Can man live comfortably without
bees?
Bees are
social insects; hardworking, committed and obedient to their queen. Bees are
responsible for pollination of thousands of different flowers in the world.
Bees guarantee transfer of pollen from anther to stigma due to their hairy body
(which attracts pollen) and several visits to a single flower in just one day.
Bees make
food for man. Bees produce honey from nectar which they collect from various
flowers and process and store in combs where man harvest when ready.
Are bees pests?
NO. Bees are
not pests because they don’t destroy crops nor feed on animals.
Apart from bees what other pollinating insects
are available in the world?
There are
very many insects which pollinate flowers and the commonly identified ones are
butterflies, wasps, beetles, feral bees, flower flies, moths, sweat bees, carpenter
bees, bumble bees, etc
Are bees more effective in
pollinating than other insects?
Bees make
excellent pollinators because most of their life is spent collecting pollen, a
source of protein that they feed to their developing offspring. When a bee
lands on a flower, the hairs all over the bees’ body attract pollen grains
through electrostatic forces. Stiff hairs on their legs enable them to groom
the pollen into specialized brushes or pockets on their legs or body, and then
carry it back to their nest. Individual bees tend to focus on one kind of
flower at a time, which means it is more likely that pollen is transferred from
anther to stigma in one flower as well as will be transferred to another flower
of the same species by a particular bee. Many plants require this kind of
pollen distribution, known as cross-pollination, in order to produce viable
seeds.
Therefore
bees are more effective pollinators than other insects because one bee visits
hundreds of flowers in one day. Since bees can store the pollen and nectar for
future processing and use, it enables them to collect the resources throughout
the day yet other insects visit flowers with only one objective; feeding and
when they get satisfied, they stop visiting. Instead go into the shade and
relax until the hunger for food resumes! This limits the number of flowers they
visit in one day unlike the bees which are limited by time.
Why bees are disappearing?
- Insecticides
are primarily broad spectrum and are therefore deadly to bees. Herbicide use
also can remove many of the flowers that bees need for food. Most of the
pesticides kill bees like they do to other insects which are regarded as pests.
Most herbicides also irritate the bees which stop them from foraging the
sprayed field and above of all the weeds die with flowers that would benefit
the bees.
- Urbanization
has led to destruction of anthills (caves) and trees (cavities) where the wild
bees would nest. Charcoal burning which primarily involves cutting down trees
has reduced the places where wild bees would nest and forage.
- Declining
number of beekeepers is also responsible for the declining number of bees
worldwide.
- Diseases and
pests which attack bees also causes high death tolls and in the end reducing
the number of bees. Since January
(2007), there have been a number of reports in the media about the mysterious
disappearance of large numbers of honey bees called colony collapse disorder in
North America.
- Lack of
sensitization to local people by ministry of agriculture about the importance
of bees in our environment.
Will other pollinators be effective
after bees are extinct?
Increased
use of pesticides on crops has killed and affected a lot of insects
(pollinators). This has reduced the number of insects rendering them
ineffective for pollination. Since most pesticides are broad spectrum; so it
kills the pests including other insects which come into contact with the
pesticide.
Like
discussed earlier, apart from bees family, other insects visit flowers with
only one objective; food. And when they get satisfied, they stop visiting
flowers instead take rest until they want food again. This limits the number of
flowers they would visit in a day. And so many flowers are left unattended (not
pollinated).
Bees have
hairs all over the body that attract pollen grains through electrostatic
forces. Stiff hairs on their legs enable them to groom the pollen into
specialized brushes or pockets on their legs or body, and then carry it back to
their nest. This gives bees an edge whereby they can easily rub and transfer
pollen accordingly and also transfer it to the next flower which allows cross
pollination to effectively take place.
Changes in
land use have resulted in a patchy distribution of food, nesting resources and
breeding sites for the insects hence reducing their number.
What can we do to save the bees and
maybe other pollinators?
1. Stop using insecticides
2. Plant Bee-friendly plants
3. Create natural habitat gardens
4. Find out more about bees
5. Support your local beekeepers
6. Make you own 'Wild bee' house
7. Become a beekeeper
8. Sign petitions banning pesticides
9. Encourage your local authority to do more to
help bees
