SAVE THE BEES, SAVE HUMAN BEE-INGS!

1. SAVE THE BEES, SAVE HUMAN BEE-INGS! Are YOU a global citizen? Are YOU in favour of helping to save the planet and the future of your children and your children’s children? Surely, the answers are yes. So why not try to understand the mystery of the dying bees and do something to protect the lifesaving bees? Why are bees so important to you? For years, as long as people have lived, busy bees have helped to make the food that people eat. Bees pollinate the crops and help them grow. However, today billions of buzzing bees all over the world are dying and no one really knows why. This is a disaster for the world… Bees are vitally important for everyone. Honey bees make honey by mixing nectar with enzymes and by fanning the mixture with their wings to help the water to evaporate. What’s more, they make beeswax that we can use in cosmetics, candles and furniture polish. Did you know that bees, including honey bees and bumblebees, pollinate over 250,000 species of plants and more than 100 different crops, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and many of the foods that farm animals rely on? As a result, they are responsible for pollinating around one-third of all the foods we eat. Without bees many plant crops would no longer exist, so no apples or strawberries to eat, no cotton t-shirts and a lot less food for farm animals. Some people believe that without bees, human beings would find it difficult to survive. As the Save Our Bees organisation explains, “If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man.”(www.saveourbees.org.uk) Why are bees becoming extinct? So why are bees dangerously disappearing? Billions of bees are dying and one in three colonies died last winter alone. Honey bee colonies live in very densely packed hives so, if they become infected, diseases can spread very quickly. Think about how quickly you can pass on a cold to your family or the people you work with! One of the biggest threats currently facing honey bees is the varroa mite. This mite moved from Asia to Europe and reached the UK in 1992. It now infests 95% of hives. The mites, who are related to spiders, suck the blood of the bees, especially in their larval stages, and pass viruses on to the bees. The honey bees can be treated with certain chemicals to kill the mites but unfortunately they are developing resistance to these so they have little effect. When mite numbers rise the bees are overwhelmed and the colony dies! Untreated bee colonies die in 3 to 4 years and even low populations of mites affects the bees' health. Nearly all wild honey bee colonies have now died out and without bee keepers to look after them and treat these infections, Honey bees could die out altogether in a few years. A world without bees – no world at all. Another disturbing fact is that three of the 25 UK bumblebee species are already extinct, a further five are on the critically endangered list and another 2 species are due for inclusion. The reason that bumblebees have declined in the countryside is because bees feed exclusively on pollen and nectar, and there are far fewer flowers in the countryside than there once were. Hedges have been dug up and marshes drained. In particular, grasslands which are rich in wildflowers have been almost entirely replaced with fields full of cereals, which do not provide food for bees. Bumblebees also need ‘plant corridors’ to travel around the country and to avoid in-breeding. Unfortunately, the factors involved in declining bee populations are complicated and not fully understood. As well as those mentioned above, other factors involved can include the use of insecticides and changing weather patterns (such as global warming). In addition, insecticides used to kill agricultural pests may harm bees if these are applied incorrectly or without care. What’s more, some scientists believe that mobile phones are interfering with the life of bees. That is certainly something to think about the next time YOU r receive a text message or make a call. How you should help: However, YOU can help save the bees in many different ways. Bees prefer certain types of flower that can also enhance a garden, and providing these is relatively simple. Look for cornflowers, buddleia and poppies, plus fruit trees and shrubs, rhododendron and other flowering shrubs. If you can, create a wild flower section in your garden for bees thrive on many types of commonly found wild plants. You should avoid using insecticide. You may also consider keeping bees, an interesting and rewarding hobby that need not be expensive and also provides you with honey, if you have the space, and also joining one of the many clubs involved in keeping the plight of the bees in the public eye. If YOU prefer you can help the honey bees with only a little effort and without getting your hands sticky! You can Adopt A Beehive with the BBKA (http://www.bbka.org.uk/shop/product_category/adopt-a-beehive) for only £30 and you will be supporting vital research into honey bee and will be taking a more active role in global responsibility. You will also receive a welcome pack full off bee goodies including: A jar of honey or honey mustard, A pack of pollinator-friendly Habitat Aid wildflower seeds, A pocket guide to the honey bee and A lip balm from Burt’s Bees. Finally, everyone should be in agreement - saving bees and saving human bee-ings is of the utmost importance here. As a global citizen, YOU are responsible for helping saving our planet. Come on, take the responsibility seriously and help save the bees TODAY! “If the bee disappears from the surface of the Earth, man would have no more than four years left to live.” Albert Einstein.