A milestone is being celebrated by the Atlantic Tech
Transfer Team for Apiculture with our 200th post of
“What’s the Buzz with ATTTA”!
As beekeepers, we are supportive of any initiative which
will help either managed or native pollinators.
This support is seemingly reflected in the general population as
evidenced by the increasing concern for the environment, broadly, and
pollinators specifically. Therefore, over
the past number of years, the awareness of the plight of insects, especially
pollinators, has increased. If this widespread
concern over bees had a starting point, that would be the honey bee Colony
Collapse Disorder (CCD) crisis which began in 2006. A syndrome was identified which showed as
mysterious high losses of colonies, the reason for which could not be
identified. With reported cases of CCD
beginning in Europe, the entire northern hemisphere perceived a bee
crisis. From this point there started a
global initiative to…
… Save the Bees!
Spring in Atlantic Canada comes with long awaited warmer
temperatures, flowers blooming, bees buzzing!
Attention then turns to the natural environment and a resurgence of the
message “save the bees”. Although most
people naturally think of honey bees when hearing this message, it is
misdirected to amalgamate all bees together. Firstly, a clear distinction
between managed livestock (e.g. honey bees) and wild animals (native bees) must
be made. Both may be worth saving with mutually
beneficial practices, but it needs to be recognized that in North America there
are over 4000 species of bee1.
So, although bees are important, the general term is unclear considering
the many species to which it refers.
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| Dandelions are a crucial source of early season nectar and pollen for all pollinating insects! Managed insect pollinators, of which honey bees are one
example, are necessary for efficient and successful pollination of 75% of all
crops2. Pollination services
directly contributes one in three mouthfuls of all the food humans consume3. Honey bees, used for pollination, alone,
contribute over $7 billion in revenue to Canadian agriculture through increasing
yields4. Globally, it is
estimated that nearly ½ million lives are lost annually due to inadequate
pollination resulting in decreased food availability5. Currently in eastern Canada the demand for
pollination exceeds the supply resulting in losses of revenue for farmers and
direct, negative economic impacts. These
examples highlight a dependency on, and need for, managed pollinators. Native bees need a separate consideration. The Anthropocene
epoch marks the largely negative impact of human activities on all aspects of
the planet. Insects, including bees, are
not exempted from this and it has been recognized there is a general decline in
many species of bee, moth, wasps6.
Examples of the drivers of this decline are lost and fragmented
habitats, direct competition, climate change and pollution. Some of these challenges of native bees are
shared with managed insects, particularly climate change and pollution. These broad ranging, mainly anthropogenic,
challenges have no simple solution but highlight the importance of working
towards an improved outcome. High profile campaigns, like “No Mow May”, are successful in
raising awareness of the need to support bees and pollinators (managed and
native alike!). These public movements are
also reflected in current, progressive activities of beekeeping and related industries. As an
example, work to protect pollinators and create additional supportive habitat
are being undertaken in the Maritime region by beekeepers, wild blueberry
producers* and through government funded programs**. Having direct benefit to both
managed and native pollinators, these types of programs are an obvious step in
the right direction and evidence of a shift towards resilient, sustainable
practices. When it comes to populist style environmental campaigns, cynics
and critics put forward suggestions of corporate and industry “greenwashing”, which
may often be indistinguishable from authentic Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives. These same critics may condemn other “save
the bees” campaigns as having insincere or naïve motives. Also, the annual news
cycle has an appetite for stories which drive traffic to their online platforms
by promoting phrases like, “dandelions are junk food for bees” in reference to
the May anti-mowing campaign. Although, this statement is an obvious and
deliberate misalignment of anthropomorphic terminology and more about headline
grabbing than scientific veracity, it should not distract from the big picture.
Motivation or authenticity behind the actions is secondary to the message and
any campaign which raises awareness of the importance of bees, both to the
environment and human wellbeing, is working towards a correct common goal. Observable and impactful actions, like a lawn
full of brightly colored dandelions, although questionable in its actual
measurable impact, is still excellent for raising the profile of the problem. So
even with dubious motivation, actions can still have a positive result. Sometimes
it is necessary to decouple the motivation from the actions which lead to the desired outcome!  There are no livestock producers more connected to and
enthusiastic about supporting the environment than beekeepers. Honey bees are an important sentinel and, as
the most researched and understood insect on the planet, provide insight into
broader conservation issues. Honey bees
support food production and therefore have a direct economic and human health
impact. They are also necessary for modern, sustainable agriculture. Native pollinators, which are currently at
risk, support the entire ecosystem. Decreases
in population and species of insects, generally, will create trophic cascades which
could collapse terrestrial food webs leading to loss of global biodiversity. So, without question bees are worth saving
and a first step in that direction is increased awareness. All efforts towards a positive common goal
are worthwhile and should be encouraged.
Casting light on the challenges faced by pollinators from
agrochemicals, loss of habitat, a changing climate, is required. So let everyone fly the yellow flag of NO MOW
MAY as a symbol of support for all native and managed pollinators! *see guide “Protecting Pollinators from Pesticides – wild
blueberry” https://www.perennia.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/P2C_WildBlueberry_Guide_ENG-FINAL.pdf ** E.g. Resilient Agriculture Landscape Program 1.
Winter, K., Adams, L., Thorp, R., Inouye, D.,
Day, L., Ascher, J. and Buchmann, S., 2006. Importation of non-native bumble
bees into North America: potential consequences of using Bombus terrestris and
other non-native bumble bees for greenhouse crop pollination in Canada, Mexico,
and the United States. 2.
Hristov, P., Neov, B., Shumkova, R. and Palova,
N., 2020. Significance of apoidea as main pollinators. ecological and economic
impact and implications for human nutrition. Diversity, 12(7), p.280. 3.
Glover, B.J., 2023. Elephants, rainbows, flowers
and bees: Interdisciplinary research driven by botanic garden collections.
Plants, People, Planet, 5(2), pp.169-177. 4.
Statistical Overview of the Canadian Honey and
Bee Industry and the Economic Contribution of Honey Bee Pollination, 2021,
Stats Canada 5.
Smith, M.R., Mueller, N.D., Springmann, M.,
Sulser, T.B., Garibaldi, L.A., Gerber, J., Wiebe, K. and Myers, S.S., 2022.
Pollinator Deficits, Food Consumption, and Consequences for Human Health: A
Modeling Study. Environmental Health Perspectives, 130(12), p.127003. 6.
Wagner, D.L., 2020. Insect declines in the
Anthropocene. Annual review of entomology, 65, pp.457-480. |