Why We Need Our Bees

Why We Need Our Bees

Honeybees are under threat worldwide. Once a very familiar sight in our gardens and on that lovely country walk, the honeybee is now quickly becoming a scarce sight.  Some people ask whether it really matters that our beloved bees are declining? Well, honeybees perform an essential job in pollinating farm crops, garden flowers, vegetables, fruit and many of our wild plants.

Now that honeybees are in decline, many crops have been greatly reduced and many birds do not have enough food to see them through the winter period.

They pollinate as they move pollen from one plant to the next while they are searching for food, this act encourages the seeds for next year’s plants and harvests. Many of those seeds produced are the wonderful fruits and vegetables that create the diet of people and wildlife.

If we did not have Bees we would not have the food for dairy, the oil from oil seeds or the fiber of some plants. Our beautiful plants and flowers would also decline. Can you imagine a world with no flowers? No scent of the rose?

Why are bees on the decline?

·      Disease and mites have affected our bees and played an important role in the decline of these fascinating insects.

·      There are far fewer beekeepers now than there were a few years ago and they are decreasing yearly. Beekeepers do a wonderful job and help care for the bees.

·      Their natural habitats have been; and still are being destroyed as more and more houses and buildings are going up. As our population is growing, the natural habitats of different species are declining.  As these natural habitats disappear bees look for shelter in residential areas too. Of course, many people resent this and have the bees removed.

·      Pesticides play a part too, indeed some studies have shown that some pesticides cause damage to bee’s brains, affecting how they search for food and how they communicate with their colony.

So, what can we do to help?

·      Create your own meadow, or if you do not have enough room in your garden, a little area of wild flowers. Here is a link to an article that will help you create a wonderful meadow.

        http://jennyreeve.quazen.com/shopping/home-and-garden/save-our-insects-create-a-meadow/

·      Write to local MPs in support of the bee health research funding campaign. Governments are not investing enough in Bee research and improvement is needed in this area.

·     Try to encourage your local authority to improve the area you live in with Bee friendly planting schemes. There are plenty of roundabouts with bare grass that could benefit the Bee population, just by sowing wild flower seeds.

Here are some interesting links that will help you learn more.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/may/13/wildlife.endangeredspecies

http://www.helpthehoneybee.co.uk/

http://www.bbka.org.uk/help/do_you_have_a_swarm.php