The decline in bees has been an issue existing as far back as I remember. The insect that dies when it stings and buzzes in curiosity. But what many do not recognise is that this buzzy creature plays a crucial part in our food chain. The simple equation is that bees pollinate the majority of the plants ourselves and every other animal consumes on earth. So without bees, the world could potentially lack the substance to feed our population of 7.9 billion as well as the estimated 8.7 million animal species.
Australia’s wildfire season has had a significant impact on the bees population survival. The added impact of climate change has made conditions worsen in recent years. Fires spread over 2019 and 2020 consequently destroyed 300,000 hectares of land used by Australian beekeepers, meaning a noticeable reduction in the amount of honey produced.
There are currently 20,000 species of bee globally with 28 of these residing in New Zealand.
So what can us Kiwis do to help?
Whether you own a farm, are part of a community garden, or have a garden at home, there are many things you can implement in your planting regime to aid the survival of bees.
The Ministry of Primary industries has released a free guidebook on how to take care of your land in order to accommodate species of bees. Despite being aimed at farmers, the basics of this handbook can be adapted to your own version of a garden. It explains that you do not have to have a piece of land kept aside for bees specifically but you can adapt the land you already have to improve the environment for bees to forage.
Here are three easy things we can do:
1. Bee-friendly planting
Some common everyday plants and herbs that feed us also improve a bee's environment to forage. So consider housing some of these plants in your garden:
Lavender
It is a natural repellent! Some insects do not like the smell of lavender, so say goodbye to spiders and mosquitos. As well as a repellent it attracts favourable insects like butterflies.
Sunflowers
What a ray of sunshine this plant is! This stand-out plant can reach up to 4 meters in height. Not a fan of weeds in your garden? The sunflower warns off unwanted weeds as their seeds hold the chemical ‘Allelopathy’ which is a natural weed killer.
Marigold
An easy plant to house in your garden! It grows in a variety of conditions and flourishes in sunlight. The Marigold is a perfect addition to your veggie garden. It warns off pests that cause havoc to loved tomato plants, repelling worms and slugs.
2. Say goodbye to harmful pesticides.
All through pest repellent sprays are good for getting rid of unwanted guests in your garden, they become harmful to those who aid the growth of your garden. So consider using a chemical-free pesticide, something that is more organic.
These may include:
Garlic or onion based spray: this aids the removal of mites and aphid bugs
Soap-based spray: simply spraying lightly condensed soapy water on pest heavy areas will remove unwanted bugs.
‘Your Natural insect control’ (Countdown)
Using essential oils, this plant-based spray repels insects from both indoor and outdoor plants.
‘Yates Nature's Way Veg & Herb Spray Concentrate’ (Kings Plant Barn)
A vegetable and herb-based spray that combats unwanted pests while being biodegradable, leaving no residue.
‘Native Neem Organic Neem Insecticide’ (The Warehouse)
Using natural neem oil, this pesticide repels a variety of unwanted pests as well as being great for indoor and outdoor plants.
3. Research and support
There are so many ways we can help collectively to save the bee population.
The most basic and obvious way we can help is by doing our research. Educating ourselves adds to the efforts of bee survival and makes us more aware of the extent that bees contribute to our survival. We can also aid bee research so we are able to understand more about different species of bee and how they are existing.
We can do this by donating to bee research groups and organizations.
Here are some helpful websites: For the Love of bees & Save the bees
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