Are the bee deaths that I have been reading about for the past year something to be concerned about?
The large scale death of bees being reported across North America is certainly a concern. Albert Einstein once famously predicted that if all the bees in the world were to die then humans would face extinction within four years. That statement may or may not be true, but it does underscore the vital role that bees play in pollination and, by extension, life on this planet.
No one knows definitively what causes Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and until the cause is nailed down, the long-term effects can only be guessed at. It may be helpful to know that this isn't the first time that mass bee deaths have been reported. When I worked for a horticulture newspaper way back in the early '90s, devastating colony losses were occurring across the continent. Those losses turned out to be due to Varroa and Tracheal mites and although it seemed at the time as though the bees were goners, they're still buzzing around in large numbers.
The big question for you as a gardener is, are you noticing pollination problems in your own garden? Pollination problems most commonly show up as plants either not forming fruit at all or, if they do form fruit, it's misshapen. I'm not seeing a whole lot of evidence of those problems in my garden and I am seeing lots of different species of bees, so all seems well, at least for now.
You may want to keep in mind that although bees are major pollinators, they're not the only ones. The folks at Pollination Canada (http://www.pollinationcanada.ca) estimate there are more than 1,000 species of pollinating insects in Canada alone, including wasps, flies, butterflies, moths and beetles. Bees may be at the top of the pollinating chart, but nature has made sure they're not the only ones on it.
If you want to ensure that your garden continues to attract its fair share of bees, avoid the use of biocides, including insecticides and fungicides, many of which are harmful to bees. Even some natural biocides, such as Pyrethrin, can harm bees, so if you feel compelled to spray, make sure you know the possible consequences of doing so. It's also a good idea to learn to love weeds, many of which attract pollinators in numbers that your favourite garden plants can only envy.
If you have any questions or comments, please send them to me at vanessa@gardenmuse.ca.
Originally published in the Creston Valley Advance on July 31, 2008.
