Have you heard of the Insect Pollinators Initiative? If not, read on -

To find out why insect pollinators – like honeybees, bumblebees and hover flies – are in decline, five organizations together launched the “Insect Pollinators Initiative”. The organizations are the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Natural Environment Research Council, the Scottish Government and the Wellcome Trust. As many as nine projects are funded through this Initiative. These projects attempt to find answers to several questions that will help in improving our understanding of bees and their ecology.

• Which insects are pollinating our crops?
• Is the fall in bee diversity linked to the fall in wildflowers?
• How are pollinators faring in urban habitats?
• How can we make the countryside better for bumblebees?
• Are British bees getting the right diet?
• How do diseases affect the honeybee, and could they spread to other bee species?
• How do honeybees, honeybee viruses and Varroa destructor interact?
• How can models be used to explore disease movement in pollinators?
• How do pesticides and other chemicals affect bees’ behaviour?

Understand more about these projects from this two part feature “Protecting the pollinators”.

Part 1 – bees and ecology

Part 2 – bees and disease

Not many people are aware that the bumblebee is as important as the honey bee for pollination of crops.

Says Robin Blake from the University of Reading – “…. there’s been an awful lot of press coverage about the decline of the honey bee and the associated losses for that. But in actual fact the bumblebee is responsible for the pollination of probably quite a few more crops and is far more important than I think a lot of people think.”

In this Planet Earth Podcast, listen to a detailed discussion on actions taken by UK farmers to protect the UK’s declining populations of bumblebees, butterflies and other pollinating insects.

You will also get to hear how scientists go about the task of figuring out the many types of microbes that exist on Earth and why they all matter. Also you will find out why birds are amazing in more ways than humans have realized so far.

If podcasts are not your cup of tea, then read through the full text transcript.

Albert Einstein is reputed to have said, as perhaps an overstatement - ”If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would only have four years of life left”.

However, no one can dispute the fact that honey bees as a species are quite endangered, and ought to have everyone concerned. Past president of the British Beekeepers’ Association Dr Ivor Davis, who is a master beekeeper has these ten suggestions for you and me to do our bit toward the bees’ wellbeing. See ten things to do to help honey bees.

• If you see a swarm let the local authority or the police know. They will contact a local beekeeper to collect the swarm and look after it.
• If you plant single flowering plants and vegetables, you will be encouraging honeybees looking for variety in pollen to visit your garden.
• Buy only local honey that is pure and does not contain preservatives.
• Write to MPs in support of campaigns to fund research into bee health.

Read the rest of this entry »

There are plenty of estimates about the economic value of the honey bee as a honey producer, and as a pollinator. Also, the benefits that we get from honeybees and bumblebees as pollinators for wildflowers are tangible, but impossible to quantify. For example in the UK, the honeybee’s worth is over £15 million as a honey producer, and about £200 million as a pollinator for the horticulture and agriculture industries.

However the health of honey bees all over the world, and of the 250 species in the UK, is under compromise. All farming economies have the responsibility of taking care of bee health as well.

“Bee Safe Bee Careful” is a booklet on safe use of pesticides in farms, with the ultimate aim of protecting bee health. Read the rest of this entry »