JUNE 26,
2019
Bees are
valuable to humans not only because they produce honey, but also because they
pollinate wildflowers and food crops. They exclusively eat nectar and pollen.
So in areas where intensive agriculture is practised, they suffer from the thin
supply of flowers in May and June, when cultivated oilseed rape (colza) and
sunflower are not in bloom. During that period, pollen collection, honey
production and colony growth slow.
An
article published in the Journal of Applied Ecology shows that organic farming can
limit this decline. Land on which organic crops are grown offers
domesticated beesmore
resources, especially spontaneous vegetation (unjustly dubbed
"weeds"). After examining data spanning six years for 180 hives in
west central France, the researchers found that—compared with bee colonies in
areas farmed conventionally—colonies living amid organic farm fields boast 37
percent more brood, 20 percent more adult bees, and 53 percent greater honey
production.
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