Organic farming and flower strips improve honey bee health
Organic farming and flower strips are extremely beneficial for honey bee health, helping colonies that live in their vicinity grow stronger and more resilient. This happens most likely because the honey bees have a continuous and diverse food supply there, while being less exposed to pesticides.
Farming styles impact honey bee health
To reach this conclusion, a team of scientists from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) and the University of Göttingen analyzed data from 32 bee colonies at 16 locations in Germany with various proportions of organic fields, flower strips and semi-natural habitats.
About half of Germany’s land is used for agriculture, according to the German Environment Agency (UBA). “The way that farmers cultivate their land has a major impact on nature. Intensively farmed fields, pesticides and monocultures pose a threat to many animal and plant species. This is particularly true for pollinators, which include honey bees,” said Robert Paxton, a bee researcher at MLU.
Mitigating the effects of intensive farming
Some important measures counteracting this trend include increasing the proportion of organic farming, planting more flower strips, and devising perennial semi-natural areas near crop fields.
“In theory, these measures all make sense. However, we know little about how each of these affect insects, especially honey bees,” Paxton said.
Organic farming and honey bee health
To clarify these issues, the scientists carried out research at 16 locations in Lower Saxony, Germany. Each of these locations were different in the proportion of organic fields, flower strips and perennial semi-natural habitats surrounding them.
The experts placed honey bee colonies at each of these sites and observed them for a year. They took into consideration colony growth and parasite infestation, paying special attention to the varroa mite, an extremely dangerous pest of honey bees that can transmit lethal viruses.
Then, they compared data regarding the colonies. “Organic farming had the greatest impact – the larger the proportion of these areas, the lower the parasite infestation of a colony. This improved colony growth,” explained lead author Patrycja Pluta from MLU.
Most likely, this occurred since organic farming uses fewer pesticides, employing alternative plant protection measures.
Flower strips and honey bee health
Flower strips appeared particularly advantageous to honey bees. For instance, the number of Varroa mites was found to be lower in areas with many flower strips. “This could be due to the fact that a diverse and rich food supply strengthens the honey bees’ immune system,” Pluta said.
However, perennial semi-natural habitats turned out to be disadvantageous for honey bees, since larger areas usually meant a greater infestation of varroa mites. In addition, unlike flower strips, such areas are not designed to offer abundant supplies of food for honey bees and other pollinators.
“Perennial semi-natural landscapes are an important tool for promoting biodiversity and they serve as a habitat for many animals. Honey bees, that are managed by humans, are the exception,” Paxton said.
This study, published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, is an important step forward in improving agricultural landscape management for bees and other pollinators.
Threats to the survival of honey bees
The research is particularly important, as honey bees face a combination of threats that create a challenging environment which makes it difficult for them to thrive and sustain the essential pollination services they provide to agriculture and natural ecosystems.
One of the most well-known threats is the widespread use of pesticides, particularly neonicotinoids, which can impair bees’ ability to navigate, forage, and reproduce. Exposure to these chemicals can weaken bees and make them more susceptible to diseases and parasites.
Speaking of parasites, the Varroa destructor mite is another significant threat to honeybees. This tiny parasite feeds on the blood of bees and can transmit deadly viruses, weakening the colony over time.
In addition to these direct threats, honeybees are also affected by habitat loss due to urbanization, agriculture, and climate change. The loss of wildflowers and other foraging resources reduces the availability of nectar and pollen, which bees need to survive.
Climate change further exacerbates these issues by altering flowering times and creating mismatches between when bees are active and when flowers are available. This can lead to poor nutrition for bees, which makes them less resilient to other stresses.
