Bees have mysteriously vanished over the years. No one really knows why. Well, there’s the climate change and destruction of the ecology, but science still can’t pinpoint the exact cause. This topic has been circulating for a while now because of the domino effect. One small thing can lead to big global consequences. The absence of one link in the chain of the ecosystem can drastically change the landscape. That is why campaigns to save the bees launched through the different parts of the globe. Their small act of pollination kick starts the ecosystem. From flowers, to herbivores, to carnivores, to humans; everything is connected.
But what if we are already too late?
Drones may be the answer. In what seems like a futuristic dream in the early 70s, we may now see it happen. In San Francisco, a bold strategy to combat this bee problem has arisen.
Walmart’s Busy Bees:
The large store chain Walmart published a patent this week for small drones basically doing what bees do. A set of drones would go around, collect pollen from one flower, and deposit it in another. A seemingly complex solution to what looks like simple problems, right? Well, we may not have a choice if the bees keep on disappearing.
This process is still in its early stages. After all, it’s not really that easy to replicate something an insect would do. Size difference aside, drones need proper programming to get the job done. What Walmart proposes is a 2-step plan. One drone pollinates, while a second one checks data and makes sure the first drone did the job correctly.
Now at this part of the article you might think, wow, Walmart is spending all this for the sake of humanity. Well, not quite. Like any other expensive and outlandish action in this world, there is an equally important causation. Agriculture is the name of the game. Bees are important in agriculture and trade. Trees, shrubs, flowers, plants, fruits; all need a stable ecosystem to survive. Items which coincidentally are the main sources of income for stores like Walmart.
Drones currently work to spread seedlings for tree planting. They also spread insecticides on fields. Even more UAVs monitor large fields for crop data. It’s a drone’s world after all.
