Beekeeping “bad for native bees”
Entomologists are now saying that urban beekeeping is bad for native bee species which don’t live in the familiar honeybee colonies, but do pollinate native plants. City hall opposition has taken up this cause and wants the city to limit beekeeping and promote planting of flowers known to be beneficial.
walkerp 09:56 on 2019-06-07 Permalink
Can you not have beehives with native species?
Kate 10:24 on 2019-06-07 Permalink
They don’t hive! Seems most bees don’t live in communities like honeybees do.
bpmpost@yahoo.ca 11:16 on 2019-06-07 Permalink
Despite our best intentions, humans keep screwing nature up. At least I learned something about wild bees vs honey bees today: https://www.gardenmyths.com/honey-bees-native-bees/
Raymond Lutz 11:23 on 2019-06-07 Permalink
For nerds around here, voici un Nature Scientific Reports souvent cité à ce propos: Henry, M., Rodet, G., Controlling the impact of the managed honeybee on wild bees in protected areas, Scientific Reports 8 (2018) .
Faiz Imam 21:15 on 2019-06-07 Permalink
Just FYI, for many of the bees that we want to promote, “bee houses” are a healthier solution.
They look like this: https://www.almanac.com/content/bee-houses-solitary-bees
Kate 22:14 on 2019-06-07 Permalink
Faiz Imam, I read that and was vaguely interested till the thing about harvesting cocoons – and then what?
I imagine most of us would do a better favour for the bees if we either put out some flowering plants, or refrained from cutting down wild plants like dandelions and milkweeds that bees like. (If we have the choice. Apparently in some places you can be reprimanded or even fined for letting your lawn grow into a natural wild meadow.)
Faiz Imam 23:40 on 2019-06-07 Permalink
Good question. I just read the houses are good, I don’t know the details on this one.
I read elsewhere that the holes should be cleaned every spring. But i’m not clear on what the deal is with cocoons.