Wild bees, such as sting-free bees, bumblebees and solitary bees, are the main pollinators of most plants. Unfortunately, these pollinators’ populations are now in decline, and many scientific studies focus on investigating the causes of this crisis. A recent study highlights, among others, the disturbances of their natural habitats as a result of the intensification of agriculture and urbanization, climate change, pesticides, management practices and invasive alien species as the main threats.
Although there are thousands of species of pollinators in nature, most of the scientific efforts on the loss of bees have focused on a single species, the western honey bee (Apis mellifera).
The reason for this imbalance is that Apis mellifera, other than pollinating, produces honey and generates profit for those who choose to breed it. Wild pollinators, on the other hand, play a vital role for the ecosystem, but all without producing honey: hence, they do not receive the attention and care dedicated to honeybees from the beekeeping sector.
How to support wild bees? First, get to know them!
Unlike honey bees, solitary pollinators do not live in colonies. They roam alone, feeding and pollinating in the process. Loneliness exposes them to greater risks: without a beehive that protects them, these insects do not make large stocks of food and do not have a safe retreat for the cold season. To survive winter frosts, wild pollinators tend to build rudimentary shelters with plant materials found in nature. In urbanized areas this is very difficult: there are few green spaces and there is little chance for insects to create suitable shelters.
How to make cities a bee-friendly place?
To help create bee-friendly cities, we designed the Bee Hotel: a little house designed to house solitary bees and wild pollinators. Our Bee Hotel is made of wood, a naturally insulating material that bees choose in nature to nest. Its peculiarity is being equipped with tubular cavities deep enough to protect bees, and at the same time small enough to attract solitary bees and not swarms (of wasps or other unwanted insects, which live in groups).
How to make it easier for bees to find food?
Another sore point for the survival of wild bees is the scarcity of floral resources. Bees feed on nectar and pollen that they get from plants and flowers. Unfortunately, the green spaces struggle to find space in the city, and as a consequence pollinators find themselves without sources of food available.
Planting flowers in your garden or balcony is a great way to make it easier for bees to find food. Greenpeace drafted a list of bee-friendly flowers. They are colorful flowers, with showy stamens and pistils, eye-catching for bees; they bloom in different periods, so that there are (almost) always flowers available for the bees. Once planted, these plants will bloom every year at the right time.
In order to make it easier to choose the right seeds, we have created the Mix di semi amici delle api, a bag of various seeds that attract bees and meet their nutritional needs. The Mix di semi amici delle api is available together with our Bee Hotel: they are both part of our Biodiversity Kit, the set of tools that allows everyone to make a difference to help bee populations and wild pollinators thrive in our environment.