Unexpected Elements Elements is all about finding the surprising science angles to everyday news.

Mind absolutely blood. Amazing to me. That's Unexpected Elements from the BBC World Service.

Find it wherever you get your BBC podcasts. Have you ever been stung by a bee?

I was tung once as a young boy,

and the pain was so intense I wanted to cry.

You never forget a sting like that, do you?

But because you are my back, can you remember what happened to the bee?

Did it die?

And did you notice?

And would you notice if all bees started dying.

My name is Simon Metambo and I come from a place called the Raka, the land of bees.

They are sacred to us, but something strange is happening where I live.

As you can see, there are no bees.

If it doesn't change our way of life, even our identity could be lost.

You might not realize it, but bees are helping to keep you alive too.

Here we are talking about a situation where 75% of our food in the world depend on pollination.

If their mass extinction doesn't stop, what would happen?

Hunger.

Hunger.

Ultimately, it's going to be the human base that is the thing that goes extinct as well.

Where would we be without them?

I'm on a journey both personal at the global.

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