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Many of us love the benefits of honey, but did you know that all beekeepers do not like their bees?
I recently purchased local (unpasteurized) honey from Weigh to Go Bulk Foods in Vancouver.
While he was calling my articles, I told the shopkeeper that I had learned from a beekeeper at the farmers' market how extremely stressful it was for commercialized bees to be transported from farm to farm, rented for them. pollinator power. He has not only accepted vehemently, but also shared, that there are beekeepers who completely deplete their hives of their hard-earned honey, and then receive a high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in order to survive the harsh winter season.
I was horrified.
Responsible for most commercial crop pollination in North America, the non-native western honeybee is a generalist who pollinates all crops and returns to their hives with high yields. For decades, commercial beekeepers have seen their hives travel many kilometers to provide this service. (Our native drones, however, are effective pollinators themselves.)
As you may have heard, colony collapse syndrome is a very real threat. Bees do not enter hives once released – they just disappear. The causes can be multiple; In addition to the widespread use of highly toxic neonic pesticides, fungal infections, parasites, bacterial or viral infections may also play a role because of the commercialized treatment of honey bees.
To have a chance to spend the winter, bees need honey – a lot of honey – according to perfectbee.com. The amount of honey required varies considerably, from 50 to 150 lbs, depending on the severity of the winter. Since the 1970s, however, beekeepers have added high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) to their colonies as a cheap food substitute in exchange for the loss of nutritious honey for their hives. (Similar to how we prevent our dairy cows from feeding their offspring.)
The literature now indicates that HFCS weakens bee defenses. Tragically, bees need all possible help to survive our modern attack of neonic pesticides and toxic air pollutants.
Their fuzzy legs literally act like mops. Thus, when bees collect the nectar from the flowers, they also collect pollen and a substance called propolis, used to make their waxy honeycomb nests. Pollen and propolis contain three compounds that entomologists from the University of Illinois have discovered can help bees to detoxify their cells and protect themselves from pesticides and pests.
Researchers have shown that HFCS-fed bees fail to activate their immune genes (anti-infection), nor the enzymes needed to break down pesticides compared to bees allowed to feed on their own honey. In addition, the bee bread given to baby bees is unique. Any substitute can affect the development of bees.
Bees are also likely to be forced to pollinate a large number of identical plants (monoculture crops) instead of being able to pollinate many different plants, as they would in a natural environment.
Melissa Chaun from Port Moody is an ecologist passionate about sustainable development. She is an event coordinator with the Rivershed Society of BC and a volunteer on various city committees. His column is monthly.
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Here's what you can do
Previously, I had written to encourage those who love gardening to incorporate pollinator-friendly native plants into their planting palette to help these vital insects gain access to a wider variety of nectar and planting resources. pollen over several months of the growing season. Not surprisingly, we can do more, including:
• Support ethical beekeeping. Find out which products are looking for their bees – which allow their bees to winter naturally with their own honey, in addition to ensuring that hives are not harvested before their first year of development. It's time for us to share more honey with the bees that make it.
• Making "Made in Canada" products on grocery store shelves. Many labels may contain only a drop of Canadian honey (consisting mostly of cheaper foreign products). Know your beekeeper, shop locally (for example, a farmers market) and do your homework. Ask specific questions.
• Support native wild pollinators. Provides habitat to the native mason bee and some of our 46 species of bumblebees from North America. See www.bumblebee.org/nestbox_plans.
• Sign this petition: davidsuzuki.org/action/canada-must-ban-neonics-now.
• Let others know. Unless we ask sound questions and share important information, unethical apiculture will continue. With climate change – more intense storms, unpredictable droughts and smoky summers – combined with the very real threat of colony collapse disorder, our bees need our active support more than ever.
© Copyright 2018 Tri-City News
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