To bee or not to bee?
Greetings (read in english accent). I’d like to take you on a journey of discovery. There’ll be mystery, conspiracy theories, and the fall of a hero. Join me as we learn about the “conservation” of bees.
I have always loved plants. Not only are they beautiful as all heck, they also give us humans food, shelter, medicine, clothing, and so much more! As an undergraduate student, learning about environmental and conservation issues in the world, plant community and population health was pretty much my jam. From there, I was quickly drawn to the importance of pollinators. Animals (mainly insects) visited our flowering plant friends, ensuring their reproductive success and the production of the wonderful fruits and vegetables we so enjoy (avocados, y'all = point made). I was inspired to delve deeper into this world of pollinator health, staying 'woke' with documentaries, books, and blogs. Early on in this a'woke'ning journey I was flooded with imagery and information about the handsome, hyper-charismatic HONEY BEE (Apis mellifera).
The honey bee – the hero of agriculture, the brewer of magic honey gold, the friendly buzzer buzzing in your front yard – was the approachable bee-next-door, giving us the perfect poster child for the plight of our pesticide catastrophe. These altruistic female workers worked their abdomens (butts) off for the good of the hive—the good of our hive (society)—and how were we repaying them? With poison sprayed on our fields and in their tiny, precious bee-faces. No, no, no, we would not stand for this!
Michelle’s internal dialogue: “WE NEED TO SAVE THE BEAUTIFUL BUZZIES.”
This sensationalism reached its peak in the mid-2000’s when beekeepers in the United States found hives abandoned with food, brood (baby bees), and unattended queens. The syndrome was quickly coined Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Researchers were grasping at straws for answers, quick to blame mobile phones (lol) and pesticides. To this day, the exact reasons for CCD are still a little ~mysterious~, but researchers have essentially boiled it down to pests and pathogens. In combination with Big Agriculture and the Government (that’s right, Big Ag and Big Brother have been in cahoots all along), the world was suddenly on a mission: SAVE THE HONEY BEES. BUY LOCAL HONEY. PROTECT THE PRECIOUS BABIES. And that’s how I lived my life for years.
Michelle’s internal dialogue: “WE NEED TO SAVE ALL THE DYING HONEY BEES.”
But that all changed when I learned that our protagonist, the honey bee—the EUROPEAN honey bee—was just another invasive species that we have introduced again and again around the world.
Editor, Tatum’s internal dialogue (see her article on Bsal for context): “EVERYTHING WRONG WITH OUR ENVIRONMENT IS EITHER INVASIVE OR AN INVASIVE FUNGAL PATHOGEN!”
In general, we find that introduced species largely outcompete native species, facilitate the spread of nonnative disease, and disrupt ongoing ecosystem processes. Indeed, we see this same trend in the European honey bee that outcompetes native bees for pollen and nectar resources, spreads mites and pathogens via flowers that are also visited by native bees, and disrupts pollination of native plants! Can you imagine my surprise when I—a ‘woke,’ active participant in the scientific-minded, nay, conservation-minded world—found out that the honey bee is more scam artist than hero? More colonizing colonizer than savior and selfless saint!
Michelle’s internal dialogue: “I. AM. SHOOKETH!”
Have we always been pawns in the propaganda machine of Big Ag??
The short answer is yes. Yes, in so many ways. But now we have to accept the fact that we’ve been hoodwinked—bamboozled, really—and set aside our bruised egos to focus on the real victim here: native bees. NATIVE BEES, YOU SAY?? I did say! Native bees are the buzzers that have been around longer than you or I have. In the United States alone, there are over 4,000 identified species of native bees. These buzzers have adapted to their local environment and local plant communities for millennia.
Not only are local bees cutie-patooties, they are also incredibly important pollinators for native plants and even our agricultural crops! Researchers at Cornell found that native bees are actually 2-3 times more effective pollinators than the honeybee. In fact, another study, which looked at 41 crop systems globally, found that native bees and other pollinators were responsible for 86% of crop yield. Honeybees are simply there for supplementation. And now, in the face of increased competition for resources and the introduction of new parasites and diseases, native bees are in danger of becoming endangered.
Michelle’s internal dialogue: “YOU FOOLS! WE NEED TO SAVE THE NATIVE BEES.”
Now I’m not saying that the next step in native bee conservation is the extermination of all honey bees. In fact, if we think about these nonnative bees as charismatic conservation species (think of the cutest panda baby double-fisting bamboo shoots whilst tumbling down a snowy hillside), we can see how the attention drawn to what humans decide are 'important' organisms might actually promote the conservation of other organisms that rely on the same habitats. And in general, perhaps our false-hero has brought a couple more concerned citizens to the table of pollinator conservation (like me!!! And maybe you???).
You already know what's up next.
So, what I can do?
Are you a homeowner or property owner? Does the word mortgage come up a lot in your day-to-day conversations? YOU can focus on little conservation steps in your own front yard!!
Option 1: Plant some locally native flowers. These attract and provide resources for native bees! Bonus: these flowers are already adapted to your region (i.e. water-saving, the cool locals that are on a first-name-basis with waiters at the hot breakfast spot).
Option 2: Mow your lawn a little less frequently. The more weedy flowers growing in your yard, the more resources available for bees when their preferred flowers are out of season. Unless you have a home-owners association, this one’s a win-win.
Option 3: Put some fancy-abdomen bee houses in your backyard! These are the new and improved version of the dated birdhouse. Fun fact: most native bees are actually solitary (not part of a colony). Mama solitary bees build their nests and lay their eggs in these bee houses!
Option 4: Any/all of the above. Wow you’ve ascended to a saint-level conservation status. Also, your yard is poppin’.
But what can I do if I'm a millennial (AKA do not own a home and may never own a home)?
I hear you, my dudes. Avocados. What you can do is work with local organizations/parks/schools to promote planting local flowers, whether you’re on a college campus or even know of an empty lot (#guerillagardening).
Editor's note: "As a millennial who will be doomed to renting all her life, there is no reason I can’t have a container garden on my patio/windowsill of native plants or hang solitary bee houses around!" Excellent point, Tatum. I completely agree.
If you are on the UCSB campus—boy do I have good news for you—you can join the UCSBees Project through the Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration. We’re checking out pollinator habitat on campus and monitoring native and nonnative bee populations to inform landscape management around campus. Contact me for more info!
Michelle’s internal dialogue: “That’s pretty neat.”
IN SUMMARY. Honey bees are cool for giving us honey, but also uncool for the terrible things they do to our native bee populations. Stay 'woke', my human friends. #lettherebelit.
More things to read:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5306468.pdf
http://www.xerces.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Xerces_policy_statement_HB_Final.pdf
https://www.wired.com/2015/04/youre-worrying-wrong-bees/
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/359/6374/392.full
Edited by Tatum Katz.
