The Bees Are Warning Us

Bees are fascinating little creatures. They work hard to make sure we have a wide variety of fruits, veggies, and nuts to keep us happy and healthy. It’s no secret that our buzzing buddies have been in the news lately—and rightfully so. Many of the ways we tend our gardens and shop at the grocery store are having a harmful impact on bee populations.

We have a small backyard garden, and we know firsthand the necessity of having these guys around to pollinate our squash, raspberries, and watermelons. As fledgling farmers, and out of concern for our precious pollinators, I watched a documentary about bees.

I learned quite a bit. I was shocked to find that bees not only contend with the negative effects of pesticides, but their pollination process is also manipulated for profit because of the almond milk boom.

Almond milk is now a $13.25 billion industry, growing 250% in just five years. To meet demand, huge almond groves are planted, and bees are trucked in by the thousands to pollinate this vast monocrop all at once. Beekeepers haul their bees from far and wide to cover millions of acres. But this practice comes with serious consequences.

Bees don’t naturally pollinate like this. In the wild, they move freely among a wide variety of plants, carrying pollen on their tiny legs from flower to flower. They follow the natural rhythms of the seasons, taking time to rest and recharge. They have a purpose—and they seem to enjoy their work.

But this forced, unnatural pollination wears bees down. The stress leads to exhaustion, and eventually, death. It may not seem like a big deal at first, but it’s serious—this method causes about a 30 percent loss in bee populations each year.

I can’t help but see some parallels between bees and humans. These days, it feels like we’re working harder than ever. Everywhere we turn, voices push us to “work like hell” to succeed. We fill our days with everything we think we should do. We believe every evening needs to be scheduled, every moment accounted for. But not everything needs a plan. Families don’t have to run like corporations. In our modern world, efficiency often feels like the highest goal: do more, get more done, make better use of time. Schedules, calendars, and plans have become our new gods.

I’ve fallen into the trap of busyness myself. It’s such a strong cultural force—the idea that we always need to be producing, achieving, moving forward in life. But that’s a farce. A complete untruth. When we’re busy and stressed, we—like the bees—don’t function as we were meant to. We forget how to pause and simply stop to smell the roses.

Busy, harried people are angry, frustrated, and depressed. They have no joy in life—they are simply existing, going through the motions, doing the same things day in and day out.

This is not God’s plan for us. He wants us to stop and take time to rest in Him. Admittedly, this is something I have struggled with for years, and I am finally beginning to realize the detrimental effect this mindset has created in my own life. It has been eye-opening to see the flaw in my thinking. I believed my worth and value were found in my profession, education, etc. If I could simply accomplish all my goals and plans, I would finally be settled. I would have more confidence, more money, more satisfaction. So, I pushed and pushed. If only my plans could succeed, I would have it all.

But they didn’t. Not in the way I hoped. And maybe that was the mercy of it all.

Just like the bees aren’t meant to pollinate an entire almond grove in a week, we weren’t created to run at a constant sprint. We were made for rhythms. For rest. For communion with God and one another.

I’m starting to believe that real fruit—the kind that lasts—grows not from frantic effort, but from a surrendered life. One that trusts God enough to stop striving and simply be.

The bees are warning us. And maybe, if we’re quiet enough, we’ll listen.