Earlier this month This is Our Town wrote about ‘Where have all the bees gone?’ Today we are letting you know how you can help put a stop to the decline in bees.
After speaking with local bee keeper Sally Fletcher we have learnt about the technical and local aspects of bee keeping. It has become evident that there are many things the average person who knows little about bee keeping or even bees can do.
First she spoke to us about why there has been an increasing decline in the number of bees in recent years. Sally informed us that most of the problems today are man-made. Although the harsh winter has affected the number of bees in the short term, it is the things that people do which have the long term effects which can increase numbers for good.
Honeybees are a social type of animal which means that communication between the female worker bees is the key thing that holds their colony together. They have a unique way of communicating symbolically, like humans do with language, or via the internet – they share information, and this is done through a special waggle dance which relates to the angle of the sun and the source of food. This is one of many fascinating things about honeybees, from whom we can learn a lot about ourselves and our society.
Honeybees will live together in close proximity within their own hives but in apiaries (group of hives) disease can spread more easily between them. In the wild, colonies will be further spread out. The varroa mites are a major cause for concern for bees in recent years as they have killed off whole colonies. The Asian honeybee, from which the mite transferred, evolved to coexist with the mite, but the European honeybee has a longer brood cycle which allows the mite to take a hold, therefore it is important in England, as in the rest of the world, that we look after our bee population.
Another reason for the decline has been the use of pesticides, especially neonicotinoids , which affect the nervous system of the bees and because it is water soluble tiny amounts go into the soil and water and are more lethal. Though banned for the moment, the effects will last for 20 years.
A factor which has been brought about by changes in society is the increase of paving front gardens for cars and patios in back gardens, banning beehives from many allotments, felling trees, ploughing up hedgerows (although many farmers are incorporating wildlife borders now), so that there has been a decrease in forage and habitat.
Sally pointed out that “without bees, there’s no us. We can live without honey, but not without their pollination of our food, and their support of ecosystems and maintenance of biodiversity.”
The question is how we can help change this. There are a number of things which can be done to help, some of them are simple while some require more effort.
In an urban environment, trees are best for bees. This is their natural habitat as they live in the hollows of trees in the forest; the bees will swarm into trees and forage mainly on trees. This means that one of the best things for bees is that we keep the trees. There are particular trees which are very good for them such as Willow, Sycamore, Chestnut, Hawthorn, Poplar, Lime and all fruit trees.
Sally has informed us that planting and keeping trees (so pollarding them rather than felling them) which honeybees will forage on and encouraging the council to do the same will make a major difference. You might persuade local bee keepers to put beehives up in trees which can be suspended or put on a platform; however this should only be done if you live in non built-up areas and preferably near to woodland. This is a great way of keeping bees out of people’s hair and requires very little maintenance, but if you do want to keep bees in trees, in a built-up area you will have to manage the hive carefully; you can find your local beekeepers by looking up your area on the British Beekeeper Association.
If you do happen to come across a swarm of bees then the best thing you can do is not to fear them. When bees are swarming they are trying to make a home and their bellies are full of honey, so they are not likely to sting. Bees only sting when they are under threat because when they do sting you their sting comes out and they die. If you are not a bee keeper then you should contact your local Bee Keeping Associations for advice; they will send a beekeeper to collect a swarm, (‘Swarming bees are healthy bees’) and bee keepers will be delighted to help quickly.
For bees to be healthy they need a varied diet, in recent years people have been paving over their gardens, this has led to a decline of the kind of flowers and shrubs which bees can forage on. A simple thing many people will be able to do is to plant shrubs and flowers such as Wild Rose, Rosemary, Lavender, St John’s Wort, Borage, Veronica, Forget-me-not, Aster and Heather. Herbs are also fantastic plants to grow. Plants which are scented with lots of small open flowers are the best plants for bees and they will look great in gardens and usually need little maintenance. Keeping and encouraging a diversity of plants, shrubs and trees in gardens and surrounding areas can be a little change for you but can make a great change to the health and growth of bees.
Elizabeth Cracknell
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