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Bees and Biodiversity Entwined

Bees are guardians of biodiversity essential to our survival. These remarkable insects diligently pollinate flowers enabling plants to reproduce and produce the fruits and vegetables we rely upon for sustenance. But their importance extends far beyond that.

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Where do bees get their buzz

Many plants rely on insect pollination to survive, but what can they do to ensure they are visited as frequently as possible? Flowers have developed some ingenious ways to first attract the bees to their flowers and then to keep them coming back.

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Human impact on pollinators

Human activities are primarily responsible for the two most significant environmental changes - habitat fragmentation and loss which drive pollinator declines. These changes have led to nearly 1 in 10 wild bee species facing extinction in Europe.

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Honeybees and commercial crops

Commercial crop pollination is essential to the human food supply chain, and honeybees are brilliant at it. However, modern, unsustainable farming methods are seriously affecting bee health. Solutions are available; they just need to be implemented.

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Pollinators feed us

As populations rise, food production increases. As a result, agriculture's reliance on pollinator-dependent crops has increased. Studies show that production declines when bees decline. Therefore pollinator depletion is a critical issue that everyone needs to be aware of.

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Listening to Bees

The sounds bees make can tell us a lot about them. Audio data from hives is a valuable area of research, with each hive producing around 12 hours of sound every month. Read this fascinating article by Andy Welch to learn more.

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Talking to Plants

Thanks to the work of plant behaviour researchers, we are beginning to understand that plants are responsive and have active relationships with pollinators. Sabiha Malik talks to us about her special relationship with plants and why we should all be conversing with our foliage friends.

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Why you should hug a tree

Trees improve the diversity and density of pollinator populations and are vital to human survival. They clean the air and combat global warming, and their beauty makes us happy. Read more about why we can't live without trees and why hugging them is a great idea!

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Did bees invent bread?

Bees convert raw pollen into bee 'bread' or Perga, which is easier to digest and can also be stored for long periods without it going off. So, did humans copy the idea of baking bread from honeybees? Andy Welch seems to think they might. What do you think?

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Territorial bee wars

In this article, we learn more about the stingless 'Sugarbag Bee', native to Australia, who build tall spiral-shaped hives and, despite being stingless, defend their unique structures relentlessly!

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Can bees play soccer?

Well, that's not as crazy as it sounds! Bees can be trained to 'kick' a football, not the human-size version, but a mini bee-size one. Read this article to learn more about our clever soccer-loving friends.

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Could pollinator decline lead to worldwide famine?

While the current pollinator decline might not lead to famine, it could severely impact our diets, leaving us malnourished and more prone to serious health issues.

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Where do bees live?

Bees don't just live in hives they are found in every habitat that contains, or is near, flowering plants. Cavities in trees, marshes, shingle, sand dunes, soft cliffs heathlands, wetlands, chalk grasslands, quarries, gravel pits, sea walls, and even post-industrial land.

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Training Bees to detect Bombs

By rewarding certain behaviours, scientists can train bees to do some pretty incredible stuff. A bee’s sense of smell is at least 100x better than humans, which means they are very sensitive to the presence of certain chemicals found in bombs. In this article, Andy Welch, explains how bees could be better bomb detectors than sniffer dogs.

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Why care about bees and biodiversity?

Biodiversity is the variety of all living things on Earth. Many species of insects, animals and birds are vital for pollination. They all work together within ecosystems to create the web of life. Learn how bees and biodiversity provide us with a myriad of life-enhancing benefits.

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How do bees find flowers?

Bees fly at about 15mph, so how can they find flowers when flying so quickly?

Learn from Data Scientist Andy Welch how bees have evolved to take advantage of flowers, and flowers have evolved to take advantage of bees.

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Can bees forecast weather?

Throughout history, bees have been used as an indicator of weather. A better understanding of the relationships between weather and pollinators is also important to help predict how climate change might impact pollination and the food supply.

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Learning from Honeybees8

Important decision-making takes place in all walks of human life. In this article, Sabiha Malik, founder of The World Bee Project suggests that humans can learn one or two good things on this topic from honeybees.

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Can bees hear?

Although bees do not have ears, they are able to pick up sound, so, in a sense, they can ‘hear’ but not through the use of ears. Instead, they hear through their antennae and legs. Learn more this month about how bees respond to sounds.

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The World Bee Project supports, connects, and amplifies new technologies and scientific study to improve the health and wellbeing of bees and other pollinators. It uses Artificial Intelligence (AI), data analytics and the Internet of Things (IoT) to power the World Hive Network© to generate solutions to wider issues of biodiversity, climate change, food security and human wellbeing.

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