The Importance of Honey Bees in North Texas

Honey bees are magnificent creatures. They are the workhorse of the animal kingdom and keep our world turning. In North Texas, the humble honey bee has major importance to the community and economy. At Honey Bees Roofing & Solar we appreciate honey bees and all they do for our home and community. The importance of honey bees in North Texas is something we’d like to share with you, so you might have a better appreciation for our buzzing friends.

Honey

The most obvious thing honey bees do is make honey! Day in and day out domestic and wild honey bees are making their namesake, sticky and sweet honey. Honey bees kept by beekeepers make millions of pounds of honey. In 2019, Texas alone made 7.4 million pounds of honey. Texas beekeepers sell the honey to the community, but also worldwide. Selling at an average of $8 to $10 per pound retail, honey bees are a staple to the North Texas economy.

Pollination

Another major importance of honey bees in North Texas is their pollination ability. Most pollination in Texas is carried out by bees. Pollination is what allows all plants to reproduce. Without honey bees, most plant life would cease to exist. One-third of food eaten by Americans is pollinated by the noble honey bee. Things like cotton, vegetables, citrus, corn, wheat, peanuts, and pecans all require bees to keep growing year after year. All of those things are also major crops for Texas. Not only do bees hold up the entire ecosystem with pollination, but also every farm in the world counts on it. Without honey bees, many of the crops North Texas depends on would not be able to grow.

Bee Trouble

Honey bees are in trouble. The populations of domestic and wild bees are starting to decline. This is in part due to Africanized bees as well as a multitude of parasites and diseases that threaten bees. Africanized bees are much more aggressive and territorial than normal bees. This aggression extends to other bees as well as humans, causing a threat to native Texan bees. Varroa mites, a parasite that affects bees, are also a large problem in the bee community. They can destroy whole colonies, as well as infect bees with viruses to spread even more damage. The threats bees face are growing, and that’s a worry for North Texas. Honey bees are an important part of our farmland, nature, and economy. We should work to help the honey bee, so they can continue to help us.

Honey bees are vital to the ecosystem of Texas and beyond. By providing North Texas with honey, and pollinating our plants they are an important part of our community. At Honey Bees Roofing & Solar, we strive to be like the noble honey bee. By making sure our work is top of the line as well as efficient, we can ensure we’re doing our best to better our local community. If you need a hardworking roofing contractor for your next project, Contact Honey Bees Roofing & Solar online or give us a call today at 817-668-6131!