Bees...
Many people think of bees simply as a summertime nuisance....
But hang on - it is estimated that one third of the food that we consume each day relies on pollination mainly by bees.
Through the pollination of many commercial crops such as tomatoes, peas, apples and strawberries, insects are estimated to contribute over £400 million per annum to the UK economy and €14.2 billion per annum to the EU economy. If bumblebee and other insect pollinator declines continue, the extremely high cost of pollinating these plants by other means could significantly increase the cost of fruit and vegetables.
Honey bees can also pollinate clover and alfalfa, which are fed to cattle, so there are implications for the meat and dairy industry too. And that is not to mention the huge range of manufactured food products made from all these ingredients.
Think of the British countryside... think of rolling green fields with crops or livestock?
It wasn’t always this way. Until relatively recently, the British landscape was much more colourful. The fields had many more wildflowers, and these supported a much greater diversity of wildlife. However, technology and demand for increased food production meant that traditional agricultural practises were abandoned in favour of techniques which increased productivity but ultimately reduced the abundance of wildflowers in the countryside.
Indeed, it has been estimated that we have lost 97% of our flower-rich grassland since the 1930s. As bees rely entirely upon flowers for food, it is unsurprising that their populations began to rapidly decline in most places.
Another problem is the widespread use of insecticide and pesticide. Farmers spray crops with a variety of products designed to protect from pests, but it is believed that a number of these may also be killing bees. In gardens this can also be a problem where homeowners spray their flowers and vegetables with commercially available products.
Disease is also a proposed problem with bees, as there are certain mites that are known to spread disease among the bee population. Imaging one bee carrying mites back to a hive of thousands and you soon have a major problem. However, many bee-keepers have pointed to the sheer speed at which the numbers are declining and claimed that this possibility cannot be responsible for such rapid demise.
Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is a phenomenon first noticed in the USA whereby entire colonies of bees simply died out thanks to hitherto unexplained circumstances. It is also put forward as a possible cause but is dismissed by those in the know. One theory that does hold some water is the growth in genetically modified crops; bees, of course, love pollen and the theory is that modified pollens may be detrimental to the creatures.
Whatever the causes, bee numbers are in rapid decline and some species are on the verge of extinction. In the UK we have 25 native species of bumble bee. This may seem a healthy number, but unfortunately three species are already extinct, two are critically endangered and many more are seriously declining in numbers.
How Can I Help?
Bees favour certain types of flower that can also enhance a garden, and providing these is relatively simple. Look for cornflowers, buddleia and poppies, plus fruit trees and shrubs, rhododendron and other flowering shrubs. If you can, create a wild flower section in your garden for bees thrive on many types of commonly found wild plants. You may also consider keeping bees, an interesting and rewarding hobby that need not be expensive and also provides you with honey, if you have the space, and also joining one of the many clubs involved in keeping the plight of the bees in the public eye.
Our government needs to be doing more to both investigate the bee decline problem and to encourage the public to do more to help bees, and we are the ones who can do the most to help these wonderful, vital and generally harmless creatures that help us to keep supplied with the food we need to survive.
