Garden

[feline groovy]

Why you should cull foreign flowers from your garden: Exotic plants play havoc with bees' stomachs while native foods offer a healthier choice

• Fermented pollen is used as source of protein and other nutrients by the insects
• Bees rely on bacteria to chemically 'bake' their bread to preserve it for longer
• This affects the makeup of the gut flora found in the digestive systems of bees
• Scientists recommend gardeners plant species indigenous to their country 

06:11 EDT, 16 April 2018

Dining on foreign food can be one of life's great pleasures, but not it seems for honey bees. 

Experts found that, while exotic species of plants may offer a tempting meal, native species present a healthier choice for a honey bee's digestion.

That's because of bacteria found on flowering vegetation, which can cause an upset in the guts of the creatures.

Experts recommend that gardeners who want to help prevent the global decline in honeybee colonies plant species indigenous to their country.

Researchers from Lancaster University studied bacteria found on 'bee bread', fermented pollen used as a food source by the insects, in 29 honeybee hives across northwest England.

Bees rely on bacteria to chemically 'bake' their bread, preserving it in a similar fashion to cheese or yogurt. 

This bacteria affects the bacterial flora found in the guts of the bees.

Scientists found that In Britain, where the study was conducted, bees feeding in natural environments - like woodlands with broadleaved trees and acidic grasslands with wild flowers - led to the healthiest hives.

Based on this, they recommend growing heathers, thistles and cherry trees to promote bee welfare. 

Speaking to The Times, lead researcher Philip Donkersley said: 'A lot of plant species we grow in our gardens were brought in from South America and Asia.

WHAT IS THE HONEYBEE CRISIS?

Honeybees, both domestic and wild, are responsible for around 80 per cent of worldwide pollination, according to Greenpeace.

But bee colony collapses across the globe are threatening their vital work.

Bees are dying from a combination of pesticides, habitat destruction, drought, nutrition deficit, global warming and air pollution among other factors.

Greenpeace has reported: 'The bottom line is that we know humans are largely responsible for the two most prominent causes: Pesticides and habitat loss.'

This is important for a number of reasons, chief among them the amount of work bees put into our food production.

Vegetables, nuts and fruits are pollinated by bees. Of the top human food crops, a whopping 70 of 100 are pollinated by the creatures, which account for as much as 90 per cent of global nutrition.

Greenpeace has suggested the following solutions to the problem:

• The preservation of wild habitats in order to protect pollinator health
• The restoration of ecological agriculture
• The elimination of the world's most dangerous pesticides 

'This gives the bees this bizarre, weird gut microbiome that we don't normally see in bees in their natural environment.

'In humans, when you get gut bacteria disturbed, it makes room for pathogens to enter. We think the same may be true in bees.'  

Honeybees, both domestic and wild, are responsible for around 80 per cent of worldwide pollination, according to Greenpeace.

But bee colony collapses across the globe are threatening their vital work.

Bees are dying from a combination of pesticides, habitat destruction, drought, nutrition deficit, global warming and air pollution among other factors.

In a Greenpeace report, a spokesman said: 'The bottom line is that we know humans are largely responsible for the two most prominent causes: Pesticides and habitat loss.'

This is important for a number of reasons, chief among them the amount of work bees put into our food production.

Vegetables, nuts and fruits are pollinated by bees. Of the top human food crops, a whopping 70 of 100 are pollinated by the creatures, which account for as much as 90 per cent of global nutrition.

Greenpeace has suggested the following solutions to the problem: the preservation of wild habitats in order to protect pollinator health; the restoration of ecological agriculture and the elimination of the world's most dangerous pesticides 

The full findings of the study will be published in an upcoming edition of the journal Ecology and Evolution. 

[GingerPeach]

Thank you for sharing this recent story, @feline groovy

This is critical.

I tried to get this point across to my own community in advance of some major landscape changes but these facts were ignored in favor of convenience and, dare I say, willful ignorance.  (Sorry, I'm still bitter about it, and so sad for our pollinators.)

[jackthebear]

I used the phrases "invasive species" in conversation last week with someone regarding  planting around a house, they responded "what is that" 

People need educating on this topic 

[eddyandme]

Love bees!  I just bought a pair of Joules with bees on the boots 'cause they donate to bees otganization for every purchase.

[Carmie]

@feline groovy. That is a very good article and very educational.  Thanks for posting.

We, humans better wake up or we will find ourselves starving to death because of something that could easily be prevented.

[feline groovy]

---

@Carmie wrote:

@feline groovy. That is a very good article and very educational.  Thanks for posting.

We, humans better wake up or we will find ourselves starving to death because of something that could easily be prevented.

---

Thanks, @Carmie. 

And most of all, why cause the bees any suffering.

[hildyjohnson]

Thank you for sharing this @feline groovy.

[tototwo]

Thanks for posting this!   

I do what I can to attract pollinators to my yard.  However, I'm allergic to bee/wasp stings, so I plant native plants far away from my house, porches, doorways, etc.    I was happy to hear about Mason bees -- they don't sting humans plus they pollinate 100X times more than honey bees. Our local Master Gardeners give classes on Mason bees and sell Mason bee houses (I have 2!).  I don't believe Mason bees are in every part of the country - guess I need to do more research before I go posting here, huh?