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Bee Plan

 

To lobby the Government to do more and provide funds for research into Colony Collapse Disorder and why the number of honey bees are declining in the UK.

 

 

Bees are dying in their Millions - what do we do?

Bees are dying in their millions. Martha Kearney, BBC 4, explores this worrying phenomenon.

It is an ecological crisis that threatens to bring global agriculture to a standstill. Introduced by Martha Kearney, this documentary explores the reasons behind the decline of bee colonies across the globe, investigating what might be at the root of this devastation. Honey bees are the number one insect pollinator on the planet, responsible for the production of over 90 crops. Apples, berries, cucumbers, nuts, cabbages and even cotton will struggle to be produced if bee colonies continue to decline at the current rate. Empty hives have been reported from as far afield as Taipei and Tennessee.

In England, the matter has caused beekeepers to march on parliament to call on the government to fund research into what they say is potentially a bigger threat to humanity than the current financial crisis. Investigating the problem from a global perspective, the programme makers travel from the farm belt of California to the flatlands of East Anglia to the outback of Australia. They talk to the beekeepers whose livelihoods are threatened by colony collapse disorder, the scientists entrusted with solving the problem, and the Australian beekeepers who are making a fortune replacing the planet's dying bees. They also look at some of the possible reasons for the declining numbers - is it down to a bee plague, pesticides, malnutrition, or is the answer something even more frightening?

Go to BBC4 Bees are Dying in their Millions to watch this interesting and worrying documentary.

In a contrasting documentary, by the same author, Orlando Clark is an urban beekeeper, he keeps his bees in various locations around the city of London, from Brixton to King's Cross. His bee losses have been no higher in the last few years than they have been in any winter. In fact, last winter was better than ever before. Ironically in the city, there seems to be more and cleaner food for the bees to eat. London and a lot of urban environments are actually quite green, with an abundance of parks and gardens dotted all around. The diversity of the plants you have in the urban environment may help the bees, as there is almost always something in bloom all year round. In the countryside, particularly with modern agricultural practices, you have whole swathes of land supporting just one crop, which may bloom for only 2-3 weeks. The city is probably one of the best locations to keep bees at the moment, as there is plenty of forage for them and they don't have all the problems they have in the countryside with insecticide and pesticides being sprayed on them and their food.

Go to Urban Beekeeping

Pollen Chart - Book

Pocket Pollen Colour Guide

A handy guide to aid in the identification of pollen loads of the honey bee. Showing 72 examples. Northern Bee Books Publishers of The Beekeepers Annual & Beekeepers Quarterly Stockest of books for beekeepers Scout Bottom Farm Mytholmroyd Hebden Bridge HX7 5JS (UK) Tel +44 (0) 1422 882751 Fax +44 (0) 1422 886157

£1.50 UK Post Paid Add to Cart 
NBB113 Hardy, Stephen Pocket Pollen Colour Guide

Northern Bee Books - Go back - Beedata Home

Pollen Chart

Common name	Latin name                 Blooming months                  Pollen color
Maple	Acer spp.	Feb - Apr	light yellow	feral		fair
Manitoba Maple  (Box elder)	Acer negundo	Feb - Apr	light olive	feral		good
Norway maple	Acer platanoides	Apr - May	yellow green, olive	feral		fair
Red Maple	Acer rubrum	Mar - Apr	grey brown	feral
Grey Alder	Alnus incana	Feb - Apr	brownish yellow	feral
American Chestnut	Castanea dentata	May - Jun		mostly ornamental
American Hazel	Corylus americana	Mar - Apr	light green	feral and ornamental		fair/good
Sweet Chestnut	Castanea sativa	May		feral		good
Common Hackberry	Celtis occidentalis	Apr - May		feral
Flowering Quince	Chaenomeles japonica, Chaenomeles lagenaria, Chaenomeles speciosa 'Nivalis', Chaenomeles x superba	Apr - May		feral		good
Hawthorn	Crataegus spp.	Apr - May	yellow brown	feral		fair
White Ash	Fraxinus americana	Apr - May
Honey Locust	Gleditsia triancanthos	May - Jun		feral
American holly	Ilex opaca	Apr - Jun		feral
Walnut	Juglans spp.	Apr - May		cultivated		fair
Tulip-tree	Lirodendron tulipifera	May - Jun		feral and ornamental		good
Crab Apple	Malus spp.	Mar - Jun	light olive	ornamental
Apple	Malus domestica, Malus sylvestris	Apr - May	yellow white	cultivated and ornamental		very good
American Sycamore	Platanus occidentalis	Apr - May	light olive	feral
Plum	Prunus spp.	Apr - May	light grey, grey	ornamental and cultivated
Almond	Prunus amygdalus	Feb	light brown to brown pollen - not considered a good pollen source but bees are the primary pollinator	cultivated mostly in California		fair
Wild Cherry	Prunus avium	Apr - May	yellow brown, light brown	feral		very good
Cherry Plum	Prunus cerasifera		light brown to brown	feral		fair
Sour Cherry	Prunus cerasus	Apr - May	dark yellow	ornamental and cultivated		very good
Peach	Prunus persica	Apr - May	redish yellow	ornamental and cultivated		good
Black Cherry	Prunus serotina	Apr - May		feral		minor
Blackthorn	Prunus spinosa			feral		good
Pear	Pyrus communis	Apr - May	red yellow	ornamental and cultivated		good
Oak	Quercus spp.	May		feral
Oak	Quercus robur, Quercus pedunculata	May	light olive	feral		minor
Black Locust	Robinia pseudoacacia	May - Jun		feral
Blackberry	Rubus spp.	May - Jun	light grey	feral and cultivated		excellant
Raspberry	Rubus idaeus	May - Jun		feral and cultivated		good
Willow	Salix spp.	Feb - Apr	lemon	feral		good
White Willow	Salix alba			feral		good
Goat Willow	Salix caprea	Mar - Apr		feral		very good
Violet Willow	Salix daphnoides	Mar - Apr		feral		very good
Pussy Willow	Salix discolor	Mar - Apr		feral and ornamental
Basket Willow	Salix purpurea	Mar - Apr		feral		very good
Silky leaf osier, Smith's Willow	Salix x smithiana	Apr - May				very good
American mountain ash	Sorbus americana	May-Jun		feral
American Elm	Ulmus americana	Feb - Apr	light grey	feral
Winged Elm	Ulmus alata	Feb - Mar	pale yellow	feral		good
Europea field elm	Ulmus americana			feral		good

This pollen chart was originally by www.beesource.com
and 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollen_source