Brussels wants to stop unfettered growth in beehives

[paulgeoffrey]

This article popped up on my phone today.
Apparently, the Brussels environment agency is removing all it's own hives from nature sites it manages as part of a plan to tackle the growth of members of the public keeping bees.

https://www.brusselstimes.com/bruss...iodiversity-hives-pollution-climate-apiarist/

Question is, will it start to happen elsewhere?

Paul.

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

If there's evidence that a high density of honey bees adversely affects populations of other bees - solitary bees and bumbles, then control of numbers of honey bees seems sensible.
But I've not come across information of that nature - perhaps others have?
My gut feel is its just another piece of bureacracy from our friends in Brussels.
Perhaps a beehive tax is on the way - as they've cottoned on that bee keepers might earn a few bob from their hobby.

 

[Ian123]

I think there was an article that showed increased competition for pollinators but I did not see anything taking into account the drop in the number of feral colonies. Obviously nothing other than observation but as a kid I made a bit of a hobby from finding feral hives and new the location of 20 odd. That number now is say 4. So if that number is anything like realistic beekeepers have a lot of work to do!!!

 

[Beersmith]

If there's evidence that a high density of honey bees adversely affects populations of other bees - solitary bees and bumbles, then control of numbers of honey bees seems sensible.
But I've not come across information of that nature - perhaps others have?
My gut feel is its just another piece of bureacracy from our friends in Brussels.
Perhaps a beehive tax is on the way - as they've cottoned on that bee keepers might earn a few bob from their hobby.

I think you are confusing Brussels, a city with its own local government and its own agencies that have to deal with all the issues big and small that are involved in running a city with the fact that a part of the EU parliament is located in that city.

The government of the Brussels capital region has a variety of departments including its own local environment department. It is not in any way related to EU, in the same way that London and the decisions of the mayor and London assembly are not the policy of the UK government.

So no, it is not a conspiracy of faceless beaurocrats to tax hobby beekeepers, it is a local response to a local issue, and being done under local control. Do you not like that?

 

[user 6228]

Its a article with bad information in it as well
. "Bees have become something of a mascot for this movement, in part because they are an excellent barometer of environmental conditions, and in part because of their crucial role in maintaining biodiversity. "

They are a bad barometer because they are much tougher than most insect species

They dont maintain biodiversity

"...the honey bee – a variety essentially created by Man for Man ..."

There's a junk statement

 

[Madge]

It's quite funny - The article says that the honey bee is,

...a variety essentially created by Man for Man ...

So much for that article, or line of reasoning.

According to Mark Winston in 'Bee Time' (page 95), he says research has found that honey bees and wild pollinators have 'subtly different foraging tendencies that complement each other rather than compete'. Honey bees forage higher in trees, and wild pollinators fly in stronger winds and colder temperatures (and more).

Almond plantations, using this knowledge, benefited in improved yield.

 

[Madge]

DerekM - snap.

 

[domino]

If there's evidence that a high density of honey bees adversely affects populations of other bees - solitary bees and bumbles, then control of numbers of honey bees seems sensible.
But I've not come across information of that nature - perhaps others have?
My gut feel is its just another piece of bureacracy from our friends in Brussels.
Perhaps a beehive tax is on the way - as they've cottoned on that bee keepers might earn a few bob from their hobby.

There is quite a lot of evidence that managed colonies negatively impact wild pollinator populations.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-41271-5

I think its reasonable to prohibit managed colonies in places where wild pollinators are at risk.

 

[user 6228]

There is quite a lot of evidence that managed colonies negatively impact wild pollinator populations.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-41271-5

I think its reasonable to prohibit managed colonies in places where wild pollinators are at risk.

Even more reasonable to prevent the usage of honeybees to replace the pollinators intentionally wiped out by agriculture.

In the U.S. Honey bee Pollinator services went from augmentation to a key factor enabling insectogeddon.

The infamous californian almond groves have insectcide laced bare earth!

 

[For want of a better word]

This article popped up on my phone today.
Apparently, the Brussels environment agency is removing all it's own hives from nature sites it manages as part of a plan to tackle the growth of members of the public keeping bees.

https://www.brusselstimes.com/bruss...iodiversity-hives-pollution-climate-apiarist/

Question is, will it start to happen elsewhere?

Paul.

Worried about a few hives of bees, read this!
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/mar/04/trouble-return-wild-boar-britain
Rumor has it that Pikey Pete a recluse who lives in a caravan in the woods shot one in his rubbish bin last night!

 

[Madge]

... The infamous californian almond groves have insectcide laced bare earth!

Yes, I agree - but, as I mentioned above, according to Mark Winston, there are exceptions where planting methods encourages all pollinators - and to the benefit of all.

 

[ericbeaumont]

If there's evidence that a high density of honey bees adversely affects populations of other bees - solitary bees and bumbles, then control of numbers of honey bees seems sensible.
But I've not come across information of that nature - perhaps others have?

This argument has been chewed over many times over the years without any clear conclusion; I wanted to find out the facts some time ago and after much googling and buying back numbers of 1970s landscaping and beekeeping magazines, discovered that no-one knew but everyone had a view.

More recently, I met by chance an expert - no, really - who studied this very subject at a University in South Africa. She simplified the argument: the variables - forage, density of species of bee, the weather and so on - were so complex that a definitive conclusion was not possible, with the result that many environmental organisations take the easy route and operate on the precautionary principle and (in the absence of any work to establish local evidence) decline to have honey bees on their land.

The BBKA Magazine published an article some time ago by (I believe) Tony Jefferson, in which he listed the top ten forage plants for honeybees and the top ten for bumblebees, taken from the book Plants for Bees by Kirk & Howes. Of the ten, only three plants were shared by both and as the three (from memory) are clover, blackberry and lime (prolific and common sources) it is surely more credible to conclude (as MC's Winston quote suggests) that it is not inevitable that one insect will out-compete others.