With one-third of the world’s food production depending on bees, the insects are vitally important.
We all know that pollination is a necessary process to help crops grow, but did you know that bees pollinate 75 per cent of all leading global crops?
In light of how important bees are, World Bee Day is celebrated globally in the month of May.
In line with this celebration, a Beekeepers’ Day Out was hosted for South Island apiarists - the fancy and correct title for a beekeeper.
The goal of World Bee Day is to acknowledge the role bees and other pollinators have on our ecosystem. Bees are under threat worldwide, they are vital for plant life and if we end up with less bees it would mean far fewer apples, pears, soft fruits, beans, tomatoes and more.
New Zealand has 10,165 registered beekeepers with a total of 718,214 hives spread across the country.
Nick Milne has been a beekeeper for the past 25 years and, although based in Wakefield, the bees he cares for are in many locations throughout Tasman and Nelson.
“I enjoyed attending the Beekeepers’ Day out which was part of World Bee Day and held at Lincoln University. The day is helpful to get insights of what is happening in the industry as well as get information around supporting bee health,” Nick says.
“There was a good turn out with around one hundred South Island beekeepers attending.”
The beekeepers heard from speakers on a range of topics including honeybee health, honey market updates, sustainability in beekeeping and beekeeper health.
A well-received talk was given from New Zealand Trees for Bees research trust, who are a not-for-profit organisation with a mission to solve problems of malnutrition and starvation in bees for agricultural and horticultural production in New Zealand.
“Trees and Bees were one of the organisations that presented, their focus was on the importance of everyone planting a range of bee-friendly plants and in particular planting flowers that bloom at different times of the year, so bees have a constant source of nectar and pollen especially through autumn and winter,” Nick explains.
At this time of year locals can help bee populations by planting plants such as lavender, salvia, rosemary and oregano, and shrubs such as michelia yunnanensis and the native koromiko. Those with larger properties might like to consider planting yellow gum trees, lacebark or puriri.
Trees and Bees also highlighted the care needed around pesticides.
“Using pesticides should be done in a way that can keep local pollinators safe, such as spraying after sunset, in calm and dry conditions and away from budding flowers,” Nick adds.
Before spraying large areas with insecticides, landowners are urged to get in touch with owners of any beehives in the area and inform contractors of the locations of nearby beehives. Bees commonly forage within a five-kilometre radius of their hive and may go further if food sources are scarce.
Here in New Zealand bees supply an export honey industry worth more than $348 million, but they are not just producers of honey.
Bees are responsible for pollinating tree and crop farms, dairy farms and some forestry. They also play a part in animal meat production. They have a major effect on our ecosystem, therefore their health and survival have far-reaching impacts on the local economy and environment.
Episode 08 - NZ Exclusive: Justin Gold on The Nelson Pod
The easiest ways to help bees is to plant bee-friendly gardens, use sprays and pesticides in a bee-safe way and provide fresh, pesticide-free drinking water – fill a small dish and place small rocks or twigs in the water for the bees to rest on.
