Give Bees a Chance
There are serious problems with populations of Bumblebees and Honeybees. 3 species of Bumblebee are extinct and 9 more are threatened, while Honeybee populations have seen huge losses in some areas. Our understanding of solitary bees and their interaction with the social bees (Honeybees and Bumblebees) is limited. Bees play a vital role in our ecosystem, and their loss would be a huge threat to mankind – bees pollinate around three quarters of agricultural crops.
In partnership with the Isle of Wight Festival, Gift to Nature are working to improve understanding of the importance of bees and the threats to them, commission research to further our knowledge of bees and their habitats, and protect and enhance Bee habitats on the Isle of Wight.
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About the Bees
Honeybee threats
Honeybees are currently being affected by Colony Collapse Disorder, which threatens their very existence. Its cause is not fully understood. One possible cause is a virus which attacks a single bee which then returns to the hive and infects the entire colony killing all the other bees – though increasingly evidence suggests multiple factors may be to blame. Theories for CCD range from use of certain pesticides to increased mobile phone use! The biggest difficulty in finding the cause is that the bees are never found, and are thought to die far from the hive. Gift to Nature is contributing to National Bee research into the problem.
British Bumblebee Threats
Loss of hedgerows reduces bee habitat. Gift to Nature sponsors the annual Isle of Wight Hedgelaying competition which increases the length and quality of hedgerows around the Island and promotes the craft of hedgelaying.
Monoculture and intensive agriculture reduce availability of consistent food sources. Gift to Nature promotes planting of fruit trees and other nectar bearing plants such as Red Clover and Birdsfoot Trefoil – why not order one of our Beewicks to plant in your own garden? We also manage several sites to encourage wildflowers and trees which provide a vital food source for wild bees. In 2009 we planted a new meadow at Chilton Chine with the help of the Isle of Wight Festival and Isle of Wight Pearl.
Bee Research
Gift to Nature will be part-funding a major piece of research into habitat improvements and their impact on Solitary Bees and other key species on the south coast of the Isle of Wight. This will help us direct our conservation efforts, and better understand how to look after our bees. With social bees suffering large scale losses it is important that we understand more about solitary bees so we can protect them effectively, and here on the Isle of Wight we have significant areas of suitable habitat which needs to be managed correctly.
How to help
We are asking people to help in three ways:.
Plant a Beewick. These little strings are impregnated with Birdsfoot Trefoil, Self-heal and Red Clover seeds and will grow beautiful flowers which will provide a banquet for bees. You can get more information on what to do with your Beewick here
Give Some Gold. At the 2009 Isle of Wight Festival we asked visitors to help fill our hive with gold. We still need more help to meet our targets for this year’s Give Bees a Chance campaign.
Spread the Bee Buzz. Tell people about the importance of bee conservation, give someone some flower seeds or a beewick, follow us on Twitter or become a fan on facebook. Link to us from your website, phone your granny – whatever you can do to help spread the buzz and Give Bees a Chance.
Photo Credits: Bee Research image courtesy of Bramblejungle, Honeybee courtesy of Joanne Ellison-Brooks, all other images Island 2000 Trust
Great work on the bees, no bees means no food for us.