120 million years of adaption and survival means that bee’s existence is under threat, and that is due to extreme changes to our environment.
Bees are essential pollinators for a healthy ecosystem. Their decline could lead to lack of food production and nutrition, as they pollinate a significant amount of the world’s crops.
Human activities such as habitat loss, pesticide use, and parasites mean that bees are declining.
Tony Hunter, Curator of Entomology (study of insects) said that even people in the local community can help protect bees.
‘Even if you haven’t got a garden but you’ve got a yard, you can plant some plants in a planter, you can have a hanging basket. If you haven’t got any access to any outside space, you can volunteer with a local wildlife trust making habitats for bees and other insects.’
There are more than 250 species of bees in the UK alone, with the most common being bumblebees, honeybees, and mining bees.
Honeybees are actually domesticated and were introduced by beekeepers. Those that are wild and native are incredibly rare to find in the UK. Therefore, beekeepers play a vital role in ensuring the safety and protection of honeybees.
Without them, there would be a significant decline in crop yields, and fresh produce would become widely unavailable. This could even potentially lead to food shortages.
The ‘Dower House’ in Heaton Park, Manchester, is home to the Manchester and District Beekeepers Association (MDBKA) in which they house an observation hive where people can see honeybees at work. The house offers honey extraction, education, and of course the protection of these pollinators.
Natasha DeVoe, secretary of MDBKA, said that the biggest threats to domestic honeybee populations are pesticides, disease, and invasive species such as the varroa mite, yellow-legged Asian hornets, and hive beetles.
She also said that there are additional threats to our wild pollinators (like solitary bees and bumblebees).
‘Unlike domestic honeybees that are cared for by humans, the wild bees are losing habitat at a terrible rate and there is no one to build them new boxes as our honeybees have.’
‘Loss of habitat and forage are really terrible for these as they also suffer with pesticide, disease, and invasive predators alongside this.’
A representation of honeycomb in the ‘Bees: A Story of Survival’ exhibition. An example of a bee hard a work in the Liverpool exhibition.
Beekeepers of the Dower house inspect their hives once a week in summer in order to prevent swarming and disease, and leave them alone as much as possible in winter to make honey.
‘The process of collecting nectar involves bees ‘swallowing it’ into their honey stomach. Then in the hive, nectar is collected into wax cells and evaporated down to less than 21% water to make it honey.’
‘The bees stand above the comb and wave their wings to move air to rid excess water. Without water, fungus and bacteria can’t survive and the cell is capped off with wax to protect the now-honey. It will keep for a very long time as long as the seal is intact.’
A representation of a bees nest in this incredible display within the Liverpool exhibition.
The protection of these fantastic creatures is important not just for honey production, but for our environment.
English artist, Wolfgang Buttress, developed an exhibition on bees in the Liverpool World Museum. ‘Bees: A Story of Survival‘ is an incredible venture into the life of a bee, and the journey they must go on in order to survive.
The exhibition is a visual display of soundscapes, projection, and lights, encouraging visitors to understand why they are important and why they need protecting.
It is an incredible way for people to get to experience the interesting life of a bee, their habitat, and the roles each species play within our ecosystem.
The lights and sound effects were eye opening. For a person who goes in knowing nothing about bees, they leave with enough knowledge to want to save them.
If we want these tiny, fascinating creatures to remain in our world, we must respect them and help them thrive by doing our part.
