5 of 23

Write now Article Tools

I hadn't thought about bees for a while. Strange for a gardener really. Started to take them for granted. Remember sitting on my deckchair in the sun in May, looking at them on the lavender bushes. They work hard. They've got little furry legs. I suppose most of us get into assuming they're one of those things that will always be there.

I was reminded that they're dying out when I attended our Allotment Association Meeting last night. (For non-Brits that's just like a gardening club with plots that are rented out by local government to people without gardens). Someone asked: Would I come to a meeting about a new scheme to tackle the root causes of declining populations and attend the pre-view of a new film that explains how and why this is happening?

I signed up. I have my criticisms of the Cooperative stores but they're donating 150,000 to a new Bee research programme and have (temporarily) prohibited the use of a group of eight pesticides in their own brand fresh products. These are part of the neonicotinoid family of chemicals including: Acetamiprid, Clothianidin, Dinotefuran, Fipronil, Imidacloprid, Nitenpyram, Thiacloprid and Thiamethoxam. They're also introduced a support programme to further the presence of bee colonies or their farms and to encourage amateur beekeepers.

But what's the problem exactly? Why is this only a temporary ban? And why are declining bee populations so dangerous? Well, it seems that over-use of pesticides like these have eroded bees immune systems so much that many have become vulnerable to diseases and risks that didn't threaten them on a large scale before. Varroa mites have become more widespread, for example.

Sitting next to a fellow allotment holder and new amateur beekeeper at our meeting last night we started to exhange about a bit more about pesticides and organic bee keeping. The first thing he mentioned was the importance of allowing bees to build naturally sized cells instead of artificially large ones. We don't often think of bees as being factory farmed - but apparently commercial beekeepers fumigate hives with pesticides and feed their bees antibiotics. So there are lots of parallels with meat production aren't there?

One of my daughter's favourite story books is: 'A beginners guide to Garden Wildlife'. I've read it many times with her and felt comforted by the feeling that the animals in it are a constant. But they're not. For my daughter's sake I'll be paying attention this evening.

Learn more about this author, Frances Laing.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about The dangers of declining bee populations?
We want to hear your view. Write now!