Bees, the ultimate eco-warriors, are threatened with extinction
BEES ARE THE MOST EFFECTIVE OF POLLINATORS
Nectar is made by flowers to attract insects to ensure cross pollination. When insects hop from one flower to the other, they cross pollinate the plants, allowing seeds to grow for instance. It is the flowers that bees forage on, and intensive monoculture reduces bees' options (in terms of time and choice).
Hummingbirds and bats, to name a couple, pollinate. The largest animal pollinator we know of is the lemur in Madagascar. Humans can do it too, but they are not very good at it; picture people in trees pocking around (as is done in some Chinese regions where bees have totally disappeared) and you can imagine the effectiveness of the process. Wind is also an effective pollination vector. All in all, the main pollinators of our crops are insects like the Monarch butterfly or -- even better -- you guessed it, bees.
As noted by Professor Dave Goulson (University of Sussex), "the loss of bees has attracted attention because our food supply directly depends on these insects, but the reduction in their population is symptomatic of a much broader problem." Most wildlife associated with farmland is also in decline, including birds, butterflies and beetles (Nature, May 2015).
Nectar is made by flowers to attract insects to ensure cross pollination. When insects hop from one flower to the other, they cross pollinate the plants, allowing seeds to grow for instance. It is the flowers that bees forage on, and intensive monoculture reduces bees' options (in terms of time and choice).
Hummingbirds and bats, to name a couple, pollinate. The largest animal pollinator we know of is the lemur in Madagascar. Humans can do it too, but they are not very good at it; picture people in trees pocking around (as is done in some Chinese regions where bees have totally disappeared) and you can imagine the effectiveness of the process. Wind is also an effective pollination vector. All in all, the main pollinators of our crops are insects like the Monarch butterfly or -- even better -- you guessed it, bees.
As noted by Professor Dave Goulson (University of Sussex), "the loss of bees has attracted attention because our food supply directly depends on these insects, but the reduction in their population is symptomatic of a much broader problem." Most wildlife associated with farmland is also in decline, including birds, butterflies and beetles (Nature, May 2015).
THE "CANARI IN THE COAL MINE" SYNDROME ?
It is a good thing that bees are workaholics because every third bite of food we take is made possible by them, and much of plant biodiversity depends on them. But CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder) -- a syndrome believed to deteriorate honeybees’ navigation skills and olfactory senses -- is challenging their very existence.
There is some evidence accumulating that the large-scale use of neonicotinoid pesticides has tipped the environmental balance to the detriment of bees survival. In 2015, the EFSA (European Food Safety Agency) said that their application as foliar sprays (as opposed to seed treatment) posed a risk to bees. As bees are facing multiple interacting pressures, future research needs to clarify the role of neonicotinoids relative to other drivers of bee decline. For some, the toll taken by invertebrates in general, and bees in particular, are the equivalent of the canari in the coal mine, the one alerting us of an imminent danger.
To support beekeeping sustainability, government policy initiatives should support the remodelling of farms to improve food sources for bees in the landscape and to reduce the use of pesticides. Although the neonicotinoid moratorium in the European Union was a welcome move in this direction, it is not sufficient and addresses only one of the known causes.
Contrary to a statement (probably wrongly) attributed to Einstein -- "If bees were to disappear from the globe, mankind would only have four years left to live" --, we wouldn' starve if honey bees vanished because there would still be wind-pollinated grains. However, "the variety of our diet and the healthiness of our diet would be negatively impacted, and food would become much more expensive,” according to Professor Stan Schneider (University of North Carolina at Charlotte).
Climate change is yet another significant antagonist for bee populations. Says Jeremy Kerr (University of Ottawa) "our data suggest that climate change plays a leading, or perhaps the leading, role in the disappearance of bumble bees" (Nature, July 2015). Interestingly, Australian honey bee colonies have so far avoided not only CCD but also the Varroa mite.
MOVING TOWARD ORGANIC AND BIODYNAMIC BEEKEEPING
Organic beekeeping mostly means production of honey and other products free from chemical residues. According to the University of Barcelona Biology department, the key elements of organic beekeeping management are:
1. Good selection and utilization of local ecotypes of bees and of ecological hive systems, best adapted to the natural environment and allowing efficient management
2. Efficient ecological strategies for the control of Varroa destructor and other bee pests
3. Regular control of the bee colonies and their environment
4. Safeguard of sufficient amounts of honey and pollen in the colony throughout the whole season
5. Correct management of the colonies all year round , based on building a sufficient number of young bee colonies
6. Regular renovation of comb wax
The criterion that often showed a clear difference between organic and conventional agriculture production is the measurable contamination of certain products with veterinary medicines and pesticides in the conventional sector with, in comparison, organic products being relatively free from these residues.
At Bee Treasures, we endeavour to produce and source pure and high-quality products; they are systematically monitored by the professional laboratories we work with.
It is a good thing that bees are workaholics because every third bite of food we take is made possible by them, and much of plant biodiversity depends on them. But CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder) -- a syndrome believed to deteriorate honeybees’ navigation skills and olfactory senses -- is challenging their very existence.
There is some evidence accumulating that the large-scale use of neonicotinoid pesticides has tipped the environmental balance to the detriment of bees survival. In 2015, the EFSA (European Food Safety Agency) said that their application as foliar sprays (as opposed to seed treatment) posed a risk to bees. As bees are facing multiple interacting pressures, future research needs to clarify the role of neonicotinoids relative to other drivers of bee decline. For some, the toll taken by invertebrates in general, and bees in particular, are the equivalent of the canari in the coal mine, the one alerting us of an imminent danger.
To support beekeeping sustainability, government policy initiatives should support the remodelling of farms to improve food sources for bees in the landscape and to reduce the use of pesticides. Although the neonicotinoid moratorium in the European Union was a welcome move in this direction, it is not sufficient and addresses only one of the known causes.
Contrary to a statement (probably wrongly) attributed to Einstein -- "If bees were to disappear from the globe, mankind would only have four years left to live" --, we wouldn' starve if honey bees vanished because there would still be wind-pollinated grains. However, "the variety of our diet and the healthiness of our diet would be negatively impacted, and food would become much more expensive,” according to Professor Stan Schneider (University of North Carolina at Charlotte).
Climate change is yet another significant antagonist for bee populations. Says Jeremy Kerr (University of Ottawa) "our data suggest that climate change plays a leading, or perhaps the leading, role in the disappearance of bumble bees" (Nature, July 2015). Interestingly, Australian honey bee colonies have so far avoided not only CCD but also the Varroa mite.
MOVING TOWARD ORGANIC AND BIODYNAMIC BEEKEEPING
Organic beekeeping mostly means production of honey and other products free from chemical residues. According to the University of Barcelona Biology department, the key elements of organic beekeeping management are:
1. Good selection and utilization of local ecotypes of bees and of ecological hive systems, best adapted to the natural environment and allowing efficient management
2. Efficient ecological strategies for the control of Varroa destructor and other bee pests
3. Regular control of the bee colonies and their environment
4. Safeguard of sufficient amounts of honey and pollen in the colony throughout the whole season
5. Correct management of the colonies all year round , based on building a sufficient number of young bee colonies
6. Regular renovation of comb wax
The criterion that often showed a clear difference between organic and conventional agriculture production is the measurable contamination of certain products with veterinary medicines and pesticides in the conventional sector with, in comparison, organic products being relatively free from these residues.
At Bee Treasures, we endeavour to produce and source pure and high-quality products; they are systematically monitored by the professional laboratories we work with.