Page 2 - MidWeek Kauai - Feb 15, 2023

2 KAUA‘I MIDWEEK FEBRUARY 15, 2023
Can We Be More Like Bees?
“Anyone who thinks they’re too small to make a difference has never met the honeybee.” — Unknown
IEconomic Whoas
I“met” bees as a boy and have loved them ever since. They are won- derful in themselves, and I think I am a better person for having learned how they live their lives.
ducing insect friends offer role models for human be- havior.
en- to eight-week life, they take on various tasks. They start as caretakers: feeding brood, grooming nest mates, making comb. Next, they may work in honey produc- tion or as guards at the hive entrance. Finally, near the end of their lives, older bees will become the nectar and pollen foragers we see in our yards and gardens. Because they work together to promote the health and success of their colony, “bee unemployment” is unknown; every bee is al- ways busy.
n the U.S., Hawai‘i is the most expensive state to live in. We all know that. Discussions are held regular- ly on how to address the issue, with lots of current
The bees’ role in our food supply is well known. They pollinate over 30% of the crops consumed by humans and are the only insect to make a product that humans eat: pure, sweet honey.
Bee colonies, which can contain up to 50,000 individ- uals, are considered “super organisms,” in which individ- ualism and “it’s all about me” are unknown. The insects work cooperatively to sup- port their queen, and they al- ways put their colony’s needs first. Using pheromones, or odors, to communicate, they make decisions that benefit the entire group.
ing others and benefiting all. Sweet food for thought?
Dave White was born in California and began teach- ing at Punahou School in 1972, lured by romance and Hawai‘i’s natural en- vironment. Now retired, he enjoys time with grandkids, volunteering for the DLNR in Lēʻahi Crater, spending time in the ocean and beekeeping with students.
Chasing The Light is pro- duced by Lynne Johnson and Robin Stephens Rohr.
legislation rightfully focused on how to help local people most in need.
Knowing that we have an ongoing dilemma here based on numerous factors that are discussed incessantly, wouldn’t it make sense to do a better job educating students about economic realities, opportunities, potential pitfalls and necessities?
Honeybees are now strug- gling worldwide to over- come threats to their surviv- al: pesticide accumulation, habitat loss, mites and small hive beetles. As our species (Homo sapiens) struggles with its own issues, locally and globally, our honey-pro-
According to the Council for Economic Education, 25 states in this country require students to take a course in economics to graduate. Ohio and Nebraska became the most recent states to see the light, as bipartisan efforts there helped ensure that students moving on to college or into the real (working) world will now learn how to help get their financial houses in order at an early age.
A bee colony will have only one queen, and she will lay 2,000-3,000 eggs each day during her two- to three- year life. Newly emerging bees are assigned jobs in the colony and during their sev-
Bees are admirable. Not only are they fascinating and a significant factor in the food supply, but they inspire me to see the importance of moving beyond self-concern to help-
Some of us might reminisce and say about a bevy of topics: “If I only knew that when I was 18.” Being taught how to utilize one’s earnings, enhance one’s retirement nest egg, avoid overspending and capitalize on proven eco- nomic principles at an early age might have been helpful.
with Dave White
Fill in the blank cells using numbers 1 to 9. Each number can appear only once in each row, column, and 3x3 block. Use logic and process of elimination to solve the puzzle. The difficulty level ranges from Bronze (easiest) to Silver to Gold (hardest). Answers are on page 7
RATING: BRONZE
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Our overworked state Department of Education provides some direction, standards and resources, and local banks, credit unions and financial analysts have wonderful tools to help anyone understand the ABCs of personal economics, but mandating a high school course would go a long way toward relieving some of the angst and future money issues encountered by almost everyone, including ALICE (Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed) families and those in poverty locally.
It’ll take a concerted, public-private effort to help fund this education and the educators needed to pull it off, but we are long past merely considering such a concept. Again, we are the most expensive place to live in America, and that’s not likely to change soon. So, being better prepared and economically aware such that you might make smarter fiscal choices early in your working years seems like a bipartisan concept everyone can get behind.
We teach kids about personal hygiene and other vital issues. Yet, perhaps ironically, the lack of any school-man- dated, personal finance education course could lead to fu- ture personal ailments: physical, fiscal and mental. Perhaps 2023 will be the year we move forward, because we literal- ly can’t afford to continue ignoring our economic illiteracy.
Think about it.
john@thinkaboutithawaii.com