In this Issue

Wild bees and trees

Recently social media has strengthened debate between beekeepers and people who care for ‘wild bees’. However as Paolo Fontana mentions in his article (opposite), this is a false narrative – honey bees are wild bees, and more bee species beyond honey bees are being exploited, and deserve our greater care too.

There are still places on earth where trees and people live together in harmony and one of these is north west Zambia – on pages 10-13 Janet Lowore considers the (poorly understood by outsiders) sustainable use of the bark of trees in miombo woodland to make bee hives. For natural ecosystems to survive and thrive, the local community needs to be at the heart of protection efforts, and the beekeepers in this region are guardians of honey bees and of the forest too.

Healthy ecosystems contain ancient areas with complex natural architecture. Honey bees need giant trees with big cavities to safely insulate and accommodate a honey bee colony throughout the years. Every ancient tree is hugely precious, a keystone species containing hundreds of other species across many genera - living in it and dependent on it. An ancient tree and the life it supports are not replaced by planting hundreds of saplings – except over centuries.

This lack of suitable nesting places for honey bee colonies is highlighted by our work with the BfD Bee Houses, and on page 18 we review Jonathan Powell’s new book in which he describes his invention during lockdown of making a nesting box for honey bees from a couple of wooden pallets, and noticing how very rapidly such a bee house is occupied during the swarming season - indication perhaps of the dearth of good nesting places for honey bees. Studies on the genetics of honey bee populations in the south and western states of USA show that it is wild colonies which maintain the high genetic diversity needed for bees to survive and thrive. And it’s not just bees that need tree cavities, so do birds and mammals, and many other species that depend on the safe refuge offered by holes in trees. Ancient trees cannot be replaced or replanted except for future generations far ahead. By then the earth might be healing itself from what we have done to it.

Nicola Bradbear, Director Bees for Development

Bees for Development

1 Agincourt Street, Monmouth NP25 3DZ, UK Tel: +44 (0)1600 714848 info@beesfordevelopment.org www.beesfordevelopment.org