SAN ANTONIO – Most people know two things about bees: They sting and they produce honey. But bees do much more than just that. This month is National Honey Month, which is meant to bring awareness to the important role they play our ecosystem.
The sound of bees buzzing can be intimidating to some, but the insects tend to keep to themselves.
"In most cases, they are not going to bother you," said Don Fraser, vice president of the Alamo Area Beekeepers Association.
That’s why San Antonio firefighters only respond to calls when bees are attacking a person or an animal.
"We do not respond for bees anymore that are just harmless swarming in a tree. And, obviously, we see the critical role that bees play in the environment," said Joe Arrington, San Antonio Fire Department public information officer.
"We planted a bunch of fruit trees about 15 years ago, and the bee population kept dwindling down to the point where 10 years ago, I did not see a single bee. No bees, no pollination, no fruit,” Fraser said, “About 50 percent to 60 percent or more of our food supply comes from pollination.”
Honey bees need your help for survival. You want to be conscious when using garden herbicides or pesticides, because it’s something that the bees take back and gets integrated in the honeycomb.
Fraser told KSAT 12 News that some of the herbicides and pesticides found at local hardware stores are fat soluble. When the bees pollinate flowers or plants that have these pesticides, they end up taking them back to the hive and the chemicals get integrated into the honeycomb. While Fraser believes pesticides are the biggest culprit of honey bee die-off, there are other contributors like viruses and parasitic mites, beetles, and moths.
"Nationally, I would say there is a 40 percent loss of hives each year," Fraser said.
In South Texas, Fraser estimated loss to be about 25 percent, but he said we can all do our part to help out the bees.
"Take a look at what they can plant in their front yard and their backyard, and find plants that produce nectar and pollen — not just in the early spring, but in the summer and fall," Fraser said.
People can support local bee colonies and beekeepers by buying local honey.
For more information on honey bees and beekeeping, visit Fraser’s blog, ‘Honey, I’ve Got the Bees,’ at https://texmanbees.wordpress.com/.
To contact the Alamo Area Beekeepers Association, visit: http://alamobees.org/.