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Farmed honeybees, along with pets, pesticide use, and our preference for tidy gardens, contribute to the decline of wild bees and other pollinators by increasing competition for food and nesting sites. This blog will help you to understand what we can do to help them.
While safeguarding pollinators is crucial, it's essential to consider the wider ecosystem. Focusing solely on honeybees through practices like beekeeping can be detrimental to native species. Comprehensive solutions should prioritise supporting diverse pollinator populations through habitat restoration and mindful practices.
Our well-intentioned efforts to aid honeybees by increasing their population through beekeeping have had unintentional negative consequences. High densities of farmed honeybees compete with native pollinators for resources like food and nesting sites, ultimately harming their populations.
Beekeeping: To bee or not to bee
While keeping honeybees has gained popularity as a nature-friendly hobby, its impact on local ecosystems is more complex than it seems. The UK boasts an estimated 274,000 hives, largely due to an upsurge in urban beekeeping fuelled by media narratives of bee decline and their vital pollination role. London alone witnessed a threefold increase in hives over the 2010s, with companies offering garden hive installation and honey profit-sharing.
However, concerns are emerging about the unintended consequences of this widespread honeybee proliferation. Their high numbers in confined spaces can lead to disease outbreaks and resource competition with native bee species, potentially harming overall pollinator diversity.
Therefore, it's crucial to consider the broader ecological perspective when considering beekeeping. Researching alternative ways to support all pollinators, rather than focusing solely on honeybees, is key to ensuring a healthy and resilient ecosystem.
However, to help bees in this way (beekeeping) is almost certainly counterproductive. The spread of the European honeybee around the world is threatening local biodiversity, and beekeeping is now unsustainable in many cities and threatening other native bee species.
There are about 270 species of bee in the UK, which are seeing a sharp decline. Of those species, 250 are solitary bees are specialists, feeding on the pollen or nectar of just one or few specific plants. Whereas honeybees, are generalists, out competing native species for food. When kept domestically and sustained by supplementary feeding they out compete other species, monopolising flowers. I know in my garden I'm seeing a decline in solitary bees and bumble bees while honey bees are dominating all the flowers. Beekeeping is essentially farming, and just like any intensive farming practices, hive bees are particularly vulnerable to parasites and diseases, which can spread to wild populations.
While honeybees have become synonymous with pollinating, they aren't actually the most efficient pollen carriers. Numerous other insects, including solitary bees, hoverflies, and moths, excel in transferring pollen between plants. The widespread use of honeybees in agriculture stems from their amenability to large-scale transportation and management, allowing farmers to move hives between crops for pollination services. However, this reliance on commercially managed honeybees has emerged due to significant declines in wild pollinator populations, particularly in the USA, where their numbers are insufficient to reliably fulfil pollination needs.
Instead of relying on beekeeping, restoring and protecting natural habitats lost due to human activity is the most effective way to support wild bee populations. Habitat loss is a major contributor to their decline, depriving them of essential food sources, nesting sites, and shelter.
Habitat loss is a major threat to wild honeybees. They require specific nest sites, typically found in large, hollow trees or logs. Unfortunately, human activity has led to a decline in these natural cavities, often replaced by developed land or cleared forests. As a result, wild bees are forced to seek alternative nesting sites, often in man-made structures like roofs, which can be unsuitable and expose them to hazards.
However, there's good news! Leaving dead or dying trees standing, along with implementing targeted habitat restoration projects, can offer crucial nesting opportunities for wild bees. For example, even trees affected by diseases like ash dieback can still provide valuable homes for colonies if left undisturbed.
By fostering natural biodiversity and preserving suitable nesting options, we can play a significant role in supporting wild honeybee populations and the pollination services they provide.
But dead standing trees can be dangerous, and will generally not be welcome in a garden, public park and even a nature reserve where people are present.
Once in the wild, honeybees revert back to their darker natural colour. Compared to their farmed counterparts, they boast superior health and resilience. Their slower reproduction aligns with natural resource availability, ensuring sustainable population growth. Unlike commercially managed colonies, they don't require intervention during adverse weather, simply hunkering down until conditions improve. By providing habitat for these hardy bees, we not only offer them refuge but also contribute to the genetic diversity of native populations. This diversity is crucial for honeybee survival in the face of climate change and disease, and supporting them doesn't come at the cost of other important pollinators.
Rural gardens, orchards, and even nature-friendly cemeteries and graveyards provide habitat for wild bees. These spaces can provide diverse food sources, nesting sites, and shelter, allowing wild bees to thrive and naturally fulfil their vital pollination role without human intervention.
To mow or not to mow
Ditching the mower can have a significant impact on biodiversity. Letting your grass grow taller encourages a wide variety of wildflowers, like ox-eye daisies, field scabious, knapweed, and even orchids, attracting more pollinators and insects. Combing patches of short and long grass further maximises both flower diversity and nectar abundance, creating a rich habitat for birds, small mammals like hedgehogs, and even amphibians like frogs and newts. The longer grass also acts as a natural seed bank, providing food for wildlife later in the year.
In its citizen-science survey Every Flower counts of 2020, in which quadrants (1-metre square frames) were observed in over 9,000 lawns across the UK, Plantlife found more than 200 species of flower, including rarities such as meadow saxifrage, knotted clover and eyebright, as well as 97 species of pollinator, including 26 butterflies and 21 different bees. The survey also found that making these simple changes to the mowing regime can create 'superlawns' with enough nectar for more than ten times the number of bees and other pollinators compared to that of a 'normal', regularly mown lawn. (source The Book of Wilding by Isabella Tree & Charlie Burrell)
Domestic pet treatments and it's affects on bees
Millions of pets in the UK, like dogs and cats, are regularly treated with flea and worm medications, many unnecessarily. While these treatments aim to protect our furry friends, they often contain harmful pesticides like imidacloprid, which is banned in the EU for its toxicity to bees and other wildlife. A medium-sized dog will receive a monthly dose of 250 micrograms dripped on to its neck: enough to deliver a lethal dose to about 60 million honeybees.
These chemicals, often applied as ''spot-on'' liquids or impregnated collars, can end up in the environment through various means. Runoff from rain or baths can carry them into waterways, while urine can contaminate soil and plants. Research suggests this is already happening, with traces of these pesticides from veterinarian treatments found in rivers across England.
This unintended pesticide pollution poses a threat to bee populations and other wildlife that rely on healthy ecosystems. Even small amounts of imidacloprid can be lethal to bees, and contaminated pollen and nectar can harm other invertebrates as well.
Therefore, responsible pet ownership includes minimising unnecessary medication use and seeking alternatives with lower environmental impact. Additionally, proper disposal of pet waste and awareness of potential water contamination can help protect our ecosystems.
More about pesticides and their affects on bees
Pesticides, used at a staggering rate of three million tons globally, are a major culprit in the alarming decline of insect populations. An estimated seventy five per cent of insects have vanished since 1970, largely due to their widespread use in agriculture, parks, gardens, and even protected areas.
Targeting one pest with a broad-spectrum poison is like throwing a grenade in a crowded room - it's highly unlikely to only impact the intended target. Collateral damage includes beneficial insects like pollinators and predators, potentially disrupting whole ecosystems and even harming human health.
Furthermore, pesticides trigger the evolution of ''super-bugs'' resistant to them, leading to a dangerous race where manufacturers develop ever-stronger, more toxic chemicals. While proponents argue for improved safety compared to older banned pesticides, the reality is bleaker. Many modern insecticides are thousands of times more lethal to insects than DDT, the infamous chemical Rachel Carson exposed in the 1960s.
For home gardeners, relying on nature's own solutions often proves beneficial and sustainable. A single blue tit can devour 100,000 aphids in a year! Choosing plants adapted to your local environment and employing natural pest control methods can foster a thriving garden ecosystem without resorting to harmful chemicals.
Standing dead trees, often viewed as unsightly or hazardous, offer surprising benefits for the ecosystem. Contrary to popular belief, leaving them standing, rather than felling them, provides vital habitat for numerous species.
Here's why dead trees matter:
Balancing safety and conservation:
While prioritising public safety remains paramount, concerns about falling branches shouldn't automatically lead to mature tree removal. Mature trees are often removed by councils as it is cheaper to replace them with saplings then the cost of maintenance. Assessing each tree individually and exploring appropriate safety measures, like targeted pruning or branch removal, can often preserve valuable habitat while mitigating risks. Additionally, avoiding blanket replacements with saplings and opting for a diverse blend of mature and young trees can create a more resilient and ecologically rich landscape
Remember, dead trees may appear lifeless, but they play a vibrant role in nature's cycle. By understanding their value and incorporating them into our landscapes, we can contribute to a healthier and more bio-diverse environment for all.
When farmers choose to raise cows, pigs and horses that are close to the original breeds seen in Britain, which are kept in small numbers and live a natural life, they can also play an important part in nature.
Cow Power:
Pigs as Ploughmen:
Horses as habitat creators:
Key Takeaways:
Before taking action to help wildlife, consider the potential consequences. Focusing on one species or significantly altering habitat can have unintended effects, even if well-intentioned. For example, human dominance has disrupted ecosystems worldwide.
Focus on fostering natural landscapes in your own garden. Avoid using pesticides, herbicides, and fertilisers, which can harm beneficial insects and pollinate species. Also, be mindful of pet medications. Only treat pests and parasites when necessary, and explore safer alternatives to chemical-based options.
Look at the impact of what you are doing on your entire environment, before you decide to save just one species.
While companies rely on selling products to thrive, it's important to be critical of claims made through marketing, especially those related to environmental causes. Some products might entice you with the prospect of helping a struggling species, but simpler natural solutions often exist.
In many cases, the most effective way to support wild bees is to allow your garden to grow naturally. This provides them with diverse food sources, nesting opportunities, and shelter, all without requiring additional purchases or interventions.
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