WHY DO BEES MATTER?
One out of every three bites of food that we eat is made possible by pollinators like honey bees. As the growers of most of our food, Canadian farmers know how much we all rely on these pollinators. Statistics Canada data shows the number of beekeepers and honey bee hives in our country is on the rise, but there are still a number of factors contributing to honey bee health issues.
That’s why we’ve launched Bees Matter, an initiative to restate agriculture’s commitment to honey bees and bring knowledge to the Canadian public about how they can get involved and help honey bees thrive.
Since being introduced to the Americas in the 17th century, the European honey bee has become a foundation for North American food production and our economy, as well as an integral part of our environment.
Many crops—like cucumbers, pumpkins, cherries and apples—depend on them for pollination. Our farmers depend on healthy crops to make a living. Our economy depends on the ability of those farmers to feed Canadians, and people around the world who depend on Canadian food production.
And our ecosystem depends on everything working together.
The Canadian agriculture industry understands the worth of the honey bee and supporting the honey bee is an integral part of being good environmental stewards.
On Bees Matter, you’ll find information about honey bees in Canada and the factors affecting colony health, as well as the details of our commitment to ensure that hives across the country stay safe and thrive.
This website is one of several initiatives to work together with beekeepers, scientists, environmentalists and everyday Canadians to improve honey bee health. It’s an initiative to shed light on the many factors affecting honey bee health, and to do so based on a foundation of good science.
We need to work with our farmers to protect the environment. We also need to protect those farmers and their crops, so we can protect the communities they serve. And it all relies on continuing to protect the honey bee.
Because Bees Matter to everyone.
Source: https://www.beesmatter.ca/