On 2013-06-23 19:13:46 +0100, Jeff Layman said:

On 23/06/2013 13:10, Phil Gurr wrote:
I am a beekeeper and have been for longer than I care to
remember. Much is spoken about honeybees and their
contribution to world food stocks, but is this really
the case?

(snip - see OP)

I think that what you are saying is so unpopular that most of the UK
now believes we are all in imminent danger of starvation as our food
crops will fail if there are no honeybees. Never mind the facts - if
honeybees go we will all die!

Apart from the usual cereals, sugar cane is an enormous source of
calories (whether you consider them good or bad is another matter), and
that, being a grass, is also wind pollinated. So, although we do not
eat the fruit of the sugar cane, we can continue to propagate it
without insect pollinators.

What we /might/ lose from our diet is the large choice of flavours, and
perhaps more importantly, vitamins such as ascorbic acid. However, as
nature abhors a vacuum, it would not be long before other pollinators
appeared to take the place of honeybees.

We would, of course, lose honey. And for that alone we should look
after our honeybees!

Indeed we should look after our honeybees and all our pollinating
insects. But what Einstein actually said was "if the bees died..." not
"if the honeybees die". Apparently. So bumble bees are doing a great
job. Just look after ALL the pollinators and plant pollinating insect
attractive plants.
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk