There have never been so many small bees in the world as today. So where does the alarm come from?
After all, bees are not in danger. They are, in fact, to prosper globally, despite the constant alarms issued to save the most important pollinator to humanity, advances.
Entimologist, Adam Hart notes in the magazine that the alleged impending extinction of bees and the collapse of food production does not properly correspond to reality.
Despite the challenges, the numbers contradict reports of decline: According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the global number of small-bee colonies since 1990. Another study have pointed to one since 1960.
The expert resembles the phenomena that caused panic regarding the resistance of yellow and black flying. In 2007, the phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), in which adult bees suddenly disappeared from hives, became viral: the international press foreseeing one catastrophic scenario of food scarcity. The phenomenon was not new: beekeepers had already recorded something similar.
In this scenario, many ran to become amateur beekeepers. But “for what?” Asks the expert. Keeping hives of hives can damage wild pollinators by competing by nectar and disseminating disease.
The true focus of concern should fall on wild pollinators – solitary bees, flor flies, wasps and butterflies – Hart points out. These species are declining. In the United Kingdom, for example, 42% of pollinators have become less common since the 1980s. The situation is worrying, although it has regional and temporal variations.
To help, the best strategy is not to keep hives, but Create favorable habitats to insects. Gardens, gardens or small green spaces can be transformed into refuges for pollinators. Cultivating nectar rich plants – such as fruit or lavender trees – avoiding the use of pesticides, leaving areas without cutting and installing small ponds are effective actions. Even a dead wooden pile or a “messy” corner can offer shelter and nesting places.
