Andres Manuel Olivares Miranda discusses what would happen to humanity if bees were to become extinct.

1. How the Extinction
of Bees
WOULD IMPACT HUMANITY
b y : A n d r e s M a n u e l O l i v a r e s M i r a n d a

2. Large Scale Extinction
While some people already understand the important role
honeybees play in our world, many people only see them
as a nuisance. Sure, everyone knows they make the honey
that helps us sweeten our foods, but, beyond that, most
see little use for these creatures. However, honeybees are
more crucial to human survival than many people realize.

3. Say Goodbye to a Large Variety
of Foods
Together with birds and bats, honeybees help to pollinate
up to 90% of the natural foods we consume every day.
This means many species of plants would quickly die off.
As the bee pollinates a type of plant, it transfers the
pollen from a male plant to a female plant via the pistils.
Without the honeybee to facilitate reproduction, entire
species of plants would die off. This has already started
to happen in areas where air pollution, pesticide use and
heavy rains chase off the honeybee population.

4. List of Foods We'd
Lose
Apples
Almonds
Cabbage
Carrots
Celery
Cherries
Eggplant
Garlic
Onions
Peaches
Pears
Plums
Squash
Tea

5. Farm Animals
Would be Lost
Even plants we don’t eat would still
affect our ability to survive. Once
the plants start to die off, there
would be no more food for
herbivores, which include many
types of cattle and other farm
animals. Very soon, we would no
longer have natural dairy products
or many of the meats that we rely
on for protein.

6. Predatory Animals
Conversely, predatory animals would begin to thrive.
Eagles, vultures, and ravens would begin to pick off the
weakened herbivores. These animals would begin to pick
off the animals we rely on for sustenance because their
thinned herds would make them easy prey.

7. Loss of Crop Production
In addition to impacting our food supply, the lack of
honeybees would mean we couldn’t continue to produce
crops to use as biofuels or for producing clothing. Further
down the line, trees would begin dying out as well. In
addition to losing the fresh oxygen they produce, fewer
trees would mean our access to fresh water will soon be
limited. We need honeybees for more than just honey.
Without them, starvation and dehydration would soon spell
our demise.