Sunday, 24th May 2009
Why we must protect our bees
Bees do more than just make honey. They are responsible for pollinating plants that provide most of our food. In fact, 70% of all global food crops require pollination. Various medicinal plants and even cotton rely on insect pollinators. Our survival relies on the survival of bees.
'Colony Collapse Disorder' or, as it is known 'vanishing bee syndrome' has caused mass losses across the United States and Europe over the past two years. In 2007, Scottish beekeepers experienced a 30% decrease in bee populations after a summer of terrible weather. The same was true last year. In Germany and Slovenia, losses were as high as 60% and a third of all honeybees in the EU and the US have mysteriously died. Reports suggest that the bees are seen crawling out of their hives to die or simply disappear without trace.
Certain regions of China, such as southern Sichuan, are already feeling the effects of life without bees. The famous pear trees in this region are now pollinated by hand after the uncontrolled use of pesticides is reported to have killed out the bee population during the 1980s. Pollination by hand is a laborious and costly process where hundreds of villagers dip feathered sticks into pots of pollen and dab each individual flower on each individual tree.
Scientists from across the globe have failed to find a definitive conclusion that pesticides are to blame for the mass losses in Europe, a theory that has also be challenged by beekeepers. Certain beekeepers suffer losses even where no pesticides have been used in that area. There are also reports of bee deaths in the days before pesticides were ever used.
One of the main culprits causing bee deaths worldwide however, seems to be mono-cultural farming. The former rich, green pastures full of nectar-producing plants have, in some parts of the UK, become cereal deserts. Cereal crops like barley and wheat are pollinated by the wind and therefore bees don't feed on them. They are forced to look elsewhere for food. Without readily available food, the whole bee colony becomes stressed and disease-prone. An unhealthy, stressed bee is more susceptible to the parasitic mite varroa, which attacks honey bees and has also been found on bumble bees. Treatment for varroa is extremely costly and has in some cases, forced beekeepers out of business.
Farmers in Canada have overcome this problem by planting beneficial crops in set-aside land in order to provide the valuable nectar that bees require. Even planting certain bee-friendly plants in your garden, such as Clarkia Elegans Pretty Polly seed mix or the exotic flower Phacelia, together with Borage, Charlock, Wild White Clover and other nectar-rich plants could create a haven not only for bees but for birds and other animals and insects. Planting these relatively cheap seeds would benefit not only bees but our whole ecosystem.
We can all do something to help Scotland's dwindling bee population. By sowing bee-friendly seeds people can help our honey bees, bumble bees and other pollinating insects to survive.
This article appeared in the Sunday Post on 24th May 2009
