ZOOMING OUT
Here’s another point to consider: Honeybees have been in North America for more than 400 years, and, as far as I can tell, weren’t causing widespread native pollinator decline in, say, 1850 — before industrialization, when habitats were more abundant and biodiverse, so there was less competition for floral resources. So perhaps the question we should be asking is, How does the decline in native pollinators correlate with contemporary human population growth and settlement, industrial- scale farming, and the massive exploitation of honeybees for monocrop pollination? Additionally, while it’s clear that honeybees today are adding undue pressure to native species, it’s essential to recognize that a broader anthropogenic context is driving overarching factors that lead to habitat loss, climate change, and biodiversity decline. In other words, humans are the linchpin.
MANY EXPERTS AGREE THAT EVERYONE’S HEALTH WOULD BENEFIT FROM DE-EMPHASIZING LARGE-SCALE MONOCULTURE FARMING AND MOVING TOWARD MORE DIVERSE, RESILIENT SYSTEMS THAT NOT ONLY PRODUCE FOOD FOR US BUT ALSO PROVIDE FORAGE AND SHELTER FOR A VARIETY OF POLLINATORS, WHILE ENHANCING
TOWARD AN ETHICAL PLAN BEE
So yes, everyone can agree that it’s critical to support native biodiversity, from growing native pollinator-friendly gardens to engaging politically in support of wildlands and habitats. But our strategy must also address the larger systemic factors undermining biodiversity — in this case, unsustainable Big Agriculture. I should say here that my original intention for this essay was to draw an ethical frame around the honeybee question, but I’d be remiss not to include some of the ideas that have been proposed about how all of this might be addressed in the real world. Be warned, I’m no expert, so don’t kill the messenger. One suggestion is to eliminate the widespread use of neonicotinoid-based pesticides in agriculture, as they impair the immunity and navigation of both native and non-native insects. Another is integrated pest management, which relies on the use of predatory insects as biological controls, and in California, there are several native bugs that can be used for this. Additionally, many experts agree that everyone’s health would benefit from de-emphasizing large-scale monoculture farming and moving toward more diverse, resilient
systems that not only produce food for us but also provide forage and shelter for a variety of pollinators, while enhancing the soil and biodiversity. And some have suggested that farmers plant wildflower borders around crops to create corridors where native pollinators can thrive. Is there a world where we can build agricultural systems that support not just native pollinators but also immigrant bees, the broader ecology, and human health? This would require a radical rethinking of our relationship with pollinators, habitats, plants, and land use for agriculture. As we grapple with the messiness of an ecological story that human decisions are helping to write, we must also acknowledge that blaming honeybees for native pollinator decline paints an incomplete picture at best, as it sidesteps what is largely an anthropogenic problem. As Albert Einstein once famously said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” My fear is that if industrial agriculture continues business as usual, we risk further harm, not only to pollinators but also to the ecosystems that sustain all life — including our own.
THE SOIL AND BIODIVERSITY.
SO PERHAPS THE QUESTION WE SHOULD BE ASKING IS, HOW DOES THE DECLINE IN
NATIVE POLLINATORS CORRELATE WITH CONTEMPORARY HUMAN POPULATION GROWTH AND SETTLEMENT, INDUSTRIAL-SCALE FARMING, AND THE MASSIVE EXPLOITATION OF HONEYBEES FOR MONOCROP POLLINATION?
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BUZZING TOWARD AN ETHICAL PLAN BEE
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