Colony collapse disorder (CCD) is a phenomena happening to bees all over the world. CCD is the mass extinction of bees, where worker bees will abandon a queen bee and the colony for reasons that researchers can't seem to figure out. Though it is likely for a mix of reasons, including the widespread use of pesticides, the overproduction of honey, and others. However, CCD is causing bees to disappear at alarmingly increasing rates, and people aren't nearly as worried about it as they should be.

Here are just five of the many things we wouldn't have if bees went extinct.

1. Honey.

Without bees, we obviously wouldn't have any honey. Obviously, we need bees for hundreds of other reasons, but honey is often overlooked despite its medicinal, wound-healing, general health and many other benefits.

2. Clothing containing cotton.

Around 60% of women's clothing and 75% of men's clothing contain cotton fibers, and without bees pollinating cotton, we wouldn't be able to make any of that clothing.

3. Flowers.

This one may be an obvious one, but without bees to pollinate flowers, we wouldn't have them anymore!

4. Beeswax.

This is one that isn't so obviously important, but beeswax is in so many products that we use every day including lipsticks, shoe polish, furniture polish, candles, moisturizers, and countless others.

5. Dozens of fruits and vegetables.

Without bees to pollinate these plants, we couldn't have almonds, apples, soybean, coconuts, onions, celery, and so many others.

So can we do anything to stop this?

Here are some of the ways that we can do our part to prevent the extinction of bees.

Limit use of pesticides.

Limit your use of pesticides in personal gardens and try your best to buy local, organically grown fruits and vegetables that are in season. Obviously many people can't afford to buy all of their produce organically, but every time you buy organically, you're not only preventing yourself from being exposed to pesticides, but you're also increasing the demand for pesticide-free produce.

Plant things!

Whether you plant an entire garden or just a few potted plants outside of your window, you can contribute to doing your part in helping to end CCD. Even just allowing weeds such as dandelions, clovers and other wildflowers to grow outside of your home will provide a haven for bees.

Examples of plants that will help the bees!

Buy honey from local beekeepers.

Supporting local beekeepers can help to support good conditions for bees.

Create a water basin for local bees.

This is a slightly more unconventional way of helping bees, but by setting out a a small bowl or dish with water can help the thirsty bees! Just make sure to fill the dish with stones so the bees have somewhere to rest while they're getting a drink.

So, by doing any of these things, you can do your part to save the bees, even if it's just on a small scale.