Recent research has shown that it can take bees multiple generations to recover from insecticide exposure, even if that exposure is minimal. Whilst studies have shown the effects of pesticides on overall biodiversity and the harm they cause to species long term, until recently, there has been little research conducted into the lasting effects on the insect population. This new research in PNAS shows that the effects of pesticides on bee fertility are cumulative, so that even a single exposure in a bee's first year of life will affect its offspring production by up to 30%, and continued exposure will result in an overall decrease in bee population by up to 71%.
Given the looming threat of climate change, it is crucial that we protect our bee population. Bees are crucial in pollinating, in helping plants grow and breed, and producing food. However, due to the increase in pesticides, the rise of global temperatures, and the continued destruction of ecosystems across the globe, the bee population is in decline. 1/3 of bee species in Britain are endangered and this is placing our food systems under threat. The value of bee and other insect pollination to the UK economy is at nearly £700 million per year, and so any impact on the pollinators could have a huge financial impact on the economy. Although reading information about the climate crisis can often be overwhelming, there are practical solutions that businesses and industries can take to help improve biodiversity and save our bee population.
At Bee Conservation, we offer services where your business can rent a bespoke bee hive for your office, helping to sustain a local bee population and support your business by meeting sustainability targets. We also offer biome and pollen testing services to help monitor the air quality of the area surrounding your hive and can idenfity the presence of harmful chemicals that may affect the bee population and the health of your workers. This type of bioscience is brand new and cannot be matched with any other testing company in the UK, making our services leading in enviornmental health analysis. To protect the health of the environment and help your business in a rapidly changing world, rent one of our bee hives today!
