Julian Ives main area of expertise is the use and application of Biological and Natural pest control. He spent over 10 years advising growers and nurserymen on the use of these products before leaving to co-founded the natural pest control; Just Green. He is now a pest control consultant advising companies, gardeners and the gardening media on the use of this natural and organic pest control.
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Bees decline with more government spin
July 21, 2009
As we listen to the labour government lame excuses for not providing our troops with more helicopters, you may like to know helicopters are not the only important flying objects this government has neglected, they don’t care much about Bees either! Yesterday the Commons public accounts committee reported on the issue stating that the pollination of crops by bees is worth £200 million each year to the British economy.There are many major crops reliant on pollination from Bees and Bees arev in decline . The problem is very serious according to the British Beekeepers association the honey bee population declined by 30% over the winter of 2007-8. Bumblebees don’t fare any better; there has been a 70% decline in Bumblebees over the past 30 years with 20 species been lost completely. The Government did announce some funding a little while back but it was peanuts compared to the scale of the problem. Although 10 million of investment was announced, it had to be split over research into other pollinators like Moths and Butterflies. Surely the successful pollination of crops is worth far more than this?
There is some good news Syngenta and Sainsburys teamed up a few years ago to launch Operation BumbleBee, a very successful scheme to encourage farmers to plant more Bee attracting plants and replace the lost habitat that is responsible for so much of the decline in Bees. We as gardeners can also play our part by sowing seeds or planting plants rich in nectar and pollen. One of the joys of gardening is listening to Bees at work in the garden and what an important job they do, as many new Grow your own converts will appreciate. Gardeners can also create habitats for Bees by buying Mason Bee nests or Bumblebee nests for overwintering or they can be home made. A few canes will provide a good habitat for solitary bees and upturned plant pot with leaves and moss in can provide a home for overwintering Bumblebees. The reduction of toxic insecticides also helps, so choosing contact acting non-toxic sprays like SB plant invigorator or fatty acid based products will also reduce potential Bee fatalities. Some problems like mites and hive death can only be solved with more research, lets hope the next government takes this problem a bit more seriously.
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This is getting very political Julian!
When is a bee not bee?
When it’s a wasp!