Great Bee Day 2024: You too can help pollinators

The honeybee is one of the species of bees living in Poland, and is a pollinator and pollinating insect. In contrast, it is not a wild bee, but a farm animal.

Bees die after the bee queen is fertilised.

Wee bees sweat out wax with special wax glands located on the underside of the abdomen.

In older, three-week-old bees, they develop venom and a stinger. They then become guardians, defending the hive from intruders and honey amateurs. You have to hand it to them that they do this with complete dedication (anyone who, like me, has ever come across a wild bee nest knows).

The oldest and oldest bees.

The oldest and most experienced bees collect nectar, honeydew, pollen and water. They thus provide the food necessary for the survival of the hive. And they are the ones we encounter most often.

Black and yellow statistics

Bees in Poland

About 80% of crop plants in Poland are pollinated by insects, and 90% of these insects are bees. Interestingly, thanks to these insects, even plants that use the wind for pollination produce more abundant crops. According to the Supreme Chamber of Control, bees earn for Polish agriculture between 4.1 and 4.7 billion zlotys a yearand.

There are around 470 species of bees in Poland,  but almost half of them are threatened with extinction . Fortunately, researchers have seen a steady increase in honeybee populations since 2011.

The Programme for the Conservation of Farm Animal Genetic Resources keeps statistics on bee colonies under protection. According to them, over the last decade (2013-2022), the population of protected bee colonies in Poland has increased by more than 27%and.

Also, data from the Veterinary Inspection records seem optimistic - in 2021, compared to 2020, the number of bee colonies in registered apiaries increased by 14% .

Does this mean that the future of Polish beekeeping is painted in rosy colours and we can sip the nectar of victory?

Not necessarily. Firstly, according to data from the Beekeeping Department in Puławy the ratio of apiculture, i.e. the number of bee colonies per km², in 2021 averaged 6.4and. Experts indicate that it should be at least 8.

Another issue is that almost 30% of beekeepers in Poland are over 65and. Who will take over the care of the apiaries when they go into well-deserved bee retirement?"

World bees

The world's bee population has been in decline since the 1960s.

In the late 1980s, Europe faced a significant decline in bee populations. However, the situation is beginning to improve. According to the European Commission, there was a 6% increase in the number of hives in EU countries in 2021, compared to the previous yearand.

The largest number of bee colonies is in Spain, Romania and Greece. Poland ranks fourth in this ranking. So close to the podium...!

Once upon a time in America

From time to time since the beginning of the 21st century, news of a massive bee die-off has been circulating in the American media. In 2018, it was reported that US beekeepers had lost 40% of their honeybeesand. This led to panic and fears of a mass bee die-off.

However, global data on the populations of these insects does not confirm the unrestand. Nor is it borne out by U.S. Department of Agriculture data showing that, compared to 2000-2009, the U.S. bee population grew by 7.7 percent between 2010 and 2020.

The U.S. bee population is also growing by 7.7 percent.

This does not mean, however, that bees in the United States are not under threat. Climate change is triggering an increasing number of natural disasters in the region, which could adversely affect local populations of these pollinators.

The climate is also changing.

Not insignificant is also the destruction of the bees' natural environment, with the consequent shortage of food and the invasion of mites - the plague of bees.

A world without bees, or emptiness on... the plate

The cucumber season is underway. A time of sunshine, holidays, carefree and... a harvest of crunchy ground cucumbers. It's also the time when we pack them in the pickles with a view to winter. Without bees, we could easily call the cucumber season the empty jar season.

About 300,000 plant species depend on pollinators, and many of these are edible plants. Too few bees will deprive us not only of the pleasure of eating, but also of many essential sources of nutrients in our diet. After all, it is from vegetables and fruit that we get the most vitamins, micro and macronutrients.

What wouldn't you eat without bees?

Vegetables

Without bees you can forget about cucumbers, pumpkins and squash. Without pollination, they won't bear fruit, so there will be nothing to harvest. Some vegetables need bees to produce seeds, that is, to reproduce. Although we do not eat their fruit, but for example their tubers or inflorescences, they also do not survive without pollinators.

Such vegetables include, for example:

• cauliflower,
.
• carrots,
.
• leek,
.
• cabbage,
.
• broccoli,
.
• beet,
.

There are also plants that use wind power for reproduction. However, bees effectively add the hard work of their wings to the process, making for a larger and better quality harvest. Although these plants would probably survive without pollinators, their numbers would decrease and prices would skyrocket.

This group of vegetables includes:

• tomatoes,
.
• caps,
.
• potatoes,
.
• cbula,
.

We would also have to say goodbye to many seeds, herbs and spices, such as sunflower seeds, mustard seeds and almonds.

Fruits

What could be better on a hot summer day than a bowl of cold cherries straight from the fridge? Or pasta with strawberry sauce (Polish spaghetti)? It would be hard to think of a good substitute for these delicacies, and without bees we would be forced to do so.

Thanks to pollinators, we can still enjoy the taste of:

• apple,
.
• currants,
.
• strawberries,
.
• leaves,
.
• blueberries,
.
• oranges,
.
• arbons,
.
• cherries,
.
• kiwi,
.
• agrest,
.
• currants,
.

In short, of the popular fruits we would practically only have bananas left. As with vegetables, even if some fruit plants are able to pollinate by wind, their yields would be much less abundant and the fruit smaller and often misshapen.

Meat?!

Yes, meat would also be crumbly in a world without bees. After all, these insects pollinate most forage crops, i.e. those on which cattle feed. Of course, cows wouldn't go extinct without clover or alfalfa, but farmers would be forced to replace them with something, which would increase farming costs.

And you've probably already guessed what that would mean. Price increases. Not just meat, but also dairy products.

What is pollination

So you can see that it is not honey that is bee gold, but the ability to pollinate. And what is it actually all about?"

Seed plants, like most living organisms, need a combination of female and male reproductive cells to reproduce. But it's hard to go on a date when you've deeply planted roots in the ground. That's why male reproductive cells have evolved to form pollen, which is lightweight and easily transported.

Some seed plants use wind to transfer pollen to other flowers. Others depend on small, hairy helpers to collect nectar and spread the pollen directly to subsequent inflorescences. In this symbiosis, everyone wins: the bees do not go hungry and the plants can enjoy their offspring.

Not just bees

As many as 90% of pollinators living in Poland are honeybees, but we don't want to make the other 10% uncomfortable, so I will introduce them right away. The group of pollinating insects also includes:

Bumblebees

Bumblebees belong to the bee family and ask not to be called bumblebees. Bumblebees are biting bugs that resemble flies. Bumblebees, on the other hand, are fluffy, cute little balls and although they have a stinger, they sting even less frequently than bees. Seriously, have you heard of anyone being stung by a bumblebee?"

Also, they are not intimidated by low temperatures (as low as 12°C), can work in a drizzle and do so for about 2-3 hours longer in a day than bees.

Garden mason bee

It is also a bee, only of the species lone bees. Unlike its more famous cousin, the honeybee, all female mason bees establish their nests and raise their young independently.

The mason bee is also known as a "honeybee".

Although equipped with a stinger, the mason bee is unlikely to sting you - even in defence of its nest. It is smaller than the honeybee and slightly darker - its colouration is a reddish-brown.

Butterflies

However, they are not likely to sting you.

Butterflies

These chaotically flying beauties also feed on flower nectar, so they also carry pollen. However, they are less efficient at this than bees, because most species do not have hairs on their bodies. And as you already know, hairs increase pollinator effectiveness because pollen attaches to them.

What bees fear most - about the dangers

If you ask bees, they would probably answer that they are most afraid of ending up in a bird's beak. However, the experts agree: the biggest threat to bees is man (with all his civilisation).

We are in danger.

Our development is taking away the bees' habitat, i.e. their natural habitat. We are replacing meadows with block housing and wild flowers with evenly trimmed lawn. Pollution and the spread of invasive species (i.e. species that shouldn't be in a particular region)and are also having a major impact on pollinator health and abundance.

We're not helping.

It also doesn't help that a warming climate affects the flowering periods of particular plants, which translates into food availability for insects. As the 2021 studyand showed, rising temperatures also have an impact on the sperm quality of male bees. And this clearly translates into bee colony numbers.

Additionally, plant protection products can also harm pollinators, especially if different preparations are applied simultaneously. Then, even if individual substances would not pose a threat, their mixtures may already be poisonousand.

What can you do for bees?

You read: climate change, pesticides, concretosis and you're probably thinking to yourself, what can I do...? Fact, you have a negligible impact on global factors, but there are a few things that bees will thank you for.

On the balcony

Instead of petunias and geraniums, you can sow honey plants in the boxes. These include, for example, cornflowers, geraniums (or boysenberries), sweet peas (it has beautiful flowers and is a fast-growing climber), catkins, catnip (something for cat people), clover, irises or heather. Personally, I can recommend yarrow - it is hardy even for gardening 'talents' like me.

You can also make an insect drinker. All you need to do is to pour some water into the saucer from the pot and arrange the stones so that they partially protrude above the surface. Insects and small birds alike can benefit from such a watering hole.

In the garden

What if you didn't mow the grass so meticulously in every nook and cranny of the garden? Save yourself the work and leave a patch of land to go wild. You can also use ready-made wildflower meadow seed mixes, available from garden shops.

All fruit trees (apple, pear, plum) and fruit bushes such as blueberries will also be helpful for the bees. And the bees will eat, and so will you.

For the garden, make sure you do the same.

A drinker will also work well in the garden. You can place one on an elevated platform and the other on the ground - who knows, maybe a hedgehog will drink too.

A garden allotment waterer will also work well.

An allotment can instead be a great place for an insect house. You can make one yourself or buy a ready-made one (at most DIY stores).

The

Bee playlist

If you want to attract more bees to your garden, play with a... DJ. Bees inform their companions about the best places to collect pollen and nectar by emitting sounds at 250-300 Hz. It just so happens that some songs have a similar frequency.

Here are 50 tracks to rock any bee party <move over to Spotify>.

In the city

Many cities in Poland seem to have recognised the need to protect pollinating insects. Suffice it to mention that as many as 269 municipalities from all over Poland joined the Bee Friendly Municipalities Manifesto initiative in 2018.

In some localities, roadside green belts are no longer mowed and field flowers are sown on them. In urban green areas, melliferous plants are planted.

You too have a say in what happens in your town - thanks to citizen budgets. You can vote for the creation of wild meadows and new plantings of trees and other plants. It really does make a difference!

Buying honey in the market? How about supporting local apiaries? By buying certified honey from your local area, you are also acting for the good of the bees. And yours - such products are likely to be much healthier than the market offerings.

In the countryside

Research confirms that the use of neonicotinoids, the substances used in some plant protection products (pesticides), is a deadly threat to beesand. And this is true even when they have been used in doses lower than recommended by the manufacturer.

If you want to help the bees, pay attention to the composition of the products you use to spray (whether for crops or ornamental plants in the garden).

See also:

• How to take care of your health
• Mental health during SAD
• How to take care of your sleep hygiene

Summary