How Long Would Humans Survive Without Bees? (Plus, What We Can Do To Help)

It might sound silly, but nursing even one bee back to health is a big deal. Here’s why…

According to Albert Einstein, humans could only survive for 4 years without bees.

Turns out, these little insects are incredibly important to our ecosystem. 

In fact, bees pollinate many of the plants that make our diets nutritious and delicious.

Sure, they can be annoying, and getting stung hurts — but we need them to survive.

Here’s the problem, though...

Right now, honey bee populations are rapidly declining around the world.2

Why? Well, it seems bees lead busy lives. Hence the term “busy as a bee.”

Most honeybees fly 4 miles from the hive each day — some even go as far as 12.

Every single day, they embark on long journeys to bring pollen back to their hive. 

As you can imagine, that can get pretty tiring — which is why we sometimes see a helpless bee laying on the ground.

Bees also have very high metabolisms. Even with a full belly, they’re only 40 minutes away from starvation.3

Well luckily, there’s an easy way to re-energize and revive exhausted bees back to life.

And today, I’m going to share a simple DIY recipe to possibly help save its life.

So, without further ado, here’s how to make my “Ener-Bee Drink:”

1. Simply mix 2 tablespoons of granulated (white) sugar with 2 tablespoons of water.
2. Place the mixture on a spoon.
3. Lay the spoon next to the bee so they can drink from it.
4. Congratulations, you’re a life-saver!

Note: Only feed single bees. If you leave out a large mixture of sugar-water, bees will likely tell their friends about the easy food source. 

Sugar-water is very similar to plant nectar, which is what bees naturally eat.

Sugar-water gives bees a boost of energy, so they can continue their mission.

It might sound silly, but nursing even one bee back to health is a big deal.

After all, we rely on them to pollinate one-third of the food we eat.4

That’s why, whenever I see a bee crawling feebly in my garden...

I quickly run into the house, whip up some sugar-water, and bring it outside. 

In a matter of seconds, the bee wobbles up to my spoon and starts drinking!

Afterwards, it stretches its wings and flies off to live another day. 

Feeding a bee is one small thing anyone can do to keep these guys from going extinct.

At BugMD, we believe in safe, natural pest control. But pest control doesn’t always have to mean killing bugs.

So, let’s help the ones that help us.

Please feel free to share this crucial, life-saving information with family, friends — anyone who might be interested.

Or, simply reply to newsletter@bugmd.com.

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Sources:

1. Rhodes, Chris. 2015. "Albert Einstein, Soil, Honey Bees And Biodiversity". Resilience.
2. Nowierski, Robert. 2020. "Pollinators At A Crossroads". Usda.Gov.
3. Baggs, Michael. 2019. "Saving Bees With Sugar: Connecting With Nature Or 'A Last Resort'?". BBC News.
4. U.S. Food And Drug Administration. 2018. "Helping Agriculture's Helpful Honey Bees". U.S. Food And Drug Administration.