Yes, that title is correct, bees. Bees are how we are all able to get our morning buzz of caffeine from our favorite coffee. From pollination, to flavor profiles, to sweetening up your cup, bees are the saviors of the coffee world. On this National Honey Bee Day, we want to pay tribute and homage to the great hero of the coffee world: the humble, hard-working honey bee.

BEES AND COFFEE
Bees are a vital part of coffee production. While coffee plants can technically self-pollinate, this creates weaker and more inbred plants. Without bees, there would be no pollination, and without pollination, there would be much less coffee production. In short no bees = no coffee.
More bees = more coffee and stronger plants! Coffee plants have been shown to produce 20% more fruits when pollinated as opposed to self-pollinating. Not only do bees help coffee trees keep producing, they have also been linked to helping create flavor profiles of coffee. One of our producers, Finca San Jeronimo Miramar, actually has a bee farm on their coffee plantation! They plant their trees in a way that is beneficial to the bees and allows them to better pollinate and live throughout their farm.

BEES ARE IN DANGER
One of the many impacts of climate change is the decimation of bees across the world. In North America alone there has been nearly a 50% decline in bee population due to a combination of rising temperatures and increased synthetic farming chemicals. Without bees, or with less bees, we would loose not just a lot of coffee, but other foods as well. Foods that are staples for human consumption such as tomatoes, apples, green beans, and anything else that requires pollination would die out without an adequate bee population.

HOW TO HELP BEES THRIVE AND SURVIVE
- Plant a Bee Garden
- Use organic pesticides and fertilizers over synthetic ones
- Plant flowering trees for bees
- Build a bee bath by filling a shallow bowl or bird bath with clean water and pebble for bees to land on
- Build bee houses in your garden
- Become a bee keeper
- Support local bee keepers - Find your local Tennessee beekeepers association
- Foster future bee lovers with these children’s bee lessons
- Learn more about the Relationship between bees and produce by reading this article and cool graphics

BUZZ-WORTHY BEE FACTS

• A single bee will produce 1/12 teaspoon of honey in its lifetime.

• A productive queen can lay up to 2500 eggs a day. (ouch)

• In their 6-8 week lifespan, a worker bee will fly the equivalent distance of 1 ½ times the circumference of the earth.

• Approximately, one third of the food we eat is a result of honeybee pollination.

• Mead, which is made of fermented honey, is the world’s oldest fermented beverage.

• Bees are attracted to caffeine!! (me too)

• Honey is the only food that includes all the substances necessary to sustain life, including enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and water; and it’s the only food that contains “pinocembrin,” an antioxidant associated with the improved brain functioning.

• The honey bee’s wings stroke incredibly fast, about 200 beats per second, which makes their distinctive buzzing sound. A honey bee can fly up to six miles, and as fast as 15 miles per hour.

• A bee visits 50-100 flowers during a collection trip.

SOURCES
The Bee Conservancy
https://thehoneybeeconservancy.org/how-to-save-the-bees/
https://thehoneybeeconservancy.org/bee-lesson-plans/
https://www.saveonenergy.com/honeybees-become-extinct/

Finca San Jeronimo Miramar Bee Farm

Royal Coffee

The Washington Post

Sheila Rivenbark - Cafe Manager and Beekeeper

Ryan Murr - Marketing Associate and Nature Nerd

Jamie Stoneham - Graphic Design and Sustainability Advocate