We’ve previously put together guides on whether or not bee population numbers are declining to the point of extinction, and also what the main causes of bee population loss and decline might be.
In the guide below however, we look at what the potential solutions to stopping bee population decline and death of certain species’ of bees might be.
Summary – How To Save Bees, & Maintain Healthy Population Numbers
Are Bees Endangered Or At Risk Of Extinction?
We’ve already summarised that US honey bees are not currently endangered, or currently in danger of going extinct, but other bee species have been placed on the ‘endangered list’ in certain locations at certain points in time.
Causes of Bee Population Decline
There are threats that can lead to temporary or permanent loss or decline of bee population numbers.
This guide outlines some the potential main causes of bee population decline.
Potential Challenges & Difficulties In Reporting On Bee Population Number Declines, & Causes Of Declines
This is a relevant point to make because effective solutions to address population number decline rely in some capacity on being able to accurately assess and identify population number trends, and what factors or threats are causing the population numbers to go up or down, or even stay stable.
List Of Potential Solutions To Save Bee Population Numbers
Some of the potential short term or long term solutions to preventing bee population numbers from declining might be:
Better resources, mechanisms and analysis tools to investigate and confirm bee loss causes and trends in different geographic areas
Better financial incentive to protect bee numbers for farmers and people
More seeds and better resources to plant and protect habitats for pollinators
Better education of protecting pollinators in general
More effective pest management practices against mites, beetles and other pests
Better nutrition in bee diets
Better information on how miticides and agricultural chemicals affect bees
More effective communication between beekeepers and farmers
More information on how to prevent and manage bee diseases
Better protection of bees against animal and plant threats
More focus to restore bee numbers after natural events, destructive events, and winter months or colder months
More information on the impact of a changing climate and conditions for bees
Change the economics of beekeeping by charging a higher price, and incentivizing healthy population numbers
… realistically, many solutions can be traced back to the main causes of bee population numbers decline, so, many solutions may end up being the inverse of these causes.
A List Of Potential Solutions To Save Bees & Prevent Bee Population Numbers Declining
Better resources, mechanisms and analysis tools to investigate and confirm bee loss causes and trends in different geographic areas
Effective solutions to maintain or increase bee population numbers at or to a healthy level can’t be formulated or implemented unless an accurate analysis on what is going on with bee populations in a specific area over a specific time period can be obtained
To do this, individuals and groups need resources, mechanisms and analysis tools to identify current population numbers of specific bee species, the threats to a bee species, the causes of bee species population decline, and so on
Better financial incentive to protect bee numbers for farmers and people
Those who keep bees directly, and second and third parties whose actions impact the habitats of pollinators, both need a strong enough financial incentive to maintain bee and pollinator population numbers
Some of this is determined by the free market, whilst some of it may require government intervention and support if the need for bees and pollinators is that important either for the economy, or for the ecosystems and environment in that area
From acsh.org on incentive for beekeepers:
Bee keepers can also charge higher prices for pollination services and honey (or they can find agricultural fields that will pay higher prices) – this incentivizes beekeepers to increase colony numbers
More seeds to create and maintain habitats for pollinators
In some areas, seeds that contribute to habitats for pollinators may not be abundant, and as a result, habitats for pollinators may not be adequate for healthy population numbers
Better education of protecting pollinators in general
In general, amateur beekeepers and farmers may need better education on protecting different pollinators species, including bees and other pollinators
More effective pest management practices by beekeepers
Of Varrora mites mainly, but also other pests like Acarina mites and hive beetles.
In particular, better practices need to be implemented that deal with the resistance Varrora mites develop to miticides made to kill them.
Focus on bee diet and nutrition by beekeepers
Some keepers are adding protein supplements, or making the diet more diverse than just sugar water or corn syrup and one monoculture crop.
The problem with the current bee diet is that sugar water, or monoculture crops that bees go out to pollinate, might not have enough diversity or nutrition.
When bees aren’t getting proper nutrition, their health suffers, they get weak, and other environmental threats and stressors can impact their well being and mortality (they become more susceptible to pesticides, mites, diseases and so on)
More focus on how miticides affect bees
Miticides can impact bee health and their ability to function, but exactly to what extent and how to deal with this needs better clarification.
More focus on how synthetic seed/crop pesticides affect bees
Crop pesticides can impact bee health and their ability to function (when bees go out to collect nectar and to fertilize/pollinate crops), but exactly to what extent and how to deal with this needs better clarification.
It’s possible organic pesticides are explored in terms of their suitability, or current pesticides are improved more to become more safer
More effective communication between beekeepers and farmers whose crops are being pollinated
There needs to be more effective communication on the impact the pesticides are having on bees when they come back to hives – how do bees respond in the short and long term once coming back?
Farmers (whose crops are pollinated by bees), and bee keepers can work together in this regard
More focus on how to prevent and manage bee diseases such as foulbrood and chalkbrood
Could come from better nutrition, or better hive conditions
Protection of bee natural habitats
Habitat destruction occurs because of urbanization.
Flower meadows are a favorite habitat of bees and other pollinators
Protection of bees against animal and plant threats
Threats such as non-native animals, non-native plant species, nonnative predators and so on
A focussed effort to restore bee numbers after natural events
Such as hurricanes, tsunamis and drought
A focussed effort to restore bee numbers after other destructive events such as wildfires
This could involve a range of different solutions such as replanting and restoring habitats, just as a start
A focussed effort to restore bee numbers after colder winter months
Seasonal changes in bee population numbers can be a common occurrence, and winter may naturally see more bees die off each year compared to warmer months
More study on the impact of changing global world temperatures (and possibly climate change) on bees
Changing temperature can stress the physiology of bees, change their individual and hive behavior, change their feeding patterns, and force them to find more mild climates where there are less nutritious food sources available
Other potential solutions
beelab.umn.edu also propose how we might create more positive change for bees and other pollinator species:
[We can remove the above listed obstacles by:]
(1) developing better usage and incident reporting data systems;
(2) generating more and better training for pesticide applicators;
(3) increasing awareness about the importance of integrated pest management (IPM), both for pesticide applicators and beekeepers;
and (4) modifying landscape practices to accommodate honey bees, native bees, and other beneficial insects would generate real and positive change.
acsh.org has some suggestions and observations for managing bee population numbers:
beekeepers have been able to adapt their managerial practices and repopulate their stocks when cold weather or virus-related losses occur.
Winter losses can easily be replenished by splitting hives, but experts say that’s not the optimal solution; it would be better for bee stocks for overwinter losses to continue their recent decline.
Sources
1. https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/ask-mr-green/why-are-honeybees-dying
2. https://www.beelab.umn.edu/sites/beelab.umn.edu/files/spivakcast2017_bee_health.pdf
3. https://www.agdaily.com/crops/are-honey-bees-endangered/
4. https://www.bettermeetsreality.com/are-bees-endangered-will-bees-go-extinct-in-the-future-the-truth-about-bee-population-numbers/
5. https://www.bettermeetsreality.com/causes-of-bee-population-loss-decline/
6. https://www.acsh.org/news/2018/04/17/bee-apocalypse-was-never-real-heres-why-12851
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