How Saving The Bees Can Prevent Our Extinction
And how you can help them from home.
Bees pollinate all of our crops.
Fruit, vegetables, coffee, and the corn that feeds the animals that some of us eat.
But they are facing extinction. And without our little pollinators, we will have no food to eat.
A little science lesson:
There are over 270 species of bee recorded in great Britain[1]. Over one summer, one queen bee can produce more than 1000 children[2]. This is a wonderful natural miracle. Sadly, only 2 out of every 10 queens survive hibernation, and only 1 in a 100 of these survivors are successful in founding a colony. And after battling against these immeasurable odds, the world they enter into is against them from the off.
As our world turns more industrial and less natural, the hum of bees has been drowned out by the revving of car engines and the roaring of factories as they churn out pollution into our atmosphere.
Since 1900, the UK has lost 13 species of bee, and 35 others are almost extinct. The worst part? None are protected by law. This means that anyone can harm them, and it’s up to us to protect them.
In America, the development of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) over the last decade has caused worldwide panic. This is an abnormal phenomenon where the adult worker bees vanish from the hive without explanation, leaving the queen bee and her few offspring to die. This horrifying tragedy can occur as quickly as overnight, and it isn’t just happening to one or two hives. In 2016, 45% of honeybee colonies were lost to CCD[3].
But why is this happening?
Here are the top three threats to bees:
Parasites. The most dangerous is Varroa destructor, a type of mite that infect bees while they are young. The issue with the mites is that they carry diseases that effect the genetics of the bees. Deformed wing virus is one example, which prevents the bees from being able to ever fly. This means that the colony cannot fulfil its purpose, and quickly dies out. These diseases can spread quickly once inside a hive, weakening bee immunity and making them susceptible to further illnesses.
Poor Nutrition. When one type of crop is grown on a piece of land (known as "Monoculture farming"), it limits the bees’ diet for long periods of time, which malnourishes the bees, again making them more susceptible to illness. Two examples of monoculture farming include palm oil and soya for meat farming (these crops are also responsible for mass deforestation of the Amazon rainforest). Outside of farming, plant and wildflower diversity is also declining. Since the 1930s, the UK has lost 97% of wildflower meadows. These meadows are the prime pollinating habitat for bees[4]. Furthermore, our destruction of rainforests and unsustainable farming has contributed to the climate crisis, and as a result, the increasingly unstable weather patterns (particularly strong winds) are now preventing bees from flying around and pollinating.
Pesticides. This is arguably the most hazardous threat to bees, particularly Neonicotinoids; a group of pesticides used in UK farming. These chemicals penetrate the plant tissue, meaning they last for a very long time. While they "shouldn’t" affect bees directly (rather killing insects such as greenfly), they seep into the pollen, and are transferred to bees this way. When the bees bring the pollen back to the hive for food, the pesticides are ingested, interfering with bee communication. Bees quickly become disorientated, and their larval development is stunted.
And it isn’t just bees suffering from these pesticides. In 1993, rice farmers in Japan also began using Neonicotinoids in their agricultural practice. Within the same year, populations of arthropods (a plankton at the base of the marine food chain) plummeted in nearby lakes due to agricultural runoff. In the 12 years that followed, plankton biomass declined by 83%, and other species that rely on this plankton, such as eels, almost died out, further damaging the food chain[5].
If this continues, the devastation to our natural world is unimaginable. So why, I hear you ask, are we still using pesticides?
In 2013, Neonicotinoids were finally declared an ‘unacceptable risk’, but the ban that followed was only temporary due to its effectiveness in killing insects and adverse research. In 2018, Europe voted to ban the outdoor use of 3 bee harming pesticides. But there are still others out there, and there is no guarantee to how long these other bans will last, especially as Britain cuts ties with the EU[6].
Thankfully, there are charities and organisations making a difference. The Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Friends of the Earth, The Wildlife Trusts, and The Eden Project are just a few.
And you can help too.
How to help inside your garden:
If you are feeling hopeless, then don’t fret! There are loads of things that you can do from home, and for those busy bees out there (excuse the pun), they don’t take much effort either.
Plant herbs. If you are fortunate enough to have a garden, then get busy planting! If you live in a flat or apartment, herbs love pots too! They are very low maintenance and produce flowers every year that bees love to pollinate. My personal favourites include rosemary, oregano, sage and thyme.
Plant wildflowers. Not only do they look beautiful, and are easy to grow, bees will love you for planting them. Scatter wildflower seeds wherever you can, in your garden or in the wild, as long as the area looks safe enough for our little friends! My favourite plant is lavender, as its scent is wonderful for combatting feelings of stress and anxiety. Pro tip: If you dry a few sprigs of lavender and put them in a breathable pouch under your pillow, the scent will help you sleep better.
Leave out little sugar dishes. Tired bees need hydration! Just make sure you keep them shallow, bees aren’t great swimmers.
Never use pesticides in your own garden. These include anything from insect repellent to slug killer. I know you all want your plants to grow without other insects hurting them, and this is why there are plenty of natural alternatives. Grow basil, garlic, rosemary, sage, thyme or lavender next to your veggies to repel snails and slugs (and bonus: bees love these!). Sawdust and pencil shavings also keep slimy creatures away, so sprinkle some around your plant bases. To repel insects, grow radishes, garlic, mint, sage, or rosemary nearby (full list here: https://www.thespruce.com/plants-that-repel-insects-4142012).
Keep bees if you can. But please research this and keep them humanely! There are different types of hive, and lots of things to consider, so only do this if you really know what you’re doing.
How to help outside of your garden:
Write to your MPs to ban pesticide use, particularly Neonicotinoids. And while you’re at it, mention the need to ban single use plastics, reduce fossil fuel use (in favour of renewable energy) and the destruction of rainforests for soya and palm oil.
Sign petitions. Head over to change.org and search bees, pesticides, environment or pollution. There are thousands to choose from; banning pesticides, banning single use plastics, banning rainforest destruction for meat production… the list goes on. Please sign as many as you can!
Donate to environmental charities. There are so many to choose from, and they all need your help.
Support small, local, environmentally friendly businesses. If we help one another, we can help the world too.
Protest! Extinction rebellion often make headlines for their refusal to accept actions and government policies that threaten our natural world. Whether it’s with this group, other organisations, or even on your own, challenge our leaders to make more environmentally conscious choices.
Read The History of Bees by Maja Lunde. This fictional novel told across three narratives explains the past, present, and future of bees. The most harrowing narrative by far is Tao, a woman living in a futuristic China where bees have completely disappeared from the planet, and as a result, almost the entire population of the planet has died out. It blew my mind and moved me to tears. In my opinion, everyone should read it!
Our little striped friends are disappearing.
And if we let that happen, we won’t be far behind them.
But we can make a difference, and I have every hope that we will.
References:
https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-and-wild-places/saving-species/save-bees-and-pollinators
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/11/neonicotinoid-insecticides-cause-fish-declines-japan/
https://friendsoftheearth.uk/bees/20-facts-you-need-know-about-bees
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/03/country-diary-the-mother-of-all-queen-bee-heroines
https://www.planetbee.org/colony-collapse-disorder
https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/
https://www.edenproject.com/media/2019/10/eden-gives-bees-a-chance-with-spectacular-new-observation-hive
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0006481
Statistical references: [1] https://friendsoftheearth.uk/bees/20-facts-you-need-know-about-bees [2] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/03/country-diary-the-mother-of-all-queen-bee-heroines [3] https://www.planetbee.org/colony-collapse-disorder [4] https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-and-wild-places/saving-species/save-bees-and-pollinators [5] https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/11/neonicotinoid-insecticides-cause-fish-declines-japan/ [6] https://friendsoftheearth.uk/bees/20-facts-you-need-know-about-bees
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