Page 17 - Bumblebee Conservation Trust Member Magazine Spring 2020

Position insight: Honeybees Q&A Q3. What are the recommendations? The position statement is
available on our website at www.
The main recommendation is to take
a precautionary approach to how bumblebeeconservation.org/
we do beekeeping so that we do not our-position-statements. A more
accidentally end up causing problems detailed fully-referenced
for our wild pollinator communities. Five document is available on
specific recommendations are made request.
in the statement which outline how the
precautionary principle can be applied in
practice:
1) Planting for pollinators, especially in
Photo: Honeybee (Apis mellifera), the vicinity of honeybee hives, should
by Dave Clark
consist of a range of flowers of different
flower structures. Including both deep

With Darryl Cox, Senior Science & Policy Officer and shallow flowers provides for a range
of pollinator species and reduces the
risk of any single species outcompeting
The Trust has recently published taken by beekeepers, conservationists, others.
a position statement on managed and anyone else with an interest in
honeybees prompted by concerns that, helping bumblebees, to lessen any 2) A precautionary approach should be
under certain circumstances, managed potential negative impacts of managed taken to positioning hives in areas where
honeybees can have detrimental honeybees. rare wild bees are present or where
impacts on wild pollinator species, Q2. Is all beekeeping bad for wild they may be suspected to occur. Where
including bumblebees. Darryl provides bees? possible hives should not be placed Extensive Bee Book Collection for
the background to why the Trust has to take advantage of floral resources sale (Estate clear-out)
published the position statement now. No. The message is not that beekeeping created or managed specifically for wild Antiquarian to modern, rare to
is bad, and it’s definitely not something pollinators, such as nature reserves. commonplace
Q1. What prompted the Trust to we want to avoid or prevent. Our aim 3) Honeybee health care among
produce the position statement? with this statement is to help inform beekeepers should be well-established
people of best practice, and encourage
There is an increasing body of research responsible beekeeping and well- and ‘healthy bee’ guidelines such as
which shows that, in some situations, thought-out hive placement. Keeping those advocated by the National Bee
beekeeping can have negative honeybees is important economically Unit should be followed.
consequences for bumblebees (and for honey and wax production, and 4) Further research should be
potentially other pollinators) by increasing for pollination of some crops and wild encouraged to investigate the effects of
competition for food and by passing on plants, as well as being firmly embedded managed honeybees on wild bees and
diseases. These negative consequences in our culture. Several of the Trust’s staff the best ways to identify and mitigate
are most marked in areas where there and supporters are beekeepers, and are any detrimental impacts.
are fewer flowers or higher densities of also some of the biggest advocates for
honeybee hives, and could potentially wild bee conservation. The important 5) Awareness should be raised that
be serious where vulnerable populations bit is finding the middle ground that establishing and supporting populations
of wild bees are present. This statement balances wild bee conservation and of managed honeybees is not the best Offers.
aims to mobilise that research into action beekeeping, and making sure that rare way to help conserve wild pollinators,
and highlights important steps that can be and may in some circumstances be email: bob@robertdawson.co.uk
wild bees aren’t inadvertently harmed. detrimental to wild pollinator species for full details
such as bumblebees.
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