Louisa Crispin

  • Home
  • About
  • Botanical
  • Nature Studies
    • Bee Studies
    • Butterflies Moths Dragonflies
    • Botanical Studies
    • Field Studies
    • FlightPath
  • Buy
    • Full Catalogue
    • Shop mini series (incl. bees)
    • Shop FP Sculptures
    • Shop FP minis
    • Shop Glimpse exhibition catalog
    • Kevis House Gallery
    • West End House Gallery
    • John Davies Gallery
    • NewArt Gallery
    • Muse Gallery
  • News
    • Newsletter Signup
    • Interviews and process videos
    • CountryLiving article
    • Studio Blog
    • FlightPath Community Project
    • Nature Blog
  • Links
  • Home
  • About
  • Botanical
  • Nature Studies
    • Bee Studies
    • Butterflies Moths Dragonflies
    • Botanical Studies
    • Field Studies
    • FlightPath
  • Buy
    • Full Catalogue
    • Shop mini series (incl. bees)
    • Shop FP Sculptures
    • Shop FP minis
    • Shop Glimpse exhibition catalog
    • Kevis House Gallery
    • West End House Gallery
    • John Davies Gallery
    • NewArt Gallery
    • Muse Gallery
  • News
    • Newsletter Signup
    • Interviews and process videos
    • CountryLiving article
    • Studio Blog
    • FlightPath Community Project
    • Nature Blog
  • Links

Nature Diary

HoneyBee versus BumbleBee

15/5/2021

0 Comments

 
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
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 early flowering evergreen shrub
Honey Bee on lawn Daisy
Honey Bee on lawn Daisy
Hover Fly on early Crocus
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
Carder bee on Broad Bean flowers
Buff Tailed Bumblebee queen on PrimrosePicture
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
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
Hover Fly?
Freshly emerged Red Tailed Bumble Bee queen on Teasel
Freshly emerged Red Tailed Bumble Bee queen on Teasel
Picture
Hover Fly on Rose
Hover Fly on Rose
Bee Fly on Primrose
Bee Fly on Primrose
Carder Bee queen
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/
< 17052021
12052021 >
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    If I had known then what I know now

    I would have started this diary years ago
    Every day I learn something new: I learn so much but I also learn that there is so much to learn

    If you would like irregular email updates for this blog and/or my studio news, you can sign up here:
    Newsletter signup

    Archives

    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021

    Categories

    All
    30dayswild
    Acer
    Ant
    Anthophora Plumipes
    Aphid
    Apis Mellifera
    Apple Blossom
    Artist Residency
    Autographa Gamma
    Bee
    Beefly
    Beekeeper
    Beekeeping
    Beetle
    Beetle Book
    Big Butterfly Count
    Big Wasp Survey
    Birdsfoot Trefoil
    Blackbird
    Blackfly
    Black-headed Cardinal Beetle
    Bluebottle
    Blue Butterfly
    Bluetit
    Bombus
    Bombus Hypnorum
    Bombus Lapidarius
    Bombus Pascuorum
    Bombus Pratorum
    Bombus Terrestris
    Borage
    Brimstone Butterfly
    Brimstone Butterfly Drawing
    Buff Tailed Bumblebee
    Bumblebee
    Bumblebee Conservation Trust
    Bumblebee Identification
    Bumblebee Mimic
    Bumblebee Mites
    Bumblebee Nest
    Buttercup
    Butterfly
    Buzz Pollination
    Calliphora Vicina
    Calliphora Vomitoria
    Carder Bee
    Cardinal Beetle
    Centauria Nigra
    Cinnabar Moth
    Citizen Science
    Clover
    Coenonympha Pamphilus
    Common Carder Bumblebee
    Common Green Sheieldbug
    Common Spotted Orchid
    Coreus Marginatus
    Cow Parsley
    Crab Spider
    Crane Fly
    Cranefly
    Crocus
    Cuckoo Bumblebee
    Dactylorhiza Fuchsii
    Daddy Long Legs
    Daisy
    Dandelion
    Dandelion Seedhead
    Dering Wood
    Digger Wasp
    Dock Bug
    Drone Fly
    Early Bumblebee
    Ectemnius Sp
    Ectropis Bisotata
    Epipactis Helleborine
    Episyrphus Balteatus
    Eric Eaton
    Eristalis
    Eristalis Intricarius
    Eristalis Tenax
    Erithacus Rubecula
    Eucera Longicornis
    Euonymus Europaeus
    Eupatorium Maculatum
    Field Damsel Bug
    Fly
    Fungi
    Gatekeeper Butterfly
    Giss
    Goldfinch
    Goldfinch Song In Flight
    Grasshopper
    Hairy Footed Flower Bee
    Harlequin Ladybird
    Harmonia Axyridis
    Harvestman
    Hay Meadow
    Hellebore
    Helleborine
    Helophilus Pendulus
    Holly
    Honeybee
    Hornet Mimic
    Hoverfly
    Ichneumon
    Indicator Species
    Instar
    Irecord
    Jack Goes To Bed At Noon
    Jizz
    Joe Pye Weed
    Juvenile Bird
    Kent Wildlife Trust
    Knapweed
    Ladybird
    Ladybird Larvae
    Large Cabbage White Butterfly
    Lawn Care
    Leafcutter Bee
    Lilioceris Lilii
    Lily Beetle
    Little Switzerland
    London
    Long-horned Bee
    Lungwort
    Malachius Bipustalus
    Maniola Jurtina
    Marbled White Butterfly
    Marden Meadow
    Marmalade Hoverfly
    Meadow
    Meadow Brown Butterfly
    Meadow Grass
    Meadow Grasshopper
    Megachile
    Melanargia Galathea
    Merodon Equestris
    Mini Meadow
    Misumena Vatia
    Mites
    Mixed Hedgerow
    Moth Caterpillar
    Mowhican Cut
    Mushroom
    Nabis Ferus
    Narcissus Bulb Fly
    National Meadows Day
    Naturespot
    Nature Studies
    Nectar
    Nomowmay
    Oedemera Nobilis
    Orchid
    Osmia Bicornis
    Oxeye Daisy
    Palomena Prasina
    Parasitic Wasp
    Pennisetia Hylaeformis
    Peripheral Vision
    Pest
    Philadelphus
    Pieris Rapae
    Plantlife Charity
    Pluckley
    Pollen
    Pollinators
    Primrose
    Pseudochorthippus Parallelus
    Pulmonaria
    Pyrochroa Coccinea
    Ragwort
    Rare Bee
    Raspberry Clearwing Moth
    Rat Tailed Maggot
    Red-headed Cardinal Beetle
    Red Mason Bee
    Red Soldier Beetle
    Red Tailed Bumblebee
    Rewild Yourself
    Rhagonycha Fulva
    Rhynchites
    Rhynchites Aequatus
    Rhynchites Caeruleus
    Ringlet Butterfly
    Robin
    Rosemary
    Ruby Tailed Wasp
    Rutpela Maculata
    Save The Bees
    Save The Planet
    Senecio Jacobaea
    Seven Spot Ladybird
    Shield Bug
    Short Haired Bumblebee Project
    Silver Y Moth
    Simon Barnes
    Skipper
    Slug Pellets
    Small Cabbage White Butterfly
    Small Heath Butterfly
    Small Skipper
    Soldier Beetle
    Soldiers And Sailors
    Solitary Bee
    Sooty Mold
    Sorrel
    Speedwell
    Sphaerophoria Scripta
    Spheksology
    Spotted Longhorn Beetle
    Squash Bug
    Starling
    Starling Drawing
    St James's Park
    Stream
    Sturnus Vulgaris
    Sun Fly
    Swift
    Teasel
    Terdus Merula
    Terrapin
    The Engrailed
    Thick Legged Flower Beetle
    Thymelicus Sylvestris
    Tragopogon Pratensis
    Tree Bumblebee
    True Bugs
    Tyria Jacobaeae
    Umbellifer
    Uroleucon Jaceae
    Vapourer Moth
    Viburnum
    Viola
    Volucella
    Volucella Bombylans
    Volucella Inanis
    Volucella Plumata
    Volucella Zonaria
    Wasp
    Weed Killer
    Weevil
    Weigelia Florida Variegata
    Wild Carrot
    Wildlife Trust
    Woodland
    Woodland Trust
    Yellow Rattle

    RSS Feed

Louisa Crispin

Oak Cottage, Talbot Road, 
​
Hawkhurst Kent TN18 4LU (UK)
 ​07708 148413
[email protected]

Privacy Policy