The Importance of Bees

Be Kind to Bees

Bees are one of the hardest working creatures on the planet and it might surprise you that a significant amount of our food is provided by bees one way or another.

Bees pollinate 70 types of crops, produce 6000 tones of honey per year and contribute an estimated £400m to the economy. A single colony of bees contains around 50,000 bees, produces 14kg of honey and can pollinate 4000 square meters of fruit trees, thats a lot of work for these industrious little creatures.

Honey bees are a vital part of the ecosystem.One third of our food production is dependent on pollination. Pollination is the process in flowering plant reproduction involving the transfer of pollen grains from the anther (male) to the stigma (female) of the same or another plant of the same species. This transfer of pollen can be done by the wind, birds, bats, mammals and of course insects, one of the most important of these is the honey bee.

All sorts of fruit and vegetables such as rapeseed, broccoli, apples and raspberries are all pollinated by honey bees. Pollination is not just important for the food we eat. it is also important for crops such as field beans and clover used to feed the livestock.

Honey bees are disappearing at an alarming rate. there are several reasons for this, pesticides, parasites, disease and habitat loss all contribute to the decline in their numbers. If these little insects that contribute so much of the food we eat vanish, what will we do?

Please be kind to our busy little friends.

If you want further information on bees or are interested in becoming a beekeeper you can find more information at www.bbka.org.uk.