral offerings of French territories and thus participate in its preservation.