Time to ‘bee’ smart about the environment
MORNINGSIDE – In a very informative and interesting talk, Mercy for Bees' shed some light on exactly why bees are in trouble.
Beautiful, buzzing bees are in danger and we are to blame.
Friends of Sandspruit and bee enthusiasts Mercy for Bees’ Muller Swart and Urban Bees’ Mike Lang were at a bee talk at the Ski boat Club at Ernest Ullmann Park, in Morningside on 22 February.
In a very informative and interesting talk, Muller shed some light on exactly why bees are in trouble. “You have probably all seen a variety of different horror stories on the Internet. Bees face a ray of onslaughts and these are creating climate anxiety. We all know that there is something we have to do but we don’t know what to do.”
With close to 3 000 species of bees in Sub-Saharan Africa, more needs to be done. In the last 50 years, the population of people has doubled and is expected to triple in the next 10 years.
But what does that mean? Muller explained why this is bad, “All these people need food and, as a result, farming methods have changed to accelerate food production in large agricultural environments and this caused an enormous reliance on chemicals which was done very successfully. These chemicals affect bees which in turn affects our food production.
“Unfortunately, back then problems were looked at in isolation and thus destroyed our soil biology. The biological structures are contaminated. One of the very important things you have consider is bees are directly impacted by population growth and the need to produce additional food. Without bees there will be no choice, we will have to alternative ways to pollinate and produce food.”
As a call for urgency, society needs to start changing their habits and protecting the species. Mike Lang from Urban Bees urged residents to practice safe removal of bees. “Get them to sanctuaries to help with reproduction and of course conservation,” said Lang.
At the moment, Mercy for Bees has two bee sanctuaries situated at the Cradle Nature Reserve and the Cradle of Humankind Unesco World Heritage Site. With over 2000 ha of chemical-free vegetation, bees are able to propagate and support organic farming. If you would like to donate to the cause or adopt a bee, visit www.mercyforbees.com
There are four main factors which affect bee health:
- Pests and disease: Honey bees are under attack with different types of viruses killing entire colonies
- Lack of forage and nutrition: Lack of a varied diet due to declining wild spaces and increased mono-cultures, this has led to malnutrition
- Incidental pesticide exposure: Use of pesticides and protection products are harmful to bees
- Hive Management: Management and selective breeding practices may reduce genetic diversity.
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https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/237210/blake-happy-to-rescue-bees/
https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/231882/flowers-can-hear-bees-results-producing-sweeter-nectar/
