Bees are remarkable little creatures that play a vital role in our environment, but sadly, they’re in big trouble. We have already lost around 13 species and another 35 are currently at risk. We need to do as much as we can to protect these essential furry flyers!
Why are Bees so Important?
Bees provide us with every third mouthful we eat. It may surprise you how much we rely on these little insects. Most of the plants that provide our food depend on pollination, including broccoli, carrots, fennel, parsnips, turnips, kale, apples, raspberries, tomatoes, and of course honey!
Bees also pollinate many of the crops used for animal feed. Without them, the production of a variety of meat, egg, and dairy products would become more challenging.
Bees not only provide us with food, but they also maintain the beauty and diversity of our countryside. They pollinate around 80% of wildflowers in Europe, supporting other insects, birds, bats, mammals, and everything up the food chain with food and shelter. Bees not only provide us with food, but they also maintain the beauty and diversity of our countryside. They pollinate around 80% of wildflowers in Europe, supporting other insects, birds, bats, mammals, and everything up the food chain with food and shelter.
There is NO Plan Bee
Bees are vital to our food production, and their disappearance would lead to a food crisis for humanity. Without bees, supplies of some of your favourite foods would fall drastically, and many ecosystems would be affected. Animals that feed on bees would lose their food source, and plants that depend on pollination would die out.
Although hand-pollination is a possibility for most fruit and veg, it is incredibly labour-intensive and expensive. Without bees, UK farmers would have to spend a whopping £1.8 billion to pollinate crops manually!
What’s Causing Bee Decline?
Habitat Loss
Habitat loss is one major factor contributing to the decline of bees. As human development expands, bee habitats such as woods, trees, grasslands, and even gardens are being destroyed or paved over. Intensive farming methods have also had a detrimental impact on bees. Since the 1930s, an alarming 97% of wildflower meadows have been lost, depriving bees of an important food source.
Climate Change
Climate change and its associated extreme weather patterns disrupt bee nesting behaviour and alter the timing of seasonal events. This means that flowers may bloom earlier or later than expected, affecting the availability of nectar and pollen. Planting more trees is helping to mitigate some of the effects of climate change, but it's still a serious issue that could prove deadly for many of our beloved bees.
Pesticides
Pesticides pose another significant threat to bees. While they are designed to eliminate unwanted pests, their toxic properties and widespread use harm beneficial insects like bees. One particularly harmful group of pesticides called neonicotinoids affects the central nervous system of bees. This affects tasks that bees depend on to survive such as feeding, homing, foraging and reproducing.
