Gardening: Bees linked to our survival on earth
By Meg Liptrot
5:00 AM Monday Aug 27, 2012
Honeybees' hard labour is linked to humanity's very survival, writes Meg Liptrot.
Attracting bees to your garden will ensure pollinated crops and fertilised grounds. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The
humble honeybee is taken for granted as a regular fixture in the
garden. But imagine a world where we had to factor in human labour to
pollinate our fruit trees. Fancy getting up each morning armed with a
fine paintbrush and dabbing at blossoms all day? That's only one of many
horticultural industries that rely on "free-bee" labour. Bees are
essential as pollinators in gardens and orchards. And in pastures they
pollinate clover, which is essential to the health of pastoral
agriculture.
Bee
populations have been hit hard by the varroa mite, which was discovered
in Northland in 2000, and reached the South Island in 2006. Feral bee
colonies have been decimated. Fortunately, beekeepers are on alert and
are monitoring and treating beehives to keep them healthy. Hobbyist
beekeepers who aren't regularly checking their hives can be caught out,
and need to be on the national register to ensure their hives are
properly monitored and maintained.
Three of our native bees have a social structure (like the introduced honeybee and bumblebee) but the rest are solitary.
The honeybee (Apis mellifera)
was introduced from England for horticultural crop pollination, the
first documented introduction being in the Hokianga in 1839
Bee
droppings also feature in the health of the garden and contribute to
the fertility of our soils, again a free-bee service. If you have a
beehive in your garden then you are receiving an average of 45kg of bee
droppings a year in a 25m radius around the hive. Bee manure is rich in
nitrogen and provides natural fertiliser for your crops. Beehives can be
designed into a system in a grid-like pattern to promote soil fertility
in orchards and other horticultural crops.
There
is clear evidence now of the steady decline of bee populations
throughout the world. Human survival and the survival of bees are
linked, and without the tireless work of bees our situation would be
dire. The worldwide plight of bees has been a feature of films and
documentaries urging action to halt their decline. In the United States,
they are facing colony collapse disorder, with multiple causes
identified, including the use of neonicatinoid pesticides. This chemical
comes under many brand names, is chemically similar to nicotine, and is
banned in some countries.
There
are plenty of ways we can contribute in our own backyards to keep our
bees happy and healthy. Planting bee-friendly gardens is a start.
Avoiding pesticide use and aiming for an organic garden is another key
to maintain and improve bee populations. Backyard fruit production has
also been in decline because there are fewer bees. Fortunately urban
beekeeping is becoming more popular. I'm lucky to have a couple of
locals who supply our farmer's market in Grey Lynn with a central
Auckland brand of honey from the flowers growing in the surrounding
neighbourhood. It's one of the nicest I've tasted.
The
flavour of honey is strongly influenced by the flowers the bees have
sipped, such as the delicate clear borage honey, or an almost
overpowering thyme honey harvested from Central Otago. In the north,
Great Barrier Island was a commercial export honey producer in the old
days, and my favourite manuka honey is produced there. Next time you're
at a farmer's market, take the time to sample the honey, and give a vote
of thanks to our industrious four-winged friends.
BEES' KNEES
In flower gardens: Sow a bee-specific wild'flower mix. (Shop at wildforage.co.nzand the proceeds go to the National Beekeepers Association.)
In vege gardens: Plant
purple flowering plants such as globe artichoke and chives. Locate
plants such as alyssum, cleome and phacelia near veges.
In herb gardens: Try blue and purple flowering plants such as lavender, rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage and mints.
In orchards: Plant deciduous fruit trees. Herbal ley species such as borage, phacelia and comfrey attract bees throughout summer.
In food forests: Grow tagasaste (tree lucerne), which flowers in late winter.
In lawns and pasture: Sow clover. Grow a diverse pasture sward. Allow lawns to grow taller and dandelions and daisies to flower.
In native gardens: Plant manuka and kanuka, hebes, rata and pohutukawa.
By Meg Liptrot
Related Tags
Be part of the news. Send pics, video and tips to nzherald.
No comments:
Post a Comment
We love to get your feedback. Plese leave us a positive comment.
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.