Conservation & Ecology
Laurence Gale MSc and Edward Ainsworth head to Wilmslow Golf Club to help their Course Manager, Steve Oultram, in his quest to set up an apiary
centred around the use of pesticides, in particular the use of neonicotinoid insecticide usage in farming. Whilst the debate lingers on, the popularity of beekeeping is on the rise, with more and more people helping the plight of bees by getting involved in conservation projects to increase populations. Ten years ago, the British Bee Keepers Association (BBKA) had only 10,000 members. That number has risen to a substantial 24,000, many of whom are from urban areas. It is a well known fact that all bees, whether they be solitary, bumble or honey, are in danger of disappearing from our environment. The loss of natural habitats to anthropogenic needs has seen vast areas transformed into motorways, dual carriageways, housing estates, shopping centres, office buildings and industrial estates, to name a few, which are all major threats to bee populations, whilst agricultural practices continue to disturb the foraging capabilities of solitary and bumble bees, leaving both species little or no chance of re- establishment. The honey bee is also under attack from
I
the Varroa Mite (Varroa destructor) and it is the care provided by beekeepers that is keeping colonies alive. Most feral honey bee colonies have died out as a result of this disease. It is estimated that, should a colony establish itself in the wild, it will only last approximately three years before being wiped out.
This is an important factor due to bees
being essential pollinators. They make a very important contribution to food production globally; it is estimated at £200 million in the UK and £6 billion in Europe. As more and more people have taken up
beekeeping, others have helped by encouraging better management of land assets. In recent years, we have seen a good number of greenkeepers and groundsmen
t seems we cannot open a magazine, a national newspaper or switch on our TV without something being written or said about the decline of bees around the world. One major debate has been
Beekeeping
Beehive yourself!
112 I PC JUNE/JULY 2014
Steve Oultram
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