HoneyBee versus BumbleBee

Last night I followed a twitter thread debating the pros and cons of beekeeping versus supporting the increase in our native pollinators.

Buff Tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) on Echinacea

Don't get me wrong, I love honey and I'm really happy for you if you are passionate about keeping bees and prepared to put in the time - they are fascinating, clever creatures. The best honey comes local, sourced from dedicated beekeepers. And I'm well aware that many beekeepers are good conservationists but should we be worried about the trend for keeping honeybees?

Honey Bee on early flowering evergreen shrub

Honey Bee on lawn Daisy

Hover Fly on early Crocus

If you are deciding to keep bees in order to save the planet then I believe you may have misunderstood the issues - that's not entirely your fault!

I always tip toe around the subject of Honeybees but I realise that I need to sort through the reasons and open it up for debate. This is not an anti bee-keeper post.

For me, the Honeybees kept in hives in gardens and orchards (and in some cases rooftops in cities) are a farmed animal with all the inherent problems that come from that intensive cycle; problems such as the Varroa mite and colony collapse disorder. It is not easy to keep bees and there is evidence that these issues are spreading to wild bee populations which are already in a precarious state.

I have concerns that there is a danger of oversaturating the market - there is a finite nectar resource in any given area. Nectar is a  plant mechanism designed to attract pollinators who will transfer the pollen to other flowers as they go about their business. The sugary drink encourages them to dive into the flower, collecting pollen as they go and then taking it along to the next flower it visits.

Different flowers release different volumes and qualities of nectar. You may watch a bee approach several flowers on a plant before settling and feeding and there are a number of reasons for this but one is the rate that nectar reserves are refilled.
I was surprised to learn that Birds Foot Trefoil (which has naturalised in my lawn and is very popular with insects) only refills every 24 hours while Borage takes just 2 minutes. A lack of flowers will create competition. 

Honeybees are generalist and will use a wide range of flowers to source nectar and they also take messages back to the hive to share a particularly plentiful resource. Bumblebees and Solitary Bees are often more specialist and may be reliant on a particular flower for a very short period. Bumblebees also have a specialist ability to "buzz pollinate" certain flowers, such as tomatoes, blueberries; honeybees can't do this.

There is growing evidence that improving the habitat is beneficial to a wide range of pollinators (bees, flies, moths, butterflies, wasps etc). The Short Haired Bumblebee project has noted a marked increase in three very rare bumblebees as a result of their 10 year program (as well as marked benefits for other pollinators).

If you're listening to the "Save the Planet" messages you will have noticed a subtle shift from the poster girl "Save the Bees" to a message to save all the pollinators by creating the right habitat for them to flourish and nature corridors to broaden their range.

Carder bee on Broad Bean flowers

Buff Tailed Bumblebee queen on Primrose

This includes

• long grass for breeding sites (many bumblebees nest in tufts of long grass developed over a few years)
• Rodent nests (bumblebees are unable to bring in nesting material so they make the most of abandoned mice nests)
• Bare ground (several solitary bees lay their eggs in banks of bare earth near a nectar site)
• hedges (especially a mixed native hedge which also provides flowers and fruit for our insects and birds)
• Dead and decaying wood (holes in the wood provide suitable egg-laying sites for Mining Bees)
• a variety of flowers throughout the year (as Bumblebees can be around very early in the year and continue into November)
• particular flowers at certain times of year (our long tongued BumbleBees are struggling because we have lost 97% of our wild flower meadows since the 1937. These bees had adapted their habits to the meadows containing plants such as Red Clover and the nesting opportunities they gave)

So rather than deciding to have a bee hive, try encouraging more wild bees into your garden in order to help save the planet.

Ivy Bee on Ivy flower

​On balance there is definitely room for both, my main concern is that the conservation message is being misunderstood as many people are unaware of the different types of bees and the role of pollinators.
I have found this a particularly difficult post to write - I would love to hear your views, please comment below:

Hover Fly?

Freshly emerged Red Tailed Bumble Bee queen on Teasel

Hover Fly on Rose

Bee Fly on Primrose

Carder Bee queen

Leafcutter Bee on Knappweed

If you would like to read more - these are some websites where I found further information:

What are nectar and pollen : www.navmi.co.in/what-are-nectar-and-pollen/

The problem with honeybees : ​​www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-problem-with-honey-bees/

Bumblebee Conservation Trust statement on Honeybees etc :  www.bumblebeeconservation.org/our-position-statements/

Buglife - B-Lines (nature corridors) Project : www.buglife.org.uk/our-work/b-lines/

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