[Pollinator] Conserving honey bees does not help wildlife

Fri Feb 23 07:14:03 PST 2018

Thanks for all the replies, these are exactly the points of view that I am curious about.  On my comment about the wildflower strips, I don't have any data to back that up, but just a general idea that unless it will benefit them directly most farmers would not decrease the amount of land in production.  If you had to explain it was for native pollinators and not the honeybees they rent to pollinate their crops, I am doubtful that it would have happened. The same with decreasing chemicals.  I know it's not the only measure that needs to be taken to help pollinators, but it's a step in the right direction and will help all creatures in that area as a result. Much more needs to be done, but you need to start somewhere.  And if you can start that conversation with something they are familiar with and care about, you will get farther in your goals.

I am a member of our local beekeeping club, and give a couple of beginning beekeeping classes at our community center.  I started giving these, even though I'm not an expert (backyard beekeeper), because I want everyone to know how difficult it is to keep bees today and all of the work that must go into keeping healthy bees. I also stress that keeping a hive is not any way to help the bees, and planting native forage is what you should do if all you want is to "help bees".  In this age of youtube education, many people will just start a hive with no instruction and have no idea what they are getting into.  They are also reluctant to take constructive criticism once they've convinced themselves they can learn on their own.  So, we try to catch them early, before buying any equipment and explain all of the disease monitoring that goes into it.

I also host a pollinator plant sale "Blooms for bees" to encourage the planting of native plants in yards and gardens. Our message there is to support all pollinators.

I wonder how to change the messaging then, or if it needs to be changed.  It seems a hard thing to go back now and say forget what was said about honeybees, worry about native bees.  I've been thinking a lot about the almond crop lately, and think maybe the message about the horrible herd management of honeybees there would do more for all pollinators.  Maybe if everyone would chill out on buying almond everything, we wouldn't ship 75% of commercial hives there to share their diseases/pests.

Thanks again for all the feedback.  I think these conversations between the scientific community, beekeeping community, and the public need to continue.  I'm open to more comments, and welcome anything you would like the beekeeping world to know.  I am often the one piping up at our meetings about tough topics, so give me your suggestions:)

Maraiah
________________________________
From: Shannon Westlake [smw750 at msstate.edu]
Sent: Wednesday, February 21, 2018 10:59 AM
To: Maraiah Russell
Cc: David Inouye; pollinator at coevolution.org
Subject: Re: [Pollinator] Conserving honey bees does not help wildlife

You make a great point, Maraiah; I do not think this is an "either / or" situation, but an "and."  Helping honeybees with their plights will be beneficial to minimize risk of disease spread to native pollinators, but that is not the only issue when these two mix.  I am sure we are all familiar with the issues presented by competition from nonnative species, which has been the growing concern in recent articles.  This is why, more than ever, it is important to make sure the public is aware of the differences between and importance of both honeybees and native pollinators.

The issue I have seen firsthand is farmers thinking they are benefiting all pollinators and doing all they can by simply not spraying near honeybee nest boxes.  Although a flagship species can be extremely beneficial to raise awareness and support, continued education surrounding the additional species affected (in this case, native pollinators) is essential to properly inform landowners to promote the most beneficial conservation practices.  For future food security, biodiversity, and environmental amelioration, we need to move forward with the "and" in mind; improving honeybee health and also providing the necessary attention and support for our native pollinators.

On Wed, Feb 21, 2018 at 8:10 AM, Maraiah Russell <maraiah.russell at kidszoo.org<mailto:maraiah.russell at kidszoo.org>> wrote:
So, to stir the pot a bit, wouldn't healthier honeybees be good as they wouldn't spread disease to wild bees?  And the efforts being put forth by farmers to include wildflower strips on their land, that wouldn't have happened without the threat to honeybees, but should also benefit wild bees/pollinators.  I just think that we can't possibly help one pollinator species without helping all.  I understand the messaging to the public is wrong, but what the public really cares about is access to the variety of food they want.  Monocrops aren't going to disappear anytime soon, and honeybees are needed to maintain those.  It's not an idea situation, but if we take measures to support honeybees I think it will only support native pollinators as well.  I'd love to hear discussion...

Maraiah Russell
________________________________________
From: Pollinator [pollinator-bounces+maraiah.russell=kidszoo.org at lists.sonic.net<mailto:kidszoo.org at lists.sonic.net>] on behalf of David Inouye [dwinouye at gmail.com<mailto:dwinouye at gmail.com>]
Sent: Saturday, February 17, 2018 12:04 AM
To: pollinator at coevolution.org<mailto:pollinator at coevolution.org>
Subject: [Pollinator] Conserving honey bees does not help wildlife

I can send a PDF if you want one.

Geldmann, J. and J. P. González-Varo (2018). "Conserving honey bees does
not help wildlife." Science 359(6374): 392-393.

David

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Dr. David W. Inouye
Professor Emeritus
Department of Biology
University of Maryland

Principal Investigator
Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory

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_________________________
Shannon M. Westlake
Graduate Research Assistant, Lab Coordinator
Human Dimensions Laboratory
Wildlife, Fisheries & Aquaculture
Mississippi State University
smw750 at msstate.edu<mailto:smw750 at msstate.edu>
"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." -Eleanor Roosevelt
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