GOTO ISLANDS
ALL PHOTOS
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FUJIO HISHAHI
RESTORATION OF APIS CERANA JAPONICA ON THE GOTO ISLANDS Fujio Hishahi, Nagasaki, Japan The Goto Islands are Japanese islands in the East China Sea. When visited Fukue Island, one of the Goto Islands, during the oilseed rape blooming season four years ago, looked for Apis cerana japonica on visited the other Goto Islands several the flowers, but found none. |
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Fukue tsland where Apis cerana japonica became extinct 60 years ago
times, in golden rod blooming seasons between 2004 and 2007, and discovered that three of the other islands also had no found no bees. Apis cerana japonica, and only Tsushima and Hirado had bees. wanted to know whether the bees had never inhabited the islands or if they had become extinct. If they were extinct, wanted to know the |
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cause and how plants could bear fruit without these major pollinators. interviewed elderly people met for information about the bees. looked for beekeepers and evidence of the bees’ previous presence, and became certain that Apis cerana japonica had been indigenous. The bees disappeared from three of the islands 60 years ago and from the fourth island about 15 years ago. concluded that there was common |
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cause for the disappearance of these bees - deforestation of the indigenous trees on the islands.
Cause and effect
mountainous islands. A few trees were left uncut on cliffs along the seacoasts because the woods there were believed to attract fish. However over time the remaining trees were also cut down for fuel for cooking, making charcoal and drying tobacco leaves. Young trees grew from the stumps but it took the trees about ten years to begin bloomir again. So there must have been a period when there were no flowers. Thus, people deprived the bees of their food and the bees starved to death and became extinct about 60 years ago.
Poor harvest Farmers say that they do not grow many kinds of crops on the islands, such as pumpkins, cucumbers, melons and watermelons, because they cannot expect a good harvest. Instead root crops, mainly sweet potatoes, are grown. Very few of the islanders noticed the absence of the pollinator, Apis cerana japonica. Bumble bees, butterflies, beetles and birds sparsely pollinate the islands.
During and after the Second World War (1939-1945), many people were evacuated from air raided cities to the islands, and the islands
opened the land to farming to provide much needed food.
But now the indigenous trees, evergreen, shiny leafed trees have grown again in the islands: people made windbreaks for their crops by raising the trees, and once more they could provide forage for bees.
Some islands are flat while others are mountainous. On the flat islands, almost all the trees were cut down, while some were left on the
Indigenous nectar sources in southern Japan
quickly became over-crowded. The new inhabitants cut down trees and
Fufio Hisashi is a retired teacher who has been keeping Apis cerana japonica in Nagasaki Prefecture. Japan for 20 years. He has 100 colonies at 30 aprary sites.
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Plant
Japanese name
Camellia sasanqua
Sazanka
Castanea crenata
Japanese chestnut
Castanopsis sieboldii
suda jit
llex integra
mochi noki
Ligustrum japonicum
nezumimochi
Pasania edulis
mateba shit
Phus javanica
Nurude
Prunus jamasakura
Japanese wild cherry
Viburnum awabuki
Sangoju
Oilseed rape, an abundant nectar source
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