What's all the Buzz about Bees?
What's all the Buzz about Bees?
10 May 2023
The 20th May, marks the United Nations' world bee day, so we take this opportunity to reflect on how amazing bees truly are, how they are under threat and what we can do to help them. World bee day takes place on this date because it was the birthday of Anton Jansa, a famous Slovenian apiculture. He led the way as a pioneer in the beekeeping world, enrolled onto Europe's first beekeeping school, worked full time as a beekeeper and wrote a book on it.
Bees and other pollinators play a vital role in maintaining the natural ecosystem. They are needed to pollinate around 80% of all flowering plants, many of which other animals use for their food and habitat. Bees pollinate many of the crops we rely on, such as broccoli, asparagus, cucumber, apricots, strawberries, apples, tomatoes and almonds. Additionally, many crops that are fed to livestock are also pollinated by bees, meaning that our global food system is heavily reliant on them. It is therefore vital to the natural ecosystem and to human food security to protect bees as best as we can.
Unfortunately, a number of factors mean that bee species are at threat of extinction. A major issue affecting bees is the change in farming methods. Intensive farming can reduce the suitability of bees' natural habitat such as loss of water meadows, ponds, trees, hedgerows, flower meadows and traditional hay. Additionally, changes in land use, such as housing developments being built on flower meadows, also negatively affects bees' habitats.
Furthermore, some pesticides used in farming are harmful to bees. Neonicotinoids are a particularly dangerous type of pesticide for bees, since they can make bees less resistant to disease and they can impact bees' ability to breed and navigate. UK and EU governments ruled out the use of most neonicotinoids, except from emergency applications, such as in 2022 to protect sugar beet crops from the Yellow Virus.
Climate change is another major issue for bees, since changes to normal seasonal weather conditions can affect nesting and migration. It can also affect their habitats since plants may flower at unusual times. This could cause a mismatch in the period when some plants flower and when bees are active, affecting bees' access to food and plants' ability to produce fruit.
Other threats include pests, diseases and invasive species, such as the Asian Hornet. In some cases, due to a combination of all of these threats, scientists have noticed a phenomenon called Colony Collapse Disorder (CDD), where worker bees abandon their colonies.
What can we do to help?
Organisations can create pollinator gardens on their land. Since habitat loss is a major threat for bees, a great way to start protecting them locally is to create suitable habitats for them. You can grow plants that are rich in pollen and nectar and choose plant species native to your local area. If there is no space for a garden area, you can alternatively create smaller bee habitats in window boxes or flowerpots. You can also create bee baths by placing pebbles in a shallow bowl and adding a small amount of water that does not completely cover the pebbles. This can help bees to dilute honey, keep the hive cool, feed larvae and aid digestion.
You may want to have a bee-awareness day at your work where you share information with colleagues about the importance of bees and how to protect them. This could encourage individuals to set up their own bee-friendly areas at home!
Businesses can also choose to support local beekeepers and bee charities. Buying honey from small scale, local beekeepers is a great way to support your community and consuming honey from local flora can also be healthier than industrially produced honey. There are also charities that offer schemes where you can sponsor a hive to support new beehives and bee colonies.
As always, working on your organisations' own environmental impact is also vital in protecting bees. Since climate change is one of the threats to bees, it is important to consider reducing emissions, waste and energy usage to limit your organisation's environmental impact.