BEE - LITTLE CREATURES MATTER
Bees and honey are widely mentionned in the sacred texts of Judaism, Christianity and Islam and have acquired very important religious symbolism.
MOHA, consious of the urgent danger threatening the very survival of bees, has launched the program “City Garden for Bees – Mi.EL” to raise the awareness of city dwellers of all ages.
Bee is the only food-producing insect
One of the tiny creatures upon whose shoulders our world is built and preserved. It expresses the hard work, productivity and abundance. It is the symbol of prosperity.
Bees tirelessly serve the planet that shelters us all, ensuring the balance of Nature surrounding us both. They pollinate more than 70% of the cultivations that feed us, producing propolis, wax, royal jelly, and honey. They offer food, fiber, fuel, beauty, and health.
It only needs 33 grams of honey
to circumnavigate the globe
Each up and down is a moment of many km daily flight, to capture the fragrance of flowers, pollinate plants, collect honey and perpetuate her species. For every kilogram of produced honey a bee touches 4 million flowers and must move 150 thousand km, i.e. about 4 times the earth’s circumference. It is an extremely cautious and very self-sufficient being.
Scientific committees, individual researchers, universities, government institutions and environmental organisations are trying to understand how bees live and function, how they pollinate plants and communicate with each other. The close cohesive bonds of the beehive have intrigued sociologists, anthropologists and psychologists. Its hierarchical administrative structure has been studied by political sciences. The sophisticated architectural form of the hive is a mathematical and engineering marvel.
But every day an untold number of solitary bees die
Her unparalleled and self-sacrificing industriousness, inspired all dominant religions, and the ancient myths around her, influenced art. Beekeeping is one of the oldest professions.
Without the bee, nature would not be the same, but neither would we be able to survive under the same conditions, as bees are an essential part of the biodiversity on which we all depend for our survival.
There are thousands of species of bees, with most of them leading a solitary rather than social life. Solitary bees are not simply bees who have left the hive and are now alone. As the name suggests, they live alone, although in truth they often nest close to one another. They do not produce honey, do not have a queen and do not live in hives. As they do not protect honey stocks, they are not aggressive.
The effects of climate change, natural disasters, pollution and loss of habitat are limiting their space in nature and forcing them to approach cities in search of urban shelters.
Extensive habitats with a diversity of wild flora and natural pollinator habitats, have been converted into monocultures producing human food, with significant pesticide use, but little nectar and pollen. Extensive areas of natural landscapes, have been transformed by direct reconstruction into urban zones, without adequate consideration of the pollinator habitat.
Pathogens, parasites, unwise use of chemicals in crops and mass spraying to destroy insects, are just some of the factors responsible for the deaths.
They are sensitive and express emotions
Bees, these small creatures and great ambassadors of Nature, are living beings that breathe, experience fear and pain. They have good and bad days, their strength waxes and wanes. They need water because they are often thirsty and plenty of flowers to gather their group’s food while pollinating the crops which sustain us.
They have a right to pollutant-free air, quiet, peace and respect. Βees do have requirements and rights for survival, and need protection from threats to their existence.
Billions of bees are silently and unjustly dying from banned poisons
One of the major threats to bees is the lack of safe environment for building their homes and foraging for food.
A bee garden in a courtyard, a windowsill or a flower-pot with native flowers, can offer them a safe shelter. When the use of pesticides is imperative, selective organic products should be chosen, which will not be applied when the flowers are in bloom.
Reduced water supplies have a serious impact on bees that need plenty of water. Shelters with clean water and pebbles to prevent them from drowning, are crucial factors for their survival and productivity.
70% of bees overwinter underground to house their young to wait for spring to emerge. An untouched small sunny spot in the garden, can provide a safe haven for thousands of bees.
Bee can live without humans, but humans cannot claim the same!
Other nomadic bees live in holes in the interior of trees, trunks, or hollow plant stems. Dead stalks of plants, bark, reeds, leaves, and especially undisturbed soil, are the secret winter homes of solitary bees. A hollow piece of wood is for the workers a safe and comfortable house for wintering over, until springtime comes and they can live in the open air.
Public gardens with nectar-giving trees, foliage with resin and nesting material, native plants, can be simple practices to limit the rapid pace of pollinator loss.
It is essential to be aware of the global bee protection movements, the legislation of the European Commission, the state care in other countries, the scientific research that supports lone bees but also the chemical companies that distribute toxic chemical pesticides.
Saving bees is not a simple matter, but just by accepting the inter-dependency of our existence, we would directly create conscious cooperation for a better, cleaner, healthier and more secure world.