Is it time to put the brakes on the boom in beekeeping?

[madasafish]

Generally beekeepers tend to plant - and encourage others to plant -bee friendly plants which appeal to both honey and bumble bees.
Strangely the article does not mention that.

I - and I am sure other beekeepers - tend to spread the word and get other gardeners to plant bee friendly plants.
Strangely the article does not mention that.

Whatever you may think about other BBKA activities - it alone as an organisation has done more to publicise teh needs of bees over the last two decades than any number of scientists.
Strangely the article does not mention that.

With beekeepers being asked more frequently to place hives in rural locations where the land users are planting more bee friendly plants, all bee species will win as a result.
Strangely the article does not mention that.

But then the Guardian is the last refuge of spenders, whingers and complainers and not a place for wealth creators, achievers and doers.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

But then the Guardian is the last refuge of spenders, whingers and complainers and not a place for wealth creators, achievers and doers.

Another thing I'd say about the guardian, SWMBO, who walks the corridors of power in Welsh Government occasionally buys it when an article is flagged for her, drops the used rag in the back of my truck - it's excellent for lighting your smoker and if, like this morning, last nights curry makes it's presence felt, the quality heavy gauge smooth paper is handy if you need to 'take a country one' as my dear aunty Eirwen used to say.

 

[Karol]

What we need is more carbon dioxide then there'll be more plants and more nectar to go round.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Another thing I'd say about the guardian, SWMBO, who walks the corridors of power in Welsh Government occasionally buys it when an article is flagged for her, drops the used rag in the back of my truck - it's excellent for lighting your smoker and if, like this morning, last nights curry makes it's presence felt, the quality heavy gauge smooth paper is handy if you need to 'take a country one' as my dear aunty Eirwen used to say.

Don't dock leaves grow in Wales Emyr?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Don't dock leaves grow in Wales Emyr?

only nettles where I was today

 

[Poly Hive]

Having talked to various people involved with various areas of life the experience with the media is the same for all. There is what you know to be right, there is what the media say is right and like train tracks never the twain will meet.

PH

 

[Martimart]

Here in a very rural location we have a bee hotel up, has been for two years and not a creature has taken up the offer. Three out of four bird boxes are unoccupied this year despite various bird foods and water available. Then there is a succulent we planted from a plug plant and this year it is alive with bumbles. We count as its next to the steps taking us across the lawn to the veg and poly tunnel. Usually at least 5 if not 8 bumble bees on it at any time. Not though honey bees. So it is very clear that there are specific plants we can use to help the "bees" with out targeting the dreadful voracious honey ladies.

PH

I think uk intensive farming has had a huge impact on biodiversity in the countryside. My Parents live in a remote area and have a good amount of house martins and swifts, buzzards, but very little else. I'm in a semi rural village location, less than 5 miles from a city. I have bats, owls, loads of different bee's, frogs, newts and pigeons!! I hate the pigeons but have far more "wildlife" than a rural house in my county, of course other localities and areas will be different.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

Nice to see a flourescent jacket OVER a bee suit in one of the pictures. You would think that someone walking around a city in just a white beesuit is completely invisible to passers-by!

 

[manek]

The study the article refers to is here: State of the World's Plants and Fungi | Kew. It has a good degree of credibility, it would seem.

Anecdotally, I'd add that for a while I looked after five hives that a company dropped in the middle of Sussex farmland. They struggled to gather enough forage to survive: I had to feed them almost constantly, and got no honey from them. Goodness knows how their competitors -- the other 270+ species of bee -- survived.

On the question of journalism, something I do have a lifetime's worth of experience of, I can tell you that you get what you pay for. And everyone wants news for free.

And as far as the Guardian is concerned, I wouldn't argue for a second that it's perfect. Nowhere close. But at least it has a set of guiding principles about truth, and the quality and accuracy of its journalism, and isn't beholden to a bunch of offshore billionaires with vested interests, unlike 80% of the UK's mass media.

 

[Worker bee]

If honey bees were competing to an extent to endanger other bees a surplus of honey in the beekeepers hives simply wouldn't be possible now would it?

 

[manek]

If honey bees were competing to an extent to endanger other bees a surplus of honey in the beekeepers hives simply wouldn't be possible now would it?

One could also argue that it's evidence of the success of the honey bee at the expense of other bees, ie, they hoover up almost everything.

However, I'd grant that the short tongues of Apis mellifera make some sources of nectar inaccessible, while longer-tongued pollinators can reach them, enhancing their likelihood of survival.

 

[Ian123]

Have any of these studies particularly uk based taken into account any reduction in feral colonies due to varroa.

 

[Patrick1]

https://www.theguardian.com/environ...the-trouble-with-britains-beekeeping-boom-aoe
Discuss...

This is such a ridicules argument, in 1952 we had aprox 800,000 hives in the UK, according to some dubious reporting through the 80,90,2000 we reported to the EU ( to claim a subsidy) 244,000 ( EU stats ) 2019, by 2020 this went down by another 20,000 to a recorded 224,000 hives, strangely the BBKA describe this as a success story

 

[jeff33]

The same rubbish that was regurgitated to me by a national trust conservation officer when I asked for permission to use a secluded headland on North Gower as a mating station. I tried to explain that I have had hives around for several years so would effectively be moving existing stock around without increasing numbers. The officer was also clueless as the type of other pollinators in the area and foraging options.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

This is such a ridicules argument, in 1952 we had aprox 800,000 hives in the UK,

Ah yes, 1952 - the same date/figures that everyone uses to prove the decline in honeybees. it's a pity they didn't have data from 1938 to use as a benchmark or at least use 1952's correct relevance.
Colony numbers boomed during the war years due to the government drive to encourage beekeeping as an alternative sugar source, honey wasn't rationed and also beekeepers were given a sugar ration for the bees winter feed and spring 'stimulation' (wise beekeepers like my grandfather managed to keep this for own consumption)
And the relevance of 1952? it was the year sugar rationing was stopped, thousands of backyard beekeepers gave up beekeeping and colony numbers reverted to pre war 'normal' figures, so yes, there was a big drop in figures in the 1950's but only because it had been artificially raised in the 1940's.

 

[elainemary]

This is such a ridicules argument, in 1952 we had aprox 800,000 hives in the UK, according to some dubious reporting through the 80,90,2000 we reported to the EU ( to claim a subsidy) 244,000 ( EU stats ) 2019, by 2020 this went down by another 20,000 to a recorded 224,000 hives, strangely the BBKA describe this as a success story

In 1952 we had 96% more wildflower meadows and 50% more hedgerows than we have today. We had less tarmac on our driveways and bigger gardens. Less insecticides & herbicides, less pollution and less intensive agriculture. Significant more forage to support the 800k hives vs c250k today. The low point I understand was 2007 when we had c170k hives when the ‘Grauniad’ started raising awarenesss of the plight of pollinators in general.

Think the Bumblebee trust does a good job (often the source of the Grauniad articles) raising awareness of the plight of pollinators, but unfortunately sometimes starts a ‘them vs us’ message about honeybees. Personally feel it’s down to all of us to spread the message and be good role models re planting more forage. Plus work with our bee clubs and beginner beekeepers to be sensitive to all pollinators and hive density, as honeybees are undoubtably far more efficient pollinators and will out compete where forage is compromised.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

In 1952 we had 96% more wildflower meadows and 50% more hedgerows than we have today. We had less tarmac on our driveways and bigger gardens. Less insecticides & herbicides, less pollution and less intensive agriculture. Significant more forage to support the 800k hives vs c250k today.

But we also had people giving up beekeeping in droves - for no other reason than they only started because of sugar rationing, now it was freely available why bother keeping bees. Nothing to do with habitat, population or urban sprawl.
That's why anyone using 1952 as a benchmark is beginning any argument with a false premise

 

[mbc]

But we also had people giving up beekeeping in droves - for no other reason than they only started because of sugar rationing, now it was freely available why bother keeping bees. Nothing to do with habitat, population or urban sprawl.
That's why anyone using 1952 as a benchmark is beginning any argument with a false premise

Not entirely sure that's true, colony numbers are said to have plummeted during the first world war as so many rural folk were herded into the trenches.
I'd imagine otherwise occupied folk during the second would have a similar effect and it would take a year or two after demobilisation to get up and running with a tidy number of bees again.
You hear stories of dead rabbits being left in boxes so flies would go in and out to fool inspectors so as to claim the sugar ration.

 

[philipm]

Its easy to target Beekeepers never get to the real issue of the fields of green without a weed or flower,Years ago I used to pick mushrooms in the local fields now you would be lucky to see one.All due to most farmers being brainwashed by the agro chemical companies that all weeds are bad.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Not entirely sure that's true, colony numbers are said to have plummeted during the first world war as so many rural folk were herded into the trenches.
I'd imagine otherwise occupied folk during the second would have a similar effect and it would take a year or two after demobilisation to get up and running with a tidy number of bees again.
You hear stories of dead rabbits being left in boxes so flies would go in and out to fool inspectors so as to claim the sugar ration.

According to Manley, he built up a lot of his outfit by taking over apiaries offered by people called up to fight.