The disappearance of a bee reminds us of the ecological crisis we face?

Why does the disappearance of a small bee attract the attention of all countries in the world, and invest a lot of manpower and material resources in research? The impact behind it is not as simple as worrying about not being able to drink delicious honey anymore, but an important issue related to the ecological balance of nature and the survival of human beings. “I haven’t grown loofahs for several years, because all of them have to be pollinated by hand.” Bian Yufen, a farmer who has been farming in Yunlin Mayuan organic farm for 12 years, said that in recent years, the number of bees has not only decreased significantly, but also their vitality has not been as good as before. The force is greatly reduced, making many melon and fruit crops have to switch to artificial pollination. During the flowering period of the loofah, you have to brush the flowers with your head up for 3 or 4 hours every day. Not only are you hot and tired, but you are also sore all over your body, and you have no spare time to take care of other crops. As a last resort, she had to give up the crop of loofah. On the other side of the farm, young farmer Chen Junnan shared his experience in growing cucumbers. The gherkins that are fully pollinated by the bees grow straight and beautiful, while the ones that are not pollinated completely have a curved shape, which has become a special product. “Take one point of land as an example, normally 2 to 3 tons of gherkins can be harvested, but if there are no bees, it may drop to one ton or even less, so now gherkins are improved to be hermaphrodites.”

Without insect pollination, crop diversity would disappear

“When bees disappear, melon and fruit crops are the first to suffer, because almost all melons and fruits depend on bees for pollination,” said Dr. Zhang Shiyang, an agricultural expert. The impact is that the diversity of crops is gradually disappearing, leaving fewer food sources. The impact of the disappearance of bees is not limited to this, but will affect the balance and survival of the entire natural ecology. Yang Encheng, a professor of the Department of Entomology at National Taiwan University, said that the disappearance of bees appears to be a single phenomenon on the surface. However, bees will be greatly reduced, which means that other pollinating insects are also at risk of disappearing. “What we worry about is that the disappearance of bees may be a knock-on effect, or the tip of the iceberg. Because what we see now is only bees, and we don’t see the problem of other insects. How terrible would it be if there were no insects in the world?” According to statistics, the global More than a quarter of all insect species are in decline, and as many as a third are endangered or about to disappear.

Pesticides pollute the air, soil, and water

Professor Yang Encheng said that improper use of pesticides is one of the reasons for the decline in the number of bees. “Pesticides are sprayed in agricultural areas. Do you think they will only stay in pesticide areas?” Professor Yang shook his head and said that less than 1/10 of the pesticides sprayed by farmers will adhere to plants, and 90% will enter the environment and mix into the air. , down into the groundwater. These agents, if absorbed into the soil, can cause soil degradation and kill insects or microorganisms in the soil. But the most worrying thing is that the pesticides entering the groundwater layer will spread with the water basin, and the harm will be more far-reaching. In the summer in western Taiwan, it often rains from the northwest. Farmers spray pesticides in the morning, and when it rains in the afternoon, the pesticides flow into small streams along with the rain. “Even if the dosage of pesticides in water is very low, it may still cause relatively small aquatic organisms or environmental indicator organisms to be poisoned. The scariest thing about nicotine-like agents is that they cannot be absorbed by the soil and can remain in water for a long time.” According to foreign research, ydamide will not disappear after 5 years in water, and some nicotine-like drugs will not disappear even after 30 years. Yang Encheng said: “Bees are also insects that gather water. I also saw a lot of dragonflies when I was a child, but now I rarely see them.” After the natural enemies disappear, the number of insects that endanger humans will increase, which is why dragonflies are becoming more and more Less, more and more reasons for mosquitoes. “The consequences of destroying the ecological balance are beyond what you and I can imagine.”

Organic farming is not only kind to the earth, but also kind to bees

When bees gradually disappear, how do farmers respond or save themselves? Bian Yufen thought for a while and said, “It’s hard!” Although some crops can be improved to reduce the pollination needs of bees, most of the crops that need pollination can only rely on artificial pollination after the bees can’t work. “However, Taiwan’s farmers are generally old, and the artificially pollinated crops that require a lot of labor are gradually being planted. As a result, the diversity of crops will gradually disappear.” “In order to pursue our own interests, we have harmed the habitats of many creatures without realizing it. Through bees, we know that the environment has really become worse.” Bian Yufen said that the top priority is not only to find alternatives, but also to bring this agricultural Produce the closest little helper and get it back. Adhering to friendly farming, not using pesticides and chemical fertilizers, and guarding the land that supports diverse ecology is the sustainable task of this group of organic farmers.