Life-sustaining essentials are associated with things such as sun, water, shelter and love, and that’s all humanity needs. So if someone told you that honeybees were responsible for the vast majority of life, would you believe them?

Across the nation, honeybees are accountable for 80 percent of the pollination of fruits and vegetables. However, the influence of honeybees spans far beyond the pollination of vegetation.

Consider the meat industry. If honeybees were not pollinating foliage and plants, there would not be a source of nourishment for livestock. The lack of livestock, in addition to the absence of foliage, would result in the extinction of the human race. Simply stated, pollinators, specifically honeybees, are a necessary part of the life cycle.

A recent U.S. Department of Agriculture forum reports exactly how valuable bees are, indicating they now pollinate $14 billion worth of crops annually. It’s plain to see that the survival of the human race is profoundly intertwined with the existence of honeybees. Not only do these pollinators significantly aid in the success of farms, but also gardens, city parks and suburban landscapes.

As beekeeping expert Robbin Thorp specifies, “There’s an economic benefit to taking care of (bees) … . But until people understand this, they won’t spend time and effort on it.”

In the grand scheme of life, honeybees are almost entirely overlooked. Although life without them would be impossible, the under-educated public obliviously goes about its daily routines while lawmakers ignore outcries about seemingly puny bugs.

However, with warmer temperatures spurring earlier swarming and with Colony Collapse Disorder, the abrupt disappearance of worker honeybees, becoming a front-runner in global problems, honeybees are finally receiving the attention they deserve. But they need your help, too.

With spring activities just around the corner, here are some easy ways to support the honeybee:

1. Stay Informed: In the past month and a half, Northeastern Iowa’s news station, KWWL, has promoted the 2014 Iowa Honey Queen, in addition to both major Des Moines news stations providing honeybee coverage.

2. “Bee”Friendly: Consider planting bee-friendly flowers and allowing bee-friendly weeds (like dandelions) to grow.

3. Buy Local: Cedar Falls and surrounding communities offer farmer’s markets, which can provide opportunity to support local beekeepers and their honeybees.

4. Get The Buzz: Check out the Iowa Honey Producers Association website, www.abuzzaboutbes.com, and read the latest The Buzz newsletter. Also consider attending a beekeeping club meeting.

Honeybees are demonstrating their significance daily, proving themselves irreplaceable. One out of every three bites of food consumed is in some way accredited to honeybee. And although each bee will produce only about one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime, the importance of bees is astronomical. Farmers may be feeding the world, but they would not be doing anything without the tiny, but mighty, honeybee.