WHAT IS THE BEE CRISIS?
In 2006, experts announced the bee species decline crisis, following endless reports of Colony Collapse adisorder (CCD). CCD is a phenomenon observed when large numbers of worker bees leave the hive and their queen. This means that the colony is less likely to survive the winter months. Loss of bee colonies has devastating impacts:
– food webs and ecosystems become off-balance
– biodiversity loss
– plant health decline
– crop failure
– corporations lose revenue
Honey Bee hives are closely monitored by the farm owners, so any changes in bee population or activity is noticed rapidly. However, when it comes to wild bees, their welfare is much harder to observe and report on.
HONEY BEES VS WILD BEES
Reports of the bee crisis were focused almost completely on the hives of human-monitored Honey Bee hives. The protection of Honey Bees is of high importance, but it is also important that we do not forget the 20 000 other known bee species. It is crucial to the survival of numerous ecosystems worldwide that these lesser-known cousins of the Western Honey Bee are given just as much attention in the fight to preserve the bee’s extended family.
On every continent, except Antarctica, we can find the Western Honey Bee (Apis mellifera). Due to their common and widespread distribution, it is clear to see that economies and ecosystems worldwide rely on them to keep functioning. Scientific reports estimate that Honey Bee populations are worth approximately $60 million per annum. So not only do the wildflowers of the world require them for survival, the commercial crop industries and countless other businesses are thriving off of Honey Bee pollination. With so many farms, parks and other habitats in need of Honey Bee populations, it is clear that it is a necessity to protect these bees.
But what about the other 20 000 species that nobody hears about?
Scientists have been able to collect data on a small segment of these bee species, listing 43 species as critically endangered, endangered or threatened. Out of the 43 bee species, 9 are critically endangered and are facing a fast-approaching extinction according to the IUCN Red List. Native bee species are rarer and often disregarded in many bee conservation programmes, for a number of ressons, including:
– they do not bring any revenue to large corporations in the form of honey production
– they do not pollinate in huge numbers across miles of fields in the way that farmed honey bees do
– wild bees may prefer native wildflowers and natural habitats over mono-crop farms and exotic hanging baskets
– many of the species are solitary and require more space than the densely packed hives of their captive counterparts
It is not difficult to see why many people may be avoiding the arising issue of how best to conserve these species, and why Honey Bee preservation is an easier and more profitable endeavour.
WHY ARE WILD BEES IMPORTANT?
A bee is a bee, right? Does the species matter? These types of questions are common, and may have some relevance; one pollinator is definitely a lot better than none. However, biodiversity is an extremely important component in the health of the natural world. Ecosystems and habitats are complex. Think of them like a huge spider’s web of abiotic and biotic factors, each one connected, and the entire community is dependent on the strength of each strand of the web in order for the ecosystem to be successful and achieve its purpose.
The lock-and-key principle gives a good example of how a wildlife community is built to achieve it’s full potential. For example, the Squash Bees (Eucerini), that are native to South and Central America. These bees have the perfect evolutionary characteristics to pollinate the squash plants. The flowers of a squash plant open during early morning and close before the Western Honey Bee has woken up. The Squash Bee, however, is an early riser and has peak activity during the time that the squash flowers are open.
Additionally, tomatoes, potatoes, aubergine and many other flowering plants require the pollination of Bumblebees (Bombus). Which is a larger bee species that has a strong enough wing vibration to release the pollen inside these plants.
Another example is the European Orchard Bee (Osmia Cornuta), which is well-adapted to apple tree pollination.
From data reports like this, we can clearly see that in order for plant species and all their connected organisms to thrive, the preservation of wild and native bees is vital.
WHY IS THERE A BEE DECLINE CRISIS? WHAT CAN BE DONE TO HELP?
Bees have been on the planet for between 80–130 million years, they were alive during the Cretaceous Period and have been quietly keeping ecosystems flourishing for millennia. But over the last few decades habitat loss has become a major concern, due to factors such as:
– building development
– intensive agriculture
– pesticide use
– parasites
– pollution
Honey Bees are crucial to the survival of many plant species. By supporting local honey bee farms, and buying fairtrade honey, we can help to keep their populations flourishing.
As for wild bees, the unsung heroes of the subsistence of ecosystems all over the globe, we can support them by:
– conserving natural habitats for them to breed and live in
– planting a range of native flowers
– educating people of the importance of biodiversity within the insect species
