BEES

Paula BusquetsMinh-Laia Aparici

Júlia Boarini

The importance of bees• Bees are pollinators vital to our food

chain. One third of the food we eat would not be available but for bees.

• Bees, like other insects, are part of a food chain.

• The social life of the honey bee colony provides a controversial start to thinking about the structure of societies.

• The tools which have evolved on the limbs and mouthparts of bees are neat examples of adaptation and engineering.

• The harvest from honey bees of honey, pollen, wax and propolis has nutritional, craft, manufacturing, and medical applications.

• Pollination by bees is important for genetic sustainability. Genes that have evolved in other animals are important to our future, too.

Honey bees are in danger

• Whole colonies of honey bees are dying all over the world. This has disastrous consequences for our biodiversity and agriculture. Without honey bees 80% of the plants will disappear. Without specific plant species, butterflies will extinct and our fruits and vegetables will diminish. A distaster for nature but also for us people. The human health prognoses on the long term are worrying if the biodiversity shrinks.

Pesticides kill them

• Since the early '90s a new kind of pesticide entered the European market. The group of these pesticides are called neonicotinoids and phenylpyrazoles. This poison damages the nervous system of the honey bees. Result: The bees are unable to communicate accurate. Communication between honey bees is essential for food sources and dangerous spots. The infected honey bee flies back and contaminates the whole colony. The weakened colony dies as a result of the pesticide.

What you can do?1. Check your closets for poison against ants and other crawling

insects. These products can also contain the pesticides described above. Ant killers from Maxforce, Pokon, Admire, HGX and GAUCHO may contain the harmful pesticides.

2. Use eco friendly alternatives. For example; lavender expels lice. Plant mint between the cabbage and the caterpillars will not eat the leaves.

3. Bees love plants and herbs like showy stonecrop, catmint, New York asters, bee balm and many more. Help them strengthen and feed themselves and the colony by planting those plants in your garden or at your balcony.

4. Subscribe to our newsletter on the right site of this page. We will inform you on a regular basis about the honeybee friendly alternatives and what you can do to protect the honey bees.

Thank you for your attention

Thank you for your attention