"My hives"
Among the list of our choices in favor of the Earth, I spoke to you about our bees in these terms: ''We see to their survival, to now have 22 hives and take care of them, leaving them wax & honey and planting for them, rose bushes and diversified aromatic plants.''
This is entirely consistent with a recent study published in the Journal of Applied Ecology on June 26, 2019, which found that organic farming improves the performance of bee colonies. The study's figures speak for themselves: in colonies surrounded by organic farmland, researchers observed 37% more eggs, larvae, and pupae, and 20% more adult bees. Honey production doubles.
Jean-François Odoux, a researcher at INRA and co-author of the study, explains: "We need to bring diversity back into the landscape!" Organic farming provides bees with a diverse and, above all, regular diet, helping to mitigate the decline of these pollinators. "We need to change our agricultural production system..." By analyzing six years of data on domestic bees, this study demonstrates, for the first time, that "on a territorial scale, bees are sensitive to the presence of organic farming."
Furthermore, "organic farming, due to the absence of herbicides, has more spontaneous flora that is often wrongly called 'weeds'", adds Vincent Bretagnolle, a researcher at the CNRS, also co-author of the study, and it is thanks to this spontaneous flora "that there is always a little something for the bees", notes Jean-François Odoux.
Particularly in late spring, intensively farmed regions often experience a severe shortage of flowers and therefore of pollen and nectar, which are essential for bees. And it's been proven that "the greater the shortage, the higher the mortality rate at the end of the following winter," explains Jean-François Odoux. This high mortality rate, which, according to the study, can be mitigated by organic farming.
He also explains that: "In an area that is cultivated organically, rotation is more important: crops are more diversified and spread out over time." And for bees, as for humans, a balanced diet goes hand in hand with immune resistance.
A positive point according to the study: "Due to the absence of herbicides, organic farming has more spontaneous flora in its cultivated plots," adds Vincent Bretagnolle, also a co-author of the study. "The reduction in pesticide pressure also seems to improve bee survival, while the increase in honey reserves would result from an increased availability of honey-producing flowers near the hive," the study specifies.
This study is not to remind us of some of the principles of permaculture that we have chosen to adopt: working with nature rather than against it, the problem is the solution, making a small change to produce a greater effect and each element must fulfill several functions and each function must be fulfilled by several elements. And good news, if the honey production doubles, the Cardamom masks will still be faithful to the appointment!
Leave a comment