According to the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA) one fifth of UK honeybee colonies died in 2008. Bee colonies are collapsing all around the world due to serious industrialised farming that reduce the availability of wild flowers, pesticides robbing bees of habitat and food and the 'Colony Collapse Disorder' (CCD) where one third of honeybees in the US have been wiped out by this.
There are over 20,000 species of bee but many only pollinate one type of plant. Honeybees and Bumblebees pollinate many plants. There are around 250,000 species of flowering plants that depend on bees for pollination, many medicines come from these flowering parts and cotton is pollinated by the bee.
The yield of around 90 crops are increased by 30% through pollination, which without they would become scarce or extremely expensive. Foods such as apples, cucumbers, strawberries and nuts. Birds and small mammals also feed off these berries and seeds which are of course an important part of the food chain.
There have been studies into pesticides to investigate if the bee's communication system and navigation systems have been to blame for the demise of the Honeybee in particular. Imidacloprid is a chemical that has been banned in France for a decade after this suggestion and laboratory reports. Germany has banned Neonicotinoids, which are related to nicotine and are a family of 8 chemicals that make up pesticides.
Co-op is one of the largest farmers in the UK owning over 70,000 acres of land under cultivation. They have a 10-point Plan Bee and banning the use of Neonicotinoids which were connected to the Honeybee's Colony Collapse Disorder is one of them. The UK Government was accused of failing to recognise that pesticides could be a contributing factor in the breakdown of bee colonies according to Co-op's head of social goals Paul Monaghan.
There are over 20,000 species of bee but many only pollinate one type of plant. Honeybees and Bumblebees pollinate many plants. There are around 250,000 species of flowering plants that depend on bees for pollination, many medicines come from these flowering parts and cotton is pollinated by the bee.
The yield of around 90 crops are increased by 30% through pollination, which without they would become scarce or extremely expensive. Foods such as apples, cucumbers, strawberries and nuts. Birds and small mammals also feed off these berries and seeds which are of course an important part of the food chain.
There have been studies into pesticides to investigate if the bee's communication system and navigation systems have been to blame for the demise of the Honeybee in particular. Imidacloprid is a chemical that has been banned in France for a decade after this suggestion and laboratory reports. Germany has banned Neonicotinoids, which are related to nicotine and are a family of 8 chemicals that make up pesticides.
Co-op is one of the largest farmers in the UK owning over 70,000 acres of land under cultivation. They have a 10-point Plan Bee and banning the use of Neonicotinoids which were connected to the Honeybee's Colony Collapse Disorder is one of them. The UK Government was accused of failing to recognise that pesticides could be a contributing factor in the breakdown of bee colonies according to Co-op's head of social goals Paul Monaghan.
It is the role of the National Bee Unit (NBU) funded by Defra to support Bee keepers from threats through research. A report carried out by Imperial College London for the National Audit Office (NAO) points out a number of threats and areas to improve on in order to maintain the health of the honeybee. The role of the Integrated Bee Health Programme is to protect the honeybee.
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