If State Rep. Sue Schmitz, D-Toney, has her way, the monarch butterfly will soon be told to buzz off, and the honeybee will take the throne in its place as official state insect.

A bill making the honeybee Alabama's state insect was sponsored by Rep. Schmitz in February and unanimously approved by the Agriculture and Forestry Committee of the state House of Representatives. The bill is soon to be debated by the entire House.

A main cause for the proposed change is the invaluable service the honeybee provides for Alabama farmers. Whereas most plants are able to pollinate themselves, others require the help of bats, birds or insects to pollinate and therefore produce fruit.

Pollen is transferred from the anther of the male flower to the stigma of the female by the tiny hairs on the worker bee. Pollen sticks to these hairs as the bee is collecting nectar and is then deposited when the bee visits another flower. In the same way, bees are important for cross-pollination, which results when the bee visits two different varieties of a plant.

Bees help pollinate more than 100 horticultural and agricultural crops in Alabama. In fact, honeybees are essential for pollination of certain varieties of apples, pears, blueberries, watermelons and cherries.

Actually, about one third of the food Americans eat is the result of pollination by insects. The importance of the honeybee results in more than 1,200 registered beekeepers in the state. These beekeepers ship their queen bees to every state in the nation and to several foreign countries just for pollination purposes.

Some large-scale farmers will even rent beehives for pollination of their crops. But no matter the size of the farm, bees should be present after some flowering of the crop has already begun for best results. If bees are moved in before the crop blooms, they will likely focus on a near-by and nontargeted substitute.

Factors such as the attractiveness of the plant to the bees, the area of the field, the amount of competing weeds and the weather will determine how many hives per acre should be used. Although honeybees can fly several miles, they prefer to work within 300 feet of the hive; therefore, hives should be placed at 500-foot intervals for larger scale farming.

While the proposed change of the official insect has created a buzz around Montgomery with state lawmakers, farmers and gardeners are buzzing with excitement as a result of the increased support for the invaluable agricultural insect.