(press title for link)
Mainstream skin care companies are beginning to
utilize the benefits of honey and other bee products.
Summary:
Today's world is completely invested in the latest technology, including medical technology. However, there are immense benefits to natural anti-bacterial remedies. Bee supplements have been labeled a "hippie diet fad" for years, and many question the credibility of their effects. Recent studies prove that bee products may be the solution to a number of health issues, ranging from allergies to bacterial infections. First of all, royal jelly (the queen bee's food source) was linked to treating glucose intolerance and improving mental health in a series of tests. According to Ms. Bacon, owner of a Los Angeles natural supplement company, royal jelly leaves you feeling "energized and buzzy." The jelly's benefits also include immunity and fertility, as well as protection against bacterial infection and inflammation. Manuka honey is another natural remedy that improves skin complexion and has bacteria fighting qualities. The strain is derived from New Zealand and is used to heal sore throats, improve digestion, heal wounds, and prevent tooth decay. In addition, bee pollen has been proven to alleviate symptoms of seasonal allergies. Some health professionals disagree with the alleged healing powers of bee products. For example, Amy Wechsler, a dermatologist in Manhatten, supports the claims of honey and other bee products containing anti-bacterial properties and pollen's powerful effects against allergies. However, Wechsler also believes that bee products "don't do anything magical" and cannot be used for our major medical needs. Regardless of the healing properties of bee products, it is important to note that the endangerment of bees is a major issue. The rusty patched bumblebee was added to the endangered species list last year and the number of beehives in the United States has decreased significantly since the 1940s. Pesticides have been the main cause of the decreasing bee population and continue to threaten colonies today. Bees are essential to life on earth because they are the foundation of the food pyramid.
Reaction:
Bees have the ability to produce natural remedies that I believe could truly help everyone. While it is important to get all of today's required vaccinations, I think that for smaller health problems the US could be using a more natural approach. Rather than having doctors prescribe antibiotics and other pills for certain circumstances, we could be going back to the basics and researching more natural treatments. This may even help decrease the number of overdoses in the US. The decline in bee population is extremely threatening to not only the US but the world. According to BBC, we have access to most of our food because of bees. They pollinate our fruits and vegetables, also providing food for the meat that we consume. These insects are responsible for pollinating 1/3 of all of our food and contribute up to 400 million pounds to the British economy. This suggests that the human race would have an extremely limited food source if bees were to go extinct, creating food shortages and the endangerment of other species who rely on pollination. While time is moving fast and the world is constantly moving towards new discoveries and advancements, it is important to remember that we are not alone. There are millions of species sharing the world with us and we must remember the importance of protecting wildlife in order to save our planet.
Connection:
Though we are just starting our Buddhism unit, I just wanted to make the connection that the Buddha considered honey to be one of the five essential medicines and thought that it had certain healing properties. Buddhism is constructed around the idea that we must stop wanting in order to finally be content with ourselves. This reinforces the idea that we should stop obsessing over what we want in the world and focus more on what we take for granted, such as nature. Without bees, the world would experience a devastating loss of all living things, so before using that plastic straw at a restaurant or asking for plastic bags at the grocery store checkout, remember that we must make sacrifices for nature in order to protect ourselves and create a healthy world.
Questions:
1) Do you think that bee products could be a good natural alternative for certain modern day medicines?
2)What do you think could happen to the world as a result in the bee population declining?
Last Thought:
I wanted to make a blog post that reminded us that we are all here together despite the different political views we might have. Sometimes we just need to focus on what we have in common instead of our differences!
Other Sources:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zg4dwmn
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/09/business/energy-
environment/pesticides-probably-more-harmful-than-previously-thought-scientist-group-warns.html
http://www.buddhisma2z.com/content.php?id=177
In response to question 2, I believe it would be(e) catastrophic to lose bees. Honeybees are a major pollinator. According to Cornell, they alone contributed to almost $30 billion of the farm economy (http://news.cornell.edu/stories/2012/05/insect-pollinators-contribute-29b-us-farm-income) in just 2010. I think the most noticeable impact from the decline of the bee population will be the lack of fruits and vegetables in super markets. I think these will be replaced with artificial foods or versions of the current fruits that are not pollinated by bees. While I understand that there is historical precedent that might suggest honeybee medicine works, personally I do not be(e)lieve that it does. I haven't found any information to support that it works either.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteAlthough I do not believe that bee products will able to solve serious medical problems, there are healing properties of these products that could be helpful for more minor issues like colds and sore throats. According to researchers in Iran, honey contains important antioxidants and flavonoids (plant pigments that function as antioxidants), such as ellagic acid and chrysin. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5424551/). Antioxidants are essential for a being healthy as they prevent oxidation, a reaction that can produce dangerous molecules that destroy cell structures. Like Aidan and Albena, I personally do not think that bee products can replace modern-day medicine, but they do contain natural ingredients that are beneficial for us. I also think that it’s important to ensure that the bee population is thriving, as the insects are necessary for pollination of plants that base our diet.
ReplyDeleteNice topic btw:)
(Caroline Dixon) In response to Question 1, while I can believe that bee supplements have a lot of beneficial qualities when it comes to helping pollen allergies and smoothing the skin, I do not believe that they can be considered alternatives to modern-day medicine, especially not for serious medical issues. One of the biggest personal problems I find with the article is that it claims that royal jelly, one of the many bee supplements, might have a positive effect on mental health, a medical field that has been stigmatized and discredited leading many people to forgo getting actual treatment for their mental illnesses (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1489832/). The supplement industry has a long history of using preliminary studies to back up their wild assertions about their product, especially for dietary supplements. An article by the New York Times just this past year ( https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/03/well/older-americans-vitamins-dietary-supplements.html ) says that "preliminary studies fuel irrational exuberance about a promising dietary supplement, leading millions of people to buy in to the trend". While this claim is backed up by a reputable study conducted in Japan in 2008 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3499288/), it's still extremely important to note how the supplement industry markets and sells its products in dishonest ways, especially because this is just one referenced study used to promote the use of royal jelly.
ReplyDeleteThough bee products do have beneficial properties to people, such as nourishing skin, soothing small cuts and burns, or to combat allergies. I think that it cannot be an alternative for modern day medicines. Bee products could be used as an alternative on small medical problems, if you prefer to use natural products, but I think it is best to stick with modern day medicine for major medical problems. There isn’t much research on the benefits of bee products and many different doctors have contradicting statements about bee products, I think it isn’t safe to fully lean on it. As stated by Econation(1) “[Honey] is an antioxidant and as such may help in the prevention of cancers and also reduce the ravages of the ageing process, although there is no concrete evidence to prove this.” As they state there is no evidence so if you want to use it next to modern day medicine I don’t think it wouldn’t affect you too much. But I would highly recommend to not only lean on bee products.
ReplyDeleteI think that if a brand decides to use bees products in their products, they should try to preserve the product they are trying to use. They can try to help buy purchasing beehives and making sure that they aren’t declining and preserve them. Bees are very important to our own lives, and if extinct will affect us greatly. Since bees pollinate our plants if they go extinct it will be very bad so I think it’s important to preserve bees and their habitat.
(1) https://econation.co.nz/blog/the-benefits-of-honeybees/
I do believe bee products could be used to serve as natural remedies for minor health problems. In the US, we are infamous for over prescribing antibiotics, and now are just beginning to see the after-effects. In 2016, the CDC published an article saying "1 in 3 antibiotic prescriptions are unnecessary"(https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2016/p0503-unnecessary-prescriptions.html). If doctors continue to overprescribe these medications, more and more people will become immune to its effects. This is not good because when one truly needs an antibiotic, in a threatening case-, its effects might not be as strong or work at all. Trying to tie this back to bee products and their supposed medical benefits, is a bit of a stretch, but overall I believe a more natural or laid back approach is better for small case health problems.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with Natalie with the the problem of overprescribed antibiotics. Antibiotics are prescribed for so many infections that we could become immune to them and not have any alternative. According to Sebastian A.J. Zaat, Ph.D, "Honey or isolated honey-derived components might be of great value for prevention and treatment of infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria."(https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100630111037.htm) This reveals that honey actually can be an alternative to antibiotic- resistant bacteria, which means that Honey is a great source for medicinal use for things like infections. Answering Grace's question, I think honey can replace some modern day medicines because it is natural and bacteria isn't able to resist this type of medicine yet.
DeleteBrett--please make sure you make an original comment, not just a reply.
DeleteIn result of the decline in bee population, farmers have been affected significantly. According to 'YaleEnvironment360.com'
ReplyDelete(https://e360.yale.edu/features/declining_bee_populations_pose_a_threat_to_global_agriculture), "...this winter, California’s almond growers were able to pollinate their crop only through an intense, nationwide push...Tucker, vice-president of the American Beekeeping Federation and owner of Tuckerbees Honey in Kansas...lost 50 percent of [his] hives this past winter." Like proven in this article, the decline in bee population makes getting crops pollinated a much more vigorous, and stressful process. Although there are still enough bees to get the job done, if bee population keeps dropping at this rate, this might change. If that is the case, it would cause a huge number of farmers to lose immense amounts of money, along with taking many foods off the market. In fact, bees help to produce of 30% of the worlds crops, and also help 90% of wild plants to thrive. This means that this would result in not only the loss of many foods for us in the market, but also the loss of food for wild animals, and the beautiful scenery we see here on Earth.
I think bee products are more natural and have healthy benefits. I believe that bee products can be a good natural alternative to modern day medicines since they have benefits such as having properties of being naturally antibacterial and anti inflammatory. I don’t think however, that bee pollen can relieve allergies since it’s basically pollen which actually causes allergies. Additionally, I think bee products can be used by those who want something more natural as a remedy for small issues such as a cold or sore throats, however, bee products can’t cure serious medical issues and they may not be as effective as other modern day medicines. For the declining bee population’s effect on the world, I believe that effects will be catastrophic if the bee population does not recover. This is because bees account for essentially every agricultural product by pollinating them as a pollinator. Without pollination by bees, there will be a extreme decline in produce of agricultural products and plants reproducing. I do believe that the bee population will recover because the decline of bees have been noticed by many and people around the world are attempting everything they can to return the bee population back to normal and conserve them.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure whether or not bee products can could b a good natural alternative for modern day medicines. Like Albena said, there is not enough evidence to prove that bees or their pollen can cure diseases. This belief could lead to the decline of bees because people are using them for cures even though it is not proven that bees can cure any diseases. The decline of rhinos is due to their horns. Many people believe that their horns can cure disease, however that is not true. I think people should be more careful about what they believe and should not have to sacrifice animals (bees). It would be very tragic if bees became extinct. They are very important in our world because they produce pollen which helps plants grow. Without bees our world would look dead because the plants would not have their pollen to survive.
ReplyDeleteWhile it seems that honey has many healing benefits, I wonder whether the health advantages of honey are actually true. According to Healthline, Manuka honey’s value and effectivity is measured by a unique manuka factor rating (UMF) that describes the levels of magnesium oxide and a precursor within the product. Apparently, the higher the UMF rating, the more beneficial the honey is in terms of health. Consequently, people pay up to $300 in order to get just 9 ounces of the best and most “valuable” brands of manuka honey, like Manuka Natural and Manuka Health. Are the benefits of high UMF rated manuka honey actually true, or are they just a result of the high price making buyers seem as though they are buying a more valuable product. In fashion, people pay around $50 to buy one hoodie from the brand Champion, yet at Target you can get a hoodie with a similar make-up and look for a third of that price. Even though a “Champion” hoodie is of similar look and quality compared to a Target one, the Champion product being high in demand and high in price makes it seem more valuable. Can this same idea be seen in the believed high benefits of honey? Even though products like ginger and green tea are said to have the same health advantages of honey, the rave for honey continues, making it seem as though honey is being used merely because it is trendy and makes the buyer feel as it has great value.
ReplyDeleteI like your comparison to modern day brands and how people are often willing to pay more if the product is in demand or considered superior in quality due to popularity. In reality, products like this are often similar if not inferior quality to cheaper competitors. With the Manuka honey, this also could be the problem. Manuka honey and regular honey could have similar effects, but Manuka honey id considered superior so people are willing to spend more money on it. According to Dr. Adrian Charlton, Manuka honey sales is an issue of quality. There are many Manuka products on the market that are being labeled as high quality and from New Zealand when they really have a low UMF (Manuka factor rating)and are even from different parts of the world. This means that a lot of the Manuka honey on the market is fake, thus won't have the same effects as pure Manuka honey. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/nutrition/liquid-gold-manuka-honey-worth-hype/
Delete^that was Grace
DeleteI would like to comment on the actual effectiveness of bee medicine. According to WebMD ( https://www.webmd.com/balance/bee-pollen-benefits-and-side-effects), after years of research, scientists cannot confirm that bee pollen has any health benefits. On one hand, one can argue that bee pollen does contain carbs, protein, lipids, vitamins, and minerals, but researchers and scientists have not proven that pollen, or bee products, can actually cure any diseases, or be used as medicine. Therefore, regarding the author’s first question, I don’t think bee products can replace certain modern day medicines, due to the fact that they simply haven’t been proven to cure anything, despite their healthy components.
ReplyDeleteThe use of bees as a source of unsynthesized solutions to health problems is an environmentally friendly system that people should utilize. Although some bee derived remedies might not have many proven benefits, they are still a medical field that should be given consideration. Despite their medicinal value, people must protect bee's because of their primary job of spreading pollen. The decline in bee populations manly due to the destruction of their environments threatens not only bee's, but all life on earth. Bee's are just as important as global warming and other world wide phenomenons and should be given the same public attention as everything else. Time magazine(time.com/4688417/north-america-bee-population-extinction/) gave a report declaring around 700 North American bee species are swiftly declining and are at risk of extinction. Agriculture in the US is the source of billions of dollars, so keeping the bee population healthy is a matter that effects our government and treasury. If Americans don't conserve more natural bee habitats, we won't have a vital part of the natural growing process.
ReplyDeleteI think this response summarizes my thoughts very well. Connecting the two points made- whether or not the medicinal value of bee cosmetics is effective is more or less irrelevant to keeping bee populations thriving, as they provide so much more than honey. As most of these comments state, bees are crucial to agriculture. If using bee cosmetics that are acquired or produced in such a way that is beneficial to the providing bees, then I think bee products are worthy of being popularized solely for the purpose of maintaining a thriving population.
DeleteBees are very important to the ecosystem and therefore a decline in population would be horrible for the environment. The equilibrium found in nature would be lost. In addition to being helpful for natural antibacterial remedies, they take part in pollination. Pollination is what keeps plants alive, such as important food crops and flowers. They are the world’s most important pollinator. According to onegreenplanet’s website, their “pollinating services” account for our creation of $19 Billion worth of agricultural crops in the US alone. In the instance of a declining population of bees, their necessary services would decrease. This would take a toll not only on the environment but much of the world economy.
ReplyDeleteBees are vital to helping us get our necessities, such as pollinating our crops for food. It is one thing to use bees for food, which humans obviously need to survive; however, it is another thing entirely to use bees for vanity. Bees are already endangered, and without them we would no longer have a lot of the plants and animals we eat. It is wasteful and extravagant to use an endangered species for a luxury like cosmetics.
ReplyDeleteI question the actual effectiveness of bee medicine and if it is truly to risk permanently damaging our planet for it. I have been sick many times where I have been given Manuka honey to help me get better and while it does help me, I don't believe that it does anything incredibly different than regular honey. While I am al for finding more natural medicines for diseases and allergies, I don't believe that we are taking much of a step in the right direction if we are harming the planet. More research should be put into what gives these products their healing powers and if any other natural things possess them. I do believe that if proven to have healing powers, bee medicine could be a huge discovery in the area of natural medicinal products. A discovery like this would only lead to more research and healthier options for many patients. But I do stand by the fact that the extinction of bee's is not in any way something that should be blown off. Bee's are a huge part of our ecosystem and it would be absolutely devastating if their populations continue to drop.
ReplyDeleteAlthough bee products posses healing properties, their effects are not comparable to modern medicine; however, this should not mean that we discount bees. Bee products may be an alternative towards artificial medications, and can help heal without causing the side effects that normal medicines do. They can also be much cheaper to manufacture (than more expensive products/procedures), meaning people may have an alternative medicine that they can afford. Besides medicine, bees are extremely important for our environment. According to https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/21/science/bees-pollination-farming.html, 40% of the managed honeybee population in the US dies annually, severely impacting crop production to the point where farmers look to other species of bees. This is crucial because with an unsustainable crop production, the globe will begin to experience significant consequences, all revolving around low foot production. So yes, bees are a source of healing products, but we must be careful to insure that the bee population does not continue to decline to avoid large problems that could be in our near future.
ReplyDeletePersonally I feel that honey would not be an efficient method for solving larger scale health problems. Although honey may be useful for smaller scale health problems such as soothing throats and having antibacterial properties, this only applies to the higher end honey. The types of honey stated in the article consisted of high end honey types such as Manuka and royal jelly. Compared to royal jelly or Manuka honey, sore throat medicine is relatively more cheap. Harvesting royal jelly requires a lot of labor and time, creating this large price difference. This price difference does not make honey exactly general public friendly.
ReplyDeleteFor bees, royal jelly is an adequate supplement for their nutritional needs, but I feel that the molecules in royal jelly are not enough for humans due to our vast differences in size and nutritional needs. There is also currently insufficient evidence for its health benefits for people to possibly be relying heavily on it. (https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-503/royal-jelly)
On the other hand, using more natural alternatives to fight certain bacterial infections could lower the risk and quickness of humans creating a potential superbug that would be resistant to the antibiotics that humans have engineered. The use of honey could also make people more aware of the health of the bees making their honey and could cause them to strive for better conditions for bees.
Then again, royal jelly is the food supplements for bee larvae and in order to harvest royal jelly we must take this food away from them. This can kill thousands of future bees which could further contribute to the quickening extinction of honeybees. Like the author stated, bees are essential for ecosystems all over the world and the loss of bees would create detrimental effects for not only plants, but for us as well.
Honey tastes and makes you feel absolutely amazing. However, it isn't medicine and won't cure everything, and I don't think it should be seen as a replacement for such. Having honey won't hurt you, but believing that honey will fix everything is folly. There is no scientific proof it can cure diseases just yet, but it does do wonders for your skin. The article also mentions Royal Jelly being nutritious, and while it certainly is, it is also food for bee larvae, and harvesting such jelly starves many bees. Honeybees are already going extinct, and demanding for more of this could rush their extinction. Bees are essential for ecosystems everywhere and losing them would negatively affect us all. Honeybees have a big purpose in nature, as all creatures do, and wiping them out just to enjoy something for ourselves is a bad idea.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your points. Honey, while having benefits in terms of skincare and soothing pain or symptoms of illnesses, they are not proven to battle diseases. It may have relaxing or soothing effects when recovering from a cold or illness, but it cannot provide the aid in battling illnesses like medicine can. Also, you mentioned that Royal Jelly is nutritious but the collection of it can starve bees, which I thought was a good point. Since honey does have benefits in life considering plant life and pollination, which will heavily effect ecosystems. By enjoying the benefits bees provide us too much, we can increase the speed in their extinction like you mentioned. Overall, I completely agree with your two points about honey in comparison to medication, and the demand for natural bee products negatively affecting life.
DeleteSophie, please make sure you make an original comment, not just a reply
DeleteIn response to question #1, I’d say if there’s a medical situation where honey is applicable then it should be prioritized more over antibiotics just due to our current antibiotic resistance crisis. It’s been reported that in 2013 at least 23,000 people die each year due to an antibiotic-resistant infection with the numbers only ever increasing as more bacteria becomes resistant. Now for question #2, I believe a world without bees and no alternatives would result in a huge drop in available food. It’s straightforward in the sense that they’re our main pollinators but more specifically, the plants that they breed would go extinct due to no reproduction and thus those animals dependant on those plants would die and furthermore, those who depended on those animals would die, and so on and so forth. For some numbers, it’s stated that bees pollinate about 70% of the 100 crop species that feed about 90% of the world. In conclusion, a world without bees and no alternatives would end up dead. I feel there’s no other way to put it.
ReplyDelete(http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140502-what-if-bees-went-extinct)
(https://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/biggest_threats.html)
Although it has been proven bees can provide positive medical benefits and can help with allergies, wounds, and others, it certainly can not replace modern medicine. Everyday, more effective antidotes and antibiotics are made and can quickly cure the worst of diseases. Honey can certainly help out in smaller scale health problems, but it won't nearly be as effective as modern medicine. In result of the honey bee population declining, I believe it would result in an economic decline. As stated in the article, bees are responsible for 1/3 of all the food, so if they go extinct we would have to find a more expensive way to make up for the lack of food. Bees are nature's helpers so the decline of the bee population will only negatively impact the world.
ReplyDeleteI think that using natural products would be a great alternate to to using antibiotics and prescribed medicines. Reason one being that since medicine is usually not customized to the recipient doctors don't know what chemicals will work properly with which person this would lead to doctors prescribing many medicines which may have no affect to the persons well being. While for natural remedies all you would have to worry about is if the person has any allergies towards the materials used. The second reason is it would be a lot cheaper to use natural products than medicines which are made in the lab. The pharmaceutical industry was one of the highest profiting industries due to the high markups in their product and laboratory equipment needed but if natural based materials were used then it wouldn't cost as much. If the worlds bee population decreased it would probably affect the quality of natural products due to the pollinating of bees. Also, there would be less honey (Obviously).
ReplyDeleteI think that, yes, honey products COULD help the medicine industry but I don’t think that it would be smart to exclusively use honey based products to change medicine. But, in response to question 2, bees are very important to the natural economy. They help pollinate flowers and plants that grow food to promote growth and seed distribution. And of course they also provide us with natures natural sweetener: honey. But the decrease in bee population, if it continues, could lead to drastic environmental changes. We would possibly see slower spread and ultimately no spread of plant growth or us humans would have to do the pollination manually. As the popular BEE MOVIE showed us, their world’s decrease in bees working (not population decrease) still simulated the same effects on the environment if the bees had been dead. It is important for us to make sure that we take care of bees and also plants to ensure that we can keep earth living.
ReplyDeleteIn response to your first question, I believe that bee products could be an essential, and even a possible alternative, to some products in the medicine field. Antibiotics commonly give off unwanted, and extremely harmful, side effects. On the contrary, when taking alternative medications like bee products, people are aware of what’s being taken into their bodies and can assure that it's all natural. This also goes along with your connection to Buddhism. According to Buddhism, in order to be active and healthy, one must live a spiritual life. This is reflected in natural medicines, and as stated by Sara Calabro, “Practitioners of alternative medicine address not just the physical body but also the patient’s emotional and spiritual health.” (https://www.everydayhealth.com/alternative-health/the-basics/are-you-conisdering-complementary-and-alternative-medicine.aspx)
ReplyDeleteIn response to the first question, bee products benefit agitation and smoothness of the skin, but I believe that it is not effective enough to become a modern day medicine. I believe bee products may possibly help for medical skin problems because most bee products are naturally anti-bacterial, but should not be used as a replacement for other medical treatments. Honey can battle symptoms and skin allergies, but can not battle illnesses and diseases. The article mentions that royal jelly is not only nutritious but also food for bee larvae. By using bees for products it can increase the extinction of the bee population and decrease an amount of benefits they provide for us.
ReplyDeleteTo answer the first question, bees and honey are a benefit for everyone, for example pollination and helping wounds. But, I don’t think it is an alternative for medicine. There is new medicine coming out every day, and it affects the bees since demand for natural bee products negatively affect life. Although switching modern day medicine with bee products can decline the amount of overdose as stated on top, it is good to have a wide variety of differnet medications and have more options. Honey can not fight serious diseases which makes it safer if we stick with modern day medicine instead of natural bee products.
ReplyDeleteAs a response to the first question, I don;t believe natural methods could be alternatives for modern medicine. Whether the natural method works just as fine as the modern medicine the medicine is more reliable because it has been studied and tested to do the exact jobs that it needs to. It feels safer to use something that was made to solve a problem than to use something that existed beforehand and just happens to work at dealing with the problem. A surge in the use of bee products as an alternative may cause a movement where people begin to use any natural remedy they can to treat everything. This can lead to a number of cases where people refused medical treatment because of their natural healing beliefs which sadly cases like that already exist. It may be possible to replace some modern day treatments and medicine with bee products, but I don't believe that they should be commonly used as substitutes.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your second question, i think the world would end. The reason I think this is because according to (http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140502-what-if-bees-went-extinct), bees feed 90% percent of the world. So if bees were to go extinct this would impact the world's population drastically. Without all the plants bees pollinate and without the animals that eat those plants, how could the minimal amount of food left in the world feed almost 8 billion people. If millions of people are dying of famine now, imagine without bees. This would cause a devastating problem for the world leaders and could result in disagreements between countries or even war. Of course this is just one big “if” but no matter the case, the loss of bees would negatively affect the world.
ReplyDelete