The Importance of Bees
A potential natural disaster awaits us…..
Whenever I think of an English summer and all that it typifies one of my most immediate thoughts (after rain) is the sight and sound of bees at work in our gardens. Unlike wasps and flies for which I see no possible use for anything other than spreading germs and annoying people, or people annoying me by overreacting to a wasp the bee plays a far more important role in the natural world than it is often given credit for.
We rely on bees to pollinate many of our natural food resources and in turn the bee depends on us to provide it with the essential proteins it needs to survive. We should all do our bit in our own back yard however large or small. Everyone should be encouraged to grow plants which attract bees to their pollen and when they are here we should leave them well alone. I cannot recall ever being stung by a bee, perhaps I am wrong but certainly in my later life as I have tended my gardens in close proximity to bees I have never been troubled.
The shortage of bees is a global problem and scientists have been left baffled as to why there are so few year on year. As a chef I have seen the sharp increase in the price of honey as a direct consequence of the problem. So there you are, time for us all to do our bit…
English Bee
Miles,
i have half a notion bumble bees once died out in England and we reintroduced them from another country.
Couldn’t find the info on it but we are introducing one from New Zealand which became extinct here in the 1980s.
Cheers
Rod
June 22, 2009 @ 7:45 am
Miles,
That’s a superb shot of a bumble at his most handsome…. you must be having a great time with your new camera.
Now you mention it, I’ve never been stung by either a bee or a wasp. I find them in the house all the time and carefully pop them outside with a jar. Wish I had the time and commitment necessary to keep a hive… it must be a fantastic hobby as well as an aid to pollination. I use beeswax in handcream recipes and understand that honey and propolis are both soothing and healing…. in fact everything from a bee is useful. I’ve been told that our supply from Lincolnshire bees is poor this year… does anyone know why? The last tv programme I saw suggested that certain pesticides were killing bees globally rather than disease… surely MAFF must be aware and will act on this.
Cid
June 22, 2009 @ 2:32 pm
Rod,
Thanks for that, didn’t know that either.
Lets hope the kiwi variety stays around this time.
Miles
June 22, 2009 @ 8:38 pm
Cid,
A great comment, there is something special about keeping bees I think, something quite noble.
I am quite sure we humans are having a very big part to play in the demise of the bee population, yet another legacy to be proud of.
Miles
June 22, 2009 @ 8:40 pm
Miles,
An outstanding photograph and a very topical subject. Having just returned from Germany, I paid my usual visit to a beekeeper friend to replenish my stock of honey. He showed me several boxes of bees that were about to be sent off to various parts of Europe where they would arrive within 24 hours. These boxes contained one queen bee and the workers together with sufficient nutrition for the journey. They were being sent to beekeepers who had lost some of their stock or to increase them. He has had no problems so far but feels fortunate to live in an area of organic farming.
A pesticide that had been identified in Germany as a beekiller, was banned some time ago.
I applaud your call for doing our bit to support the bees. How about a very simple way? Let clover grow in your lawns. The lawn where we stayed was covered in white clover and the bees were there from morning till dusk, not harming anyone. Such a joy!
Anne
June 22, 2009 @ 9:31 pm
Anne,
Welcome back! A great comment but I have to draw the line at clover. I find it a real menace and am constantly having to pull it out of my lawns. As a way of making up for it I make sure I grow plenty of other ‘bee friendly’ plants in the garden.
Miles
June 22, 2009 @ 10:41 pm
Miles,
I am very happy to report that a great number of bees are currently visiting my garden. I took a photo of my hypericum bush full of yellow flowers but the bees seem to disappear in it. I would need a wonderful Canon camera like yours to make them stand out.
The bees are also in my hebe bushes, honeysuckle and fuchsias.
The busy bees have not bothered me at all in the garden. They are concentrating where to buzz off to next. It is a joy to see them all.
Anne
July 16, 2009 @ 7:47 pm
Anne,
Well that’s good news indeed, you set a fine example to others with your bee friendly garden.
Miles
July 16, 2009 @ 10:22 pm
I have a wildlife friendly garden;rescue bumble bees with a drop of honey water when they drop exhausted on my lawn. I am going over to a white clover lawn at the front edged with wild grasses,where a lot of voles & frogs hang out. My neighbour is frightened of bees & poisoned the mining bees that gathered on their lawn, to my fury.
I think he used a poison for wasps;but he has been very cagey about it;he knows I love wildlife! Keep up with the bee friendly gardens. The bumbles come out in milder winter weather for the nectar in the winter flowering heathers.
little bear.
October 11, 2009 @ 1:12 pm
little bear,
Welcome to the site and thank you for your comment, glad to hear that you are doing your bit for your local wildlife. Keep it up, they need people like you.
Many thanks
Miles
October 11, 2009 @ 7:04 pm