A beehive is simply a storehouse of useful substances. Wax, propolis, pollen, royal jelly - all these products bring us only benefits and are used both in medicine and in cosmetology. Even simple ingestion - but only in limited quantities - is very beneficial and can relieve many diseases.
Zabrus
Bees seal the honeycombs with hexagonal caps, which beekeepers cut off before pumping out honey. This is the bar. It is even healthier than honey itself, since it also contains bee saliva, honey, and a little bee venom, which bees use to seal honeycombs. Zabrus contains a high concentration of vitamins A, B, C, E, there are almost all the microelements necessary for humans and a very rare type of fat secreted by bee glands.
Zabrus is a very healthy cocktail of honey, pollen and wax, and in addition, it contains bee venom. It is thanks to the lining that honey can be stored in combs for a very long time, for decades, without becoming sugared and retaining its beneficial properties.
Zabrus is very useful for respiratory diseases, runny nose, sinusitis, bronchitis. It cures colds and flus as it has antiviral and antimicrobial effects. The zabrus is simply chewed like chewing gum, the longer the better.
Contraindications.
Propolis
Bees obtain it by processing resinous substances of plant origin. Propolis is bee glue. It is used for home improvement, sealing cracks, and construction.
Propolis is the strongest natural antibiotic. It destroys harmful microbes, but does not harm beneficial bacteria, so it has no side effects, unlike tablets. Propolis is used as an anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, analgesic, antitumor and antioxidant agent. Propolis also regulates blood clotting, strengthens blood vessels, and improves digestion.
Contraindications. Individual intolerance and allergy to bee products.
Pollen
Bees, when collecting nectar, do not forget about pollen. They preserve most of the collected pollen in honey, and it turns out beebread. In addition, they carry pollen on their legs and abdomens. Beekeepers install special pollen traps to collect some of the pollen from bee legs, because it is so useful.
Flower pollen contains all the necessary amino acids that a person must receive from food, since the body itself cannot synthesize them. It contains a lot of potassium, which we need to maintain the heart muscle, as well as 26 more important microelements and very necessary vitamins: carotene, provitamin A, B vitamins, vitamins C, E, D, P, K. Rutin present in pollen, of which it contains a record amount, practically fulfills the program for the prevention of heart disease: it strengthens the walls of capillaries, thereby improving cardiac activity.
Contraindications.
Perga
This is pollen that bees have processed with their saliva and preserved in honey. One of the most valuable beekeeping products. Beebread is what bees feed their larvae. Moreover, when producing this product, they preserve pollen wisely, making a cocktail of different types of pollen.
Bee bread contains a lot of potassium, which is extremely necessary for our body, but it is difficult to get the required amount with regular food or vitamins - it is poorly absorbed. And in bee bread, potassium has actually already been processed by bees, so it is absorbed well. This microelement is responsible for the functioning of the heart muscle, good metabolism, and the removal of toxins from the body.
Contraindications. Allergy to pollen and honey, diabetes. Pollen and bee bread should be eaten in very small portions - no more than 1 tsp. in a day. Overdose is harmful.
Royal jelly
It is produced by bees that do not fly out of the hive. The family needs royal jelly to feed the larvae of bees and drones, as well as to feed the queen bee - the queen.
In appearance and taste, royal jelly resembles sour cream. If you take it a little every day on an empty stomach, then after a while you will notice that the tone of the muscles and nervous system has increased, memory and vision have improved, and the skin has become smooth and elastic. Royal jelly reduces cholesterol levels in the blood, normalizes blood pressure, increases mental and physical performance, and prevents the aging process.
Contraindications. Allergies and individual intolerances, acute infectious diseases, tumors, diseases of the adrenal cortex. This product should not be used if you have high blood pressure or increased blood clotting. The maximum daily dose (if there are no contraindications) is up to 100 mg per day (the maximum single dose is 30 mg). You cannot use royal jelly in the evening, otherwise insomnia is guaranteed.
Bee venom
In villages and apiaries, bees were used as a medicine against radiculitis: 2-3 bees were placed on the lower back and slightly pressed down. The bees bit, and their venom cured the disease and dispersed the blood.
Scientists have proven that bee venom is a very useful substance. It increases the amount of hemoglobin, reduces blood viscosity and coagulability, reduces the amount of cholesterol in the blood, dilates blood vessels, increases blood flow to the diseased organ, relieves pain, increases overall tone, performance, improves sleep and appetite. So, in small quantities, bee venom is useful.
Contraindications. Treatment with bee venom should only be done under the supervision of a doctor, since only a specialist will select the right dosage. Keep in mind that some people are allergic to bee venom. And then the bite of even one bee can be fatal.
INFLUENCE OF EXTERNAL TEMPERATURE
The wide range of honey bees is due to the fact that in the process of evolution of the social way of life they have adapted through joint efforts to regulate the microclimate of their nest. Thanks to this, the bee colony is able to live in conditions where the range of annual temperature fluctuations reaches almost 100 °C. Indeed, the bee colony can withstand external temperatures of up to 40-45 °C and survives in cases where the temperature during the wintering period drops to -50 °C.
The thermoregulation mechanism is used by the bee colony to maintain optimal (best) temperature conditions for its life. This mechanism is a chain of complex behavioral acts performed by working individuals of the family. At the same time, they use different methods depending on what needs to be done - increase or decrease the temperature relative to the required optimal temperature.
The negative attitude of bees to overheating of their home is manifested in natural conditions even when choosing places to live. So, if the swarm is given such an opportunity, then, all other things being equal, it will settle in a dwelling protected from prolonged direct exposure to the sun.
However, the choice of a place to live, due to the limited number of such in a given area, does not always guarantee the family safety from possible overheating of the nest. Therefore, in the process of evolution, bees have adapted to actively counteract overheating by ventilating the home - creating a directed air flow by flapping their wings.
In addition to ventilation, effective means of reducing the temperature when the nest overheats are the evaporation of water delivered to it by bees, as well as reducing the proportion of heat generated by adults. The latter is achieved by the fact that most of them leave the home, settling in the form of a swarming cluster under the flight board or under the hive. This cluster usually forms in the afternoon and disappears in the evening, with the bees from the cluster returning to the hive.
In bees, like other cold-blooded (poikilothermic) animals, body temperature largely depends on the ambient temperature. But the presence of such a dependence does not mean the equality of these temperatures - bees have an innate ability to regulate their body temperature within certain limits. Thus, at an external temperature of 9 °C, the body temperature of a flying bee is 18 °C, and at an external temperature of 34 °C it rises to 35 °C.
The mechanism of heat production in bees is based on muscle activity. The largest amount is secreted by the pectoral muscles.
The body temperature of bees increases significantly with an increase in their motor activity, however, even in apparently motionless bees (for example, forming a winter club), a rapid rise in chest temperature can occur.
The temperature in the bee's nest is maintained with fairly high stability, especially in the brood area. Here its upper limit, at a relatively high external temperature, rarely rises above 36 °C. Thus, with an increase in external temperature from 5 to 27 °C, the temperature in the bee brood zone increases on average from 34.5 to 36.3 °C.
The absolute value and stability of temperature depend on the location of the brood. During the spring-summer period of family development, the highest and most stable temperature occurs in the central zone of the nest, where brood of different ages is located. Here the influence of daily fluctuations in external temperature is weakly or not at all visible. The average temperature in this nest zone is 35 °C.
Regarding the influence of external temperature on queen cells, the following can be said. As a rule, natural swarm queen cells are located in the peripheral zone of the nest outside or on the border with the bee brood, which allows the bees to independently regulate the temperature in this zone. Typically, the maximum temperature value for natural queen cells ranges from 34 to 35.4 °C. At the same time, the minimum temperature values for queen cells located on the peripheral parts of the combs during their development cycle repeatedly drop to 31-32 °C, and sometimes even to 28-29 °C. This explains the delay in the emergence of individual queens during the simultaneous laying of queen cells.
The range of temperature fluctuations in queen cells is affected by their location in the nest. Thus, the most stable temperature within 1 °C is maintained in queen cells located in the central part of the nest.
A generalized dependence of the temperature in different zones of the nest in the hive and in the hollow on the influence of external temperature is presented in Fig. 1.
Rice. 1. The influence of external temperature on the temperature in different zones of the hive with bees (according to E.K. Eskov, 1983, 1990)
Short-term small drops in temperature in a bee's nest during the active period of the colony's life cause a rapid increase in the bees' body temperature. With significant cold snaps during the passive period of life (autumn - winter - spring), an increase in the body temperature of bees alone is not enough. If they used only this method, they would quickly consume their main energy material - honey - and die. The resistance of a colony to long-term and deep cooling is largely associated with the ability of bees to regulate the thermal output of the nest by changing its thermal insulation. Already small night cooling in the summer-autumn period encourages bees located in different places of the home to gather in the nest area with brood and form a club. At the same time, they are most densely grouped in the peripheral, cooler parts of the inter-frame spaces, forming with their bodies a kind of heat-insulating shell that reduces heat losses of the family. As a result, the further the bees are located from the surface of the club, the less they will be exposed to the cold. Therefore, the density of the club gradually decreases from the periphery to the center. However, the outer part (crust) of the club is cooled unevenly, which is due to the peculiarities of the thermal protection of the home and the action of the physical laws of heat transfer. This causes heterogeneity in the density of the bee club in its different zones. The loosest part is usually the upper part of the club, located directly above its thermal center.
Changing the density of the winter club and, accordingly, the volume it occupies is an important mechanism for regulating heat loss by bees. In particular, the compaction of the club, undertaken by bees in response to cold weather, entails a reduction in heat losses. At the same time, heat loss from the club is reduced by reducing air exchange between the indoor space and the environment. A reduction in heat costs also occurs due to a decrease in thermal radiation from the surface of the club, since the ratio between its surface area and volume decreases.
The uniqueness of the mechanisms of thermoregulation in bees is largely due to the peculiarities of the functioning of their thermoreceptors. In a bee, thermal receptors are also carbon dioxide receptors, which has an important biological meaning. The fact is that a decrease in external temperature, which causes the club to compact, impairs its ventilation. Therefore, the temperature and concentration of carbon dioxide, which is a metabolic product in bees, increase in it. As a result, the receptor is exposed to the simultaneous influence of two factors (carbon dioxide and high temperature), causing a unidirectional reaction in the form of excitation of the bees, which leads to a further increase in temperature in the area of the thermal center. The above explains the reasons for the well-known fact of an abrupt increase in temperature in the center of the nest during sudden cold snaps: the colder it is outside and in the hive, the warmer it is in the club.
Temperature is also an important factor determining the development of bees and influencing their physiological state. The development of a wide area of human settlement, especially in the northern territories, is associated with the development in the family of a highly sophisticated system for regulating the thermoregime of the nest. The family spends more energy on this, the more the external temperature differs from the optimal one. Research has established that in the summer, the bee colony spends the least amount of energy at an external temperature of 23-28 °C.
Fluctuations in temperature inside the nest have a strong influence on the duration and development of worker bees, queens and drones.
It is known that sealed bee brood at 34-35 °C develops to release within 12 days. But if the temperature in the nest during brood maturation is 30 °C, then this period will increase by 3-4 days and will be 15-16 days.
The development of queens from the moment the queen cells are sealed slows down on average by almost three days when the temperature drops from 37 to 31 °C (Fig. 2).
Rice. 2. The influence of temperature on the duration of queen development from the moment of sealing of the queen cell (E.K. Eskov, 1992)
At 38 °C, the development time of queens is reduced by approximately another 14 hours relative to that at 34 °C (E.K. Eskov, 1983). The beekeeper needs to know all this and take it into account in his practical activities.
Under natural conditions, bees are exposed to low temperatures during the wintering period. Those bees that are located in the lower and side parts of the club are especially cool. Bees tolerate short-term exposure to negative temperatures (below 0 °C) due to the fact that the hemolymph, which replaces blood for them, and other liquid fractions of the body have the ability to remain in a supercooled state for some time without freezing. In this way, the bees are protected from low temperatures. With a further decrease in temperature, crystallization of these liquids begins at the so-called point of maximum supercooling.
The temperature of maximum hypothermia is also strongly influenced by the concentration of carbon dioxide in the nest. So, if, with a strong decrease in external temperatures, bees gather in a dense club, this will lead to a decrease in its ventilation and an increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide, which will cause a decrease in the temperature of maximum hypothermia.
Special studies have established that there is an inverse relationship between the temperature of maximum hypothermia and the life expectancy of bees: the lower the crystallization temperature, the shorter the bee lives. Consequently, the cold protection mechanism allows bees to experience short-term, but rather severe cooling. However, when normal temperatures return, this will reduce the life expectancy of bees.
1) it is necessary, if possible, to protect bee colonies from exposure to low temperatures, which encourage bees to group into a very dense club;
2) the longer the bees stay in a dense club during wintering, the shorter they will live after the spring flight;
3) the optimal way to winter bees should provide them with maximum protection from low temperatures.
INFLUENCE OF AIR HUMIDITY ON THE LIFE OF A BEE COMMUNITY
Atmospheric air always contains water vapor, the amount of which is not constant and depends on the presence of a source of humidification, temperature and atmospheric pressure. The higher the temperature at normal atmospheric pressure, the more moisture there is in the air and vice versa. At constant temperature and pressure, a certain amount of water vapor is in a state of equilibrium in the air. Any increase or decrease in air temperature disrupts this balance, causing, respectively, either condensation of some water vapor, or additional saturation with moisture.
There are many indicators for characterizing air humidity, but in practice the indicator most often used is relative humidity. Relative humidity (%) is understood as the ratio of the amount of water vapor in the air at a given temperature to the amount required to completely saturate the air at the same temperature.
During the active period of a colony’s life, the relative air humidity in a bee’s home depends on a number of factors. Among them are the humidity of the external air, the moisture content in the food brought by the bees, the degree of activity of the bees and the amount of brood in the nest.
In summer, the relative air humidity in different areas of the bee's home ranges from 25 to 100%. The minimum values of relative humidity are typical for periods with low external temperature, and the maximum for periods with high temperature and air humidity. Therefore, in the daily cycle of fluctuations, the relative humidity in a bee’s home is usually highest during the daytime and lowest at night. This circumstance, in particular, can explain the fact that in one night nectar brought to the nest can lose up to half of the water it contains; During the process of ventilation, bees pump “dry” air through the nest at night, which carries excess moisture from the nectar outside. Quick dehydration of nectar is very important for bees, as otherwise it could quickly ferment.
In general, the intra-hive relative air humidity can be lower than the external air humidity or exceed it. The amount of water vapor in different areas of the nest depends on the level of air exchange between the intra-hive space and the external environment. To increase air exchange, hive roofs are usually equipped with ventilation holes. The need for these holes is demonstrated by the rapid condensation of water vapor in the hive when its upper part is sealed. So, if the top of the hive is tightly covered with plastic film, then literally after a few minutes condensation will begin to form on its inside. This means that the moisture content of the air at the top of the hive will reach complete saturation (100%).
Now let’s talk about a very important passive period of a family’s life - wintering.
During this period, the degree of air saturation with water vapor in various zones of the hive, occupied by bees and free from them, depends on the temperature and humidity of the external air entering the home, the level of ventilation of the hive and the physiological state of the bees.
The passive period of life of bees is characterized by a high uneven distribution of water vapor in their home. There are wide fluctuations in air humidity in that part of the hive that is not occupied by bees, especially in the area adjacent to the entrance. In this part of the home, including in the spaces between the frames, when they are not occupied by bees, the saturation of the air with water vapor changes in accordance with fluctuations in external humidity. The temperature and humidity of the external air also have a significant impact on the water vapor content at the wall opposite the tap hole. The relative air humidity in this part of the home during wintering is often maintained at a level of about 100%, that is, at a saturation level.
When the temperature drops, water vapor condenses and falls out in the form of water or frost. If the ventilation in the hive is not organized correctly, then condensation can accumulate in large quantities not only on the bottom and back wall, but also on the areas of the frames facing it. The wood of the hive walls and frames becomes saturated with moisture to the limit, becomes moldy and loses its physical properties (primarily strength). If there is open honey in these areas of the honeycomb, it will quickly turn sour, and the beebread will become moldy and all this food will become unsuitable for use by bees. Most often, such negative phenomena are observed in hives with insufficient subframe space (traditional 20 mm) and poorly organized ventilation. That is why the conditions for high-quality wintering of bee colonies are the use of modern hives with a frame space of 100-150 mm and proper organization of ventilation.
It is known that honey is highly hygroscopic and therefore its moisture content will depend on the humidity of the surrounding air. Due to this property, open honey can both dry and moisten the space inside the hive. Thus, an increase in the relative intra-hive air humidity entails the absorption of water vapor by honey and an increase in the water content in it; At the same time, the intra-hive space will be drained. For example, at a relative air humidity of 66%, the water content in open honey is 21.5%, and at a humidity of 81% it is about 40%. At these levels, a dynamic equilibrium is established between air humidity and the water content of honey, that is, the honey no longer absorbs or releases moisture.
For bees during wintering, this property of honey is very important, since constant unsealing of honey for the purpose of consumption has a beneficial effect on reducing air humidity in the nest. In addition, the consumption of such honey by the bees will satisfy their need for water, which is of particular importance when the bees begin to raise brood at the end of wintering.
The air humidity in a bee's home during wintering is greatly influenced by the so-called metabolic water released by bees during respiration (metabolism is the process of metabolism). The amount of this water is directly related to the amount of feed consumed. It has been established that a family with a strength of 3 kg, when wintering in omshanik, on average per day releases 46 g (maximum - 80 g) of metabolic water with respiration. In general, for every kilogram of honey eaten, bees secrete about 700 g of metabolic water. This means that if a bee colony eats 10 kg of honey over the winter, then during this time it will release 7 kg of water in the form of steam through its respiration. The large amount of metabolic water released by the club is one of the main reasons that gives rise to the main problem of bees wintering - the difficulty of removing excess moisture from the nest without large heat loss.
INFLUENCE OF CARBON DIOXIDE AND OXYGEN ON THE LIFE ACTIVITIES OF THE BEE COMMONY
Atmospheric air is a natural mixture of various gases, among which the greatest influence on the life of bees is exerted by oxygen (0 2), which is contained in the atmosphere about 21%, and carbon dioxide (CO 2), the content of which in the atmosphere is 0.03%.
The composition of the gas environment in a bee's home is quite different from atmospheric air. This is due to the fact that the colony’s consumption of oxygen and the release of carbon dioxide always occurs in a closed volume of the bee’s home, which is weakly connected with the external environment. Air exchange is carried out mainly through the entrance holes, the ventilation system and cracks at the junction of the collapsible parts of the hive. Due to air exchange with the external environment, oxygen enters the nest, and carbon dioxide and water vapor are removed. Air exchange (aeration) of the internal space of the hive is carried out due to active and passive ventilation, as well as due to the physical phenomenon of diffusion.
Active ventilation is ensured by the activity of ventilator bees at the entrance. The intensity of this ventilation depends on the needs of the family and its physiological state.
Passive ventilation of the intra-nesting space occurs through the gaps at the top of the hive due to the physical phenomenon of convection. Its essence is that warm air, having a lower density and weight, will always spontaneously rise upward and leave the nest through holes in the ceiling (through ascending ventilation).
As for diffusion, the essence of this physical phenomenon is the spontaneous equalization of the concentrations of gases of the same name across the contact boundary of two volumes in which the concentrations of these gases are different.
Oxygen and carbon dioxide are distributed differently in a bee’s home due to the uneven distribution of adult and developing individuals of the bee colony and different levels of ventilation in different areas of the home.
The concentration of carbon dioxide in the central part of the nest is usually higher than in the periphery. In contrast, the oxygen concentration is lower in the center and higher at the periphery. These zonal differences in concentrations also largely depend on external temperature. Thus, when the external air temperature varies in early spring from -3 to +9 °C, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the central part of the nest is maintained by the bees at the level of 1.8-3.7%, and oxygen - about 6%. With an increase in external temperature by the end of spring to 6-24 ° C, the concentration of carbon dioxide in this zone of the home decreases to 1.3-0.15%, and the oxygen content increases to 15.7-20.3%.
The content of oxygen and carbon dioxide in a bee's home is also related to the physiological state of the colony and therefore changes in the cycle of its seasonal development. The gas environment in the bees' home can be significantly influenced by various stress factors. One of these factors is the transportation of bee colonies, for example when migrating to honey fields. During transportation, the nesting buildings vibrate, which greatly disturbs the bees. This encourages them to move into the extra-frame space, which leads to a sharp decrease in gas exchange between the intra-nest space and the external environment. As a result, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the hive increases sharply and can reach 4%, that is, exceed its content in atmospheric air by 130 times! At the same time, the temperature in the hive rises sharply, and the family can become “steamed.”
During this period, with any formation of a club, the concentration of oxygen in it decreases, and carbon dioxide increases. Thus, during autumn temperature drops to 0 °C, the CO2 concentration in the central part of the nest is set at 2.5%, and at the periphery - up to 1.2%; oxygen: in the center - at the level of 10%, and at the periphery - up to 15%. With further decreases in external temperature and the formation of a dense club, the concentration of CO 2 in the home increases, and 0 2 decreases.
It has been noticed that if bees are wintered using electric heating with heating elements located at the bottom of the hive, then the concentration of carbon dioxide in the space above the frame will be 2-2.5 times lower than in a hive without electric heating.
In general, bees have a negative attitude towards the accumulation of carbon dioxide in their home and begin to ventilate it. Moreover, the activity of ventilating bees and their number, other things being equal, depend on the concentration of C0 2. In summer, bees solve the problem of removing excess carbon dioxide from the nest in conjunction with removing excess moisture from nectar, which is not difficult for them during this period. But what about the situation in winter, when bees are forced to gather in a club? It turns out that bees remove carbon dioxide from the nest during this period in two ways. The first of them is based on reducing the density of bees in the club, which improves the permeability of air inside the nest and the removal of carbon dioxide from it. The second method involves active ventilation of the nest by ventilator bees located outside the club. In this way, the bees begin to ventilate the nest when reducing the density of the club is no longer enough to remove excess carbon dioxide, which excites1 the bees.
It has been established that bees wintering indoors at a temperature of about 0 °C begin to actively ventilate the nest when the CO2 concentration reaches 4% in the peripheral part of the home. With a further increase in concentration, the bees become even more excited (E.K. Eskov, 1983). Beekeepers sometimes hear how a colony literally “roars” during a bad winter. This is usually explained by the fact that the family is hot. However, this is only partly true. The main reason that forces bees to start the mechanism of active ventilation of the nest is still an excess of carbon dioxide in the nest.
Now let's try to understand what effect carbon dioxide has on the development of individual individuals and the bee family as a whole.
It is known that high concentrations of carbon dioxide are toxic to living organisms, since they cause oxygen starvation (hypoxia) and the development of pathological changes in the body. Let us note that bees are highly resistant to the effects of carbon dioxide, since in the process of their evolution they were forced to adapt to life in poorly ventilated natural shelters. As a result of this, modern honey bees are able to maintain a high level of physical activity even with a 10-15% concentration of CO 2 in their home. This is 330-500 times higher than the normal concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmospheric air! However, despite the ability of bees to remain active even at such high concentrations of carbon dioxide, it still has a negative physiological effect on the bees’ body, which is most often irreversible.
Under natural conditions, during certain periods of the annual life cycle of a colony, bees are exposed to relatively high concentrations of carbon dioxide. Its level during wintering can reach 3-9%.
In the winter club of strong families, the concentration of CO 2 usually reaches 2-2.5%, while in weak families it is lower and is about 1%. It has been suggested that an increase in carbon dioxide concentration to 2-2.5% is a necessary condition for the colony to enter a state of winter dormancy, during which the metabolic rate decreases and feed consumption decreases. Consequently, the level of carbon dioxide concentration in the winter club affects the physiological state of bees and their activity. The higher the CO2 content within the specified limits (up to 2-2.5%), the less food the bees will consume.
However, at the same time, carbon dioxide also has a negative effect on winter bees: the higher its concentration in the nest, the faster the physiological aging of bees. The latter is due to the fact that at high CO2 concentrations, bees, despite lower food consumption, consume more of their internal reserve substances (nitrogen and fat).
The above circumstances lead to the fact that in the spring such bees will raise less brood and the spring development of such colonies will slow down.
The use of wintering techniques that provide for an increased content of carbon dioxide in the nest in order to save feed has a negative effect on the physiological state of bees. Therefore, an increased concentration of carbon dioxide in the hive during wintering of bees is undesirable.
INFLUENCE OF AIR IONIZATION ON THE LIFE ACTIVITIES OF BEES
Mentions of such environmental factors as air ionization are quite rare in beekeeping literature. Although air ionization does not have such a powerful effect as temperature, air humidity and its gas composition, it still affects bees, as will be discussed below.
Ionization of atmospheric air is caused by ions - electrically charged particles. The particle charge can be positive or negative. Ions in the lower layers of the atmosphere arise mainly under the influence of cosmic rays and background radioactive radiation from the Earth, as well as lightning discharges, waterfalls, sea surf and corona wires of high-voltage power lines.
Conventionally, ions in the air are divided into two groups - light and heavy, which differ in their mobility and lifetime. The lifetime of light ions ranges from several tens of seconds to several minutes, of heavy ions - up to 50 minutes. The main reason for the short life of ions is the process of mutual destruction of oppositely polar ions (the so-called recombination): oppositely charged ions are attracted to each other due to their natural electrostatic attraction and, reuniting, form a neutral system devoid of charge.
In clean air at the surface of the earth, 1 cm 3 contains on average from 500 to 1000 light ions, and there are usually 10-20% more positively charged ions than negatively charged ones. In cities and industrial areas, the concentration of heavy ions can reach up to 1 million per 1 cm3. At the same time, simultaneously with the increase in the number of heavy ions in the atmosphere, the concentration of light ions decreases (it can drop to 10 per 1 cm3). The concentration of ions in the atmosphere is not the same in different geographical locations; it also changes throughout the day and year. Typically, the concentration of light ions in the atmosphere is highest in the early morning (bright morning air) and lowest at midday. In summer there are more light ions than in winter. Many ions occur near waterfalls, fountains, and also during thunderstorms.
The presence of ions in the atmosphere significantly affects the life activity of living organisms, including humans and bees. Thus, an increase in the number of negatively charged light ions stimulates the activity of living organisms and suppresses pathogenic microflora. An increase in the number of positively charged ions is associated with greater human fatigue, headaches, a feeling of discomfort and similar phenomena.
The idea of using air saturated with light negative ions (aeroionization) for the prevention and treatment of human diseases was expressed at the beginning of the 20th century. Even constructive solutions appeared to implement this idea (in particular, the famous “Chizhevsky chandelier”), but for a number of reasons this idea was not widely used in everyday life. Later, A.L. Chizhevsky wrote about the use of aeroionization in beekeeping. An experience was reported to study the effect of negative aeroins on a bee colony at a concentration of 104-106 per 1 cm 3 with an exposure of 5 minutes. Sessions were held 2 times a day in the morning and evening at the end of April - beginning of May. It was found that bee mortality decreased by 15%, and flight activity doubled in some cases.
They also report an experiment on the use of artificial ionization of air in a winter hut. As a result of the experiment, it was found that in the normal state the content of biologically useful air ions in the winter hut was 2.5 times lower than in atmospheric air. The coefficient of ion pollution of the air of the winter hut with heavy and positive ions, which many hygienists consider an important indicator of its biological usefulness, exceeds this indicator in the atmosphere by 1.9 times.
At its core, each aeroionization session is a completely harmless disinfection of the winter hut for bees. Periodically repeated (every two days) ionic disinfection maintains proper sanitary condition in the winter hut and in the hives. Apparently, this circumstance is also facilitated by the release of a small amount of ozone during operation of the ionizer, which has strong oxidizing (disinfecting) properties. Improving the microclimate and the direct impact of the optimal concentration of light negative ions on the body of bees has a positive effect on the quality of their wintering, feed consumption and further spring development of colonies.
INFLUENCE OF ILLUMINATION ON THE LIFE ACTIVITIES OF BEES
Although bees are able to navigate well inside their homes even in complete darkness (how they do this is not yet reliably known), they are still diurnal insects. The family carries out all its main functions - collecting nectar, pollen, delivering water, propolis, swarming, searching for and settling into a new home, mating the queen and some others - only during daylight hours. As for worker bees, only in the presence of lighting can they solve a triune task that is vital for the species: navigation in polarized sunlight, maintaining a constant course while moving, as well as localization and identification of food or other objects.
The magnitude (intensity) of the solar light flux falling on the ground is usually called illumination. The amount of illumination and its nature (duration and spectral composition) play an important role for bees due to the specifics of their visual perception. Unlike humans, the area of light perception of bees is shifted to the ultraviolet range of the lighting spectrum. Therefore, we can say quite definitely that humans and bees perceive color differently. They also perceive objects in the surrounding world and their shapes differently, since the vision of a bee and a person is significantly different.
Indicators characterizing illumination differ depending on the geographical location of the habitat, time of day and year. The daily and seasonal periodicity of changes in illumination and the spectral composition of light has led to the fact that bees have adapted their main life cycles to a certain length of day. This is associated with the cyclical nature of their reproduction, the change of phases of individual development of bees, the activity of the uterus, the beginning and end of certain development cycles of the bee colony.
In zones with a moderate cold climate (in our mid-latitudes), the periods of brood rearing and their dynamics are strictly confined to certain periods of the annual life cycle of the bee colony. The onset of these periods and their duration, in addition to the temperature factor, largely depend on the illumination. The number of brood in a colony reaches its maximum, as a rule, at the end of June, when the duration of daylight hours is maximum, and then it begins to gradually decrease. In families with old queens, if measures are not taken to stimulate the development of the family, by September-October there will be no brood left at all. This expresses one of the forms of adaptation of bees to the upcoming wintering. This behavior of a bee colony is extremely appropriate, since continuing to raise brood in the fall would reduce winter food reserves, increase the strength of the colony, and such a colony would no longer be able to feed itself in winter.
Now let's move from winter to summer and see how the bee colony will react to daily changes in light.
The activity of the bee colony during this period changes cyclically throughout the day, and these changes are most directly affected by the illumination of the hive. Daily changes in illumination affect the intra-nest microclimate; in particular, when it intensifies in the morning hours, a slight increase in temperature and a short-term increase in carbon dioxide content are observed in the hive. These factors are a consequence of increased morning activity (a kind of “awakening of the family”), when the level of illumination does not yet allow the bees to leave the hive. Under normal conditions, bees begin to fly into the field at a light level of 1-3 lux (lux). However, the level of illumination at which bees begin to fly out of the hive may be different, since it depends on the distance to the food source and on the concentration of sugar in the food.
Thus, at a distance to a food source of no more than 50 m, flight occurs at an illumination of 0.1-0.2 lux, at a distance of 1000 m - 3 lux, at a distance of up to 4 km - at least 15 lux (E.K. Eskov, 1999 ). If the entrance hole is shaded, for example, by a permanently installed pollen collector, then the flight of bees into the field will begin at external illumination of 46-130 lux, at which the illumination at the entrance is only 0.1 lux.
Considering that the length of the bees' working day (the period of time between the start of the bees' departure from the hive and the end of their flight) is largely determined by the level of illumination of the entrance, it can be changed by the orientation of the hive relative to the cardinal directions. The hive's entrance will be illuminated for the longest time by the sun's rays during the summer honey flow when the entrance is oriented north (Fig. 1).
Fig.1. Orientation of the hive at the honey collection
In this case, immediately after sunrise the sun will illuminate the entrance to the right, and before sunset - to the left. The duration of illumination of the entrance in mid-latitudes, for example, on the day of the summer solstice - June 22 - will be maximum and will be about 18 hours. In other months of summer, this duration will certainly be shorter, but it will still be the maximum possible.
INFLUENCE OF WIND AND PRECIPITATION ON THE LIFE ACTIVITIES OF BEES
It is known that the physiological state of the colony is the main factor in determining the degree of activity of the bee colony during the beekeeping season. However, such external factors as the productivity of honey plants (the size of the harvest), wind speed and precipitation, significantly affect the flight activity of bees during daylight hours.
As for the productivity of honey plants, we’ll talk about this in more detail a little later. In the meantime, let’s look at how wind and precipitation affect the life of a bee colony.
Wind. Practicing beekeepers know well that even with a fairly good honey, on days with strong winds (even without rain), the intensity of bee flight is noticeably reduced. It has been reliably established that, other things being equal, an increase in wind speed will always lead to a decrease in the flight activity of bees and an increase in their losses.
Wind can also affect the delay in fertilization of the uterus. If windy weather sets in 4-5 days after the emergence of the barren queen, then the first approximate flights and subsequent flights of the queen for mating may be delayed, even if it is warm and sunny. The process of copulation between a queen and a drone can occur at a wind speed of no more than 18 km/h (5 m/s). In this case, drones fly out of the hive only at a wind speed of no more than 25 km/h (7 m/s). But usually in summer in our latitudes, periods of windy weather last no more than a few days, with the exception of steppe, coastal and mountainous areas, where strong winds can blow for longer periods of time.
Wind may also delay the emergence of a swarm for several days, especially with an old queen. First swarms, unlike subsequent swarms, are very demanding on the weather, since the old fertile queen has worse flight qualities than the young barren one.
The wind also affects the life activity of the bee colony not only directly, as we have already discussed, but also indirectly - through the amount of honey collection.
Strong winds and especially dry winds negatively affect not only the development of honey plants, but also their nectar production. Of all the natural factors, strong wind is perhaps the only factor that never has a positive effect on nectar release. Northern and northeastern winds, accompanied by an influx of cold Arctic air, and southern and southeastern hot winds are especially unfavorable for nectar production.
To reduce the negative consequences of strong winds (and not only for this), apiaries should be located in places protected by relief, forest belts, on the edges and outskirts of forests. Kh. N. Abrikosov (1944) proved that families whose hives were not protected from strong prevailing winds raised 33% less brood and collected 60% less honey.
Precipitation. In the summer, precipitation in the form of rain or hail can affect the life of the bee colony, both directly and indirectly.
The direct effect of rain and hail is that they negatively affect, first of all, the flight activity of bees. Bees react very sensitively to rain and hail, especially when these phenomena are accompanied by a thunderstorm. Beekeepers know well that before a thunderstorm begins, bees return to their hives in literally a continuous stream. During such a “panic”, heavily laden bees often fly not into their hives, but into those that are located closest to the direction in which they are returning. Therefore, the result of a sudden thunderstorm can be the strengthening of families located on the edge of the point and the weakening of families located inside the point.
Water is the basis of life on Earth. Thanks to water and the sun, photosynthesis, metabolism (metabolism), the movement of minerals and waste products are carried out in the plant, the elastic state of cells (turgor), etc. is maintained. If there is no rain for a long time in the summer, then soil drought sets in, after which the activity of nectaries is paralyzed in plant flowers and they reduce or completely stop the secretion of nectar.
The best nectar production occurs during moderate warm rains, especially if they fall at night, or during short-term thunderstorms during the day.
People say: “The more thunderstorms, the more honey.” Thunderstorms, increasing soil and air humidity and having virtually no negative effect on the intensity of sunlight and temperature, contribute to increased nectar release. There is reason to believe that the ionization of air and its saturation with ozone during electrical discharges of lightning additionally stimulate plants to increase the release of nectar. It is clear that after the end of such rains, the activity of bees increases, especially in the next few days. Research has established that most often high honey yields occur on the 2nd and 3rd days after rain.
Prolonged rains, especially during rainfall, negatively affect the release of nectar. This is due to the fact that the lack of sunlight during cloudy weather slows down the absorption of carbon and the formation of starch by plant leaves, and increased humidity leads to the dilution of nectar. Thus, the nectar in linden flowers at a relative air humidity of 51% contains about 70% sugar, and at a humidity of 100% - only 22%. In prolonged rainy weather, strong growth of the green parts of the plant retards the development of flowers. In addition, such rain washes nectar from flowers, especially in plants with open nectaries, such as linden, fireweed, raspberry, etc.
Consequently, prolonged summer rains significantly reduce the flight activity of families, not only due to non-flying weather, but also for the reasons stated above.
Although fog cannot be called precipitation (it is rather a natural phenomenon), it should be noted that it has a beneficial effect on the release of nectar by plants. In areas with frequent fogs, other things being equal, honey yields are higher than in areas where there are no fogs. And although early in the morning, with dense fog, the flight activity of bees begins a little later than usual, the abundant release of nectar compensates for the reduced duration of the working day.
Each bee individual and the family as a whole spend the main part of their life in the enclosed space of the hive, therefore the most important problem of modern beekeeping is the environmental safety of the intra-hive environment and the area around the hive. Unfortunately, they are not environmentally friendly, i.e. Substances and materials that are far from the nature of bees and simply harmful to them are increasingly becoming their constant companions. Often the hive becomes a killer of bees and one of the main pollutants of bee products. The concentration of harmful substances in the air of a hive can be tens of times higher than outside it. Consequently, the ecology of the hive is another powerful factor that affects the honey bee and largely determines not only its health, but also its productivity.
Even from an environmental point of view, a wooden hive, through the efforts of a beekeeper, often turns into a real garbage heap. Cow dung, clay, broken glass - this composition is usually used to cover the cracks and holes of damaged hives against mice. A mixture of drying oil and kerosene is recommended for priming the hive. Kerosene, oil, fuel oil, and waste machine oil are used to coat hives to combat ants and bee theft. Ruberoid and glassine have long replaced birch bark and straw and are considered indispensable materials for wrapping hives in the autumn-winter period. The insert boards are sealed with rubber. Vaseline, lithol, grease are coated with anti-mite liners. More and more metal appears in the bee's nest. Some beekeepers use cologne when uniting families.
It’s time to talk about the ecology of consciousness when well-known authors advise using old blankets, sweatshirts, overcoats, and mattresses as insulation above the nest (on top of the covering canvas)! Beekeepers love to praise their honey, but if consumers knew under what conditions it is sometimes produced, some apiary owners would forever lose the trust of their customers.
In recent decades, beekeepers have been waging large-scale chemical warfare against their bees. Dangerous metal-containing paints, which poison bee products with mercury and lead, have been replaced by synthetic paints with a pungent odor that produce fumes that are toxic to bees. Wood glue with an irritating specific odor is replaced with PVA glue and other compounds that have an even more depressing effect on bees. In glued hives, families are significantly delayed in development. Reports of hives made of chipboard are also depressing. Phenol-formaldehyde resins are used as a binding component in particle boards, which damage the immune system of the insect body.
Plastic in the form of dividing grids, drinking bowls, feeders, queen bowls, plastic foundation and honeycombs accompanies bees throughout their lives. This may be good for business, but not good for the bees. During the production of plastic, due to incomplete synthesis, non-polymerized chemical compounds remain in the material and subsequently, when used in the hive, gradually evaporate, which have an extremely negative effect on bee colonies. Static electricity constantly accumulates on the surface of plastic structures located in the hive, which negatively affects the nervous activity of insects, embitters and disorients them, increases the penetration of toxic synthetic compounds into the bees’ home from the outside and their accumulation in the form of dust, which, in turn, becomes a refuge for various microbes
All of the above applies to foam hives. In addition, for example, polyurethane foam causes significant harm to the health of the beekeeper himself. When inhaled, dust-like particles of this material combine with protein in the lungs and over time change their structure, which can result in pulmonary emphysema. Harmful gases emanating from polystyrene foam in the warm season destroy the enzyme and other vital systems of the bee’s body, disrupt the functioning of its visual apparatus, encourage colonies to additionally ventilate the nest, gnawing the walls of the hive, etc. Elastic polyurethane, used as a sealant, releases up to 60 mg of hydrocyanic acid per 1 g of material when aging.
The production of expanded polystyrene causes significant harm to the environment. Like other polystyrene foams, it is not a good material for bees. In addition, nothing today pollutes the Earth more than slowly smoldering landfills of “hygienic” polystyrene garbage. Substances with carcinogenic and mutagenic properties released during low-temperature combustion increasingly find their way into nectar and pollen and become a “natural” component of beekeeping products.
When not one, but several synthetic materials are present in the hive and the substances released by them are combined with each other, poisonous compositions with unknown unforeseen properties are formed. By penetrating the bee's body, they can cause changes that affect not only adult insects, but also future generations.
More than 500 years ago, the outstanding scientist Paracelsus wrote: “What is not poison? All substances are poisonous and none are harmless. Only the dose decides whether a substance is poisonous or not.” Today there is a need to take care of reducing the amount of toxic substances in the hive.
By reducing this load on the part of the hive:
– adult individuals and brood are not exposed to toxic substances, colonies do not suffer from foreign odors, the brood breathes clean air;
– the immunity of bees does not decrease; there are no undesirable changes in the hereditary properties and characteristics of the organization of winged workers;
– there are no undiagnosable diseases in the apiary, common diseases appear much less frequently and in a smaller volume;
– bees do not suffer from an excess of static electricity, and are not distracted by meaningless work (for example, “cleaning” foam from a foam hive);
– the life expectancy of worker bees increases, the quality of drones improves, the queens remain healthy and demonstrate a high rate of egg laying for several seasons;
– families produce honey and other products without harmful impurities, foreign inclusions and odors;
– their strength increases, the number of brood increases, the production of marketable honey increases.
A.S. Senyuta, Pskov region. “Beekeeping” No. 4/07
Honey is an easily digestible food product. Although it consists mainly of simple sugars (80 - 84%) and water (16 - 20%), it includes up to 300 different components (enzymes, vitamins, salts, balms, etc.), which, together with the main part determine its dietary and medicinal properties. This product is widely used in the confectionery industry, cosmetics, and for the preparation of honey drinks. The medicinal nutritional and dietary properties of pollen, royal jelly and propolis are well known. A wide range of biological active substances are included in their composition, providing a biostimulating and tonic effect. Propolis is a strong antioxidant. Royal jelly, normalizing metabolism and the body's defenses, stimulating energy factors, stops the process of clogging body tissues with toxic pollutants and slows down the aging of the body. The role of bees in pollinating plants, including agricultural ones, is invaluable.
The role of bees is great as producers of specific products - honey, wax, pollen, royal jelly, propolis and bee venom. Each of them has a complex composition of substances that have a specific chemical effect. This allows them to be used in dietary practice for therapeutic purposes, especially for patients with immunological deficiency. Man has been using beekeeping products since ancient times. Nowadays, interest in them in many cases has grown significantly due to the economic importance of the products obtained from bees and their exceptional effect on the human body.
However, since the external environment is polluted, this affects the animal and plant world. Thus, when fuel is burned, harmful substances are released into the atmosphere, which reach the upper layers of the atmosphere, mix with water vapor and form sulfuric, sulfurous, nitric and nitrous acids, respectively. As a result, many species of mammals, birds, insects and other groups of animals are included in the Red Book. In particular, among insects these are the steppe and common bumblebees. At one time, Darwin noted that only these insects are capable of pollinating red clover flowers. That is why the disappearance of red clover as a species is associated with them, although we note that honey bees can also play the role of pollinators of plants of these species if they are trained appropriately. In an effort to obtain as much product as possible from crop areas, people influence the components of the ecosystem and especially the soil through the use of a set of agrotechnical measures, including chemicalization. There is intense contamination of the soil and atmosphere with radioactive substances; the greatest danger, as is known, is posed by two isotopes - strontium-90 (half-life 25 years), settling on the surface of the earth, and cesium-137 (half-life 33 years), accumulating in plants and soil through the circulation of substances.
By collecting nectar and pollen within a radius of 3 - 5 km from the apiary, bees also transfer all pollutants from the environment. When using contaminated nectar and pollen for their livelihoods, pollutants penetrate the body of insects. This leads either to the death of bees and their brood, or to a reduction in the life span of insects. We have repeatedly noted the weakening of such families.
Various chemicals entering the environment in the form of gaseous, liquid or solid particles are usually carried by bees into the hive with nectar, honeydew, pollen, tree resin, and water. Their concentration in a bee's nest can be 1000 - 100,000 times higher than in the air, and 1000 - 10,000 times higher than in plants. At the same time, this property makes the bee especially vulnerable to various pollutants. In a broad complex, reliable materials on the ecological characteristics of the area can be obtained from studies of the chemical composition of bees and beekeeping products. We conduct such studies in the south of the Tyumen region regularly.
When determining toxic elements in samples, we acted in accordance with GOST "Bee products. Mineralization of samples for determination of toxic elements." Mineralization is possible in two ways: dry - for all beekeeping products, except wax, and the acid extraction method for beeswax. For each beekeeping product, the indicated masses of samples were used to detect toxic substances by atomic adsorption and printing methods. The latter method is especially good, allowing you to detect several metals in one sample. Actual data on the detection of pollutants in apiaries in one of the districts of the Tyumen region are presented in the table.
Currently, quality control of products produced by bees in Russia is carried out in accordance with the requirements of regulatory and technical documentation for each type of product, hygienic requirements for the safety and nutritional value of food products (SanPin 2.3.2.1078-01).
There are no safety requirements for beeswax in these documents, since it is not classified as a food product. However, in our opinion, studies on the content of toxic substances in it should be carried out, since wax is in direct contact with beekeeping products, with brood, and besides, it is used in the perfume and pharmaceutical industries. The results of our research convince us of this: the accumulation of pollutants in the nests of bee colonies occurs precisely in wax. We attribute this to the fact that nest drying has been used for a number of years. We hope that further research to identify pollutants in various objects (soil and plants) will be continued. This will make it possible to draw up a scheme for the rational placement of apiaries in the region in order to ensure the production of truly environmentally friendly beekeeping products in the south of the Tyumen region.
Table1. Results of studies of soil samples, plants and bee products for contamination with heavy metals, radioactive substances and pesticides in apiaries in the Nizhne-Tavdinsky district of the Tyumen region
|
Indicators |
Plants |
|||||
|
detection |
||||||
|
Lead mg/kg |
Actual |
|||||
|
Error |
||||||
|
Cadmium mg/kg |
Actual |
|||||
|
Error |
||||||
|
Arsenic mg/kg |
Actual |
|||||
|
Error |
||||||
|
Cesium - 137 Bq/kg |
Actual |
|||||
|
Error |
||||||
|
Strontium-90 Bq/kg |
Actual |
|||||
|
Error |
||||||
|
HCH mg/kg |
Actual |
|||||
|
Error |
||||||
|
DDT mg/kg |
Actual |
|||||
|
Error |
||||||
S. A. Pashayan, Ph.D., Associate Professor,
Tyumen State Agricultural Academy
Dear visitor, you have entered the site as an unregistered user. We recommend that you register or log into the site under your name.
Views: 16742
26.05.2016
Do people often think about the benefits bees bring?
Many people associate them with honey and other bee products, which are used for various purposes: in the treatment of diseases, cooking, cosmetics, simply as food or as a dietary supplement.
Of all the insects living on the planet, the bee is one of the most useful for humans. The worker bee not only provides healing products that are unique in their composition, but also pollinates plants, contributing to the continuation of life on Earth.
All bee products are natural antibiotics. They, unlike pharmaceuticals that destroy pathogenic and beneficial microflora with equal force, act selectively, preventing the growth and development of harmful microorganisms. In the process of life, a bee produces the following substances: honey, bee bread, royal jelly, propolis, wax, bee venom. Even a dead bee has a number of healing properties. Medicinal tinctures are made from bee pestilence. Thus, bees benefit humans by producing all these healing products.
But not every person knows about another value of honey-bearing insects in nature.
On planet Earth, the lives of bees and flower plants are closely interconnected. Flowers provide nectar and pollen to bees, and in return they pollinate them. It is estimated that the benefits from bee pollination of entomophilous plants are many times greater than the cost of all the honey collected throughout the world.
More than 200 thousand species of our flora require pollination. First of all, these are those that cannot bear fruit and produce seeds without insects.
Products of entomophilous crops are the main source of vitamins and minerals. They provide 98% of people's vitamin C needs; more than 70% is in lipids, as well as most of the needs for vitamins E, K, A and B.
These products also satisfy our calcium needs - by 58%; fluorine – by 62%; iron - 29%, and many other elements.
It must be said that these crops provide people with 35% of all world agricultural production. Thanks to the pollinating work of honey bees, the yield of many crops increases: buckwheat and sunflower – by 50%; watermelons, melons and pumpkins – 100%; and fruit trees and shrubs - 10 times. And this is not a complete list of the benefits bees bring.
This means that people get thousands of tons of vegetables, fruits and seeds thanks to bees.
Pollination by bees also improves the quality of seeds and increases the size, juiciness and taste of fruits. The benefits that bees bring when pollinating crops are 10-15 times greater than the direct income from beekeeping.
Scientists estimate that bees' contribution to the global economy as plant pollinators is worth about $160 billion annually. In the European Union it was estimated at 15 billion. All this is tens of times higher than the cost of honey and all beekeeping products combined.
But the trouble is that people easily calculate the cost of honey and all beekeeping products on the world market. And the benefits that bees bring from pollinating plants are not visible at first glance. We buy vegetables, fruits and other agricultural products, eat them, and easily forget that only thanks to bees they got to our table.
Thanks to the bee, man developed agricultural activities. Even the most modern technology cannot replace them and do the job so delicately.
The benefits of bees are obvious. Man cannot survive without these hardworking insects. The bee works every day, dying in flight.
Unfortunately, according to official statistics, more than half of the bee species have disappeared over the past 100 years. And today there is a threat of extinction of honey insects all over the world. In many countries, the number of bee colonies is declining. The reasons for this phenomenon: uncontrolled use of pesticides, pesticides, breeding work to create self-pollinating and genetically modified plants and crops.
Despite the fact that in our time in many countries, in particular in Germany and the USA, there are programs to support beekeeping as one of the most effective ways to increase plant productivity, we are increasingly hearing about the collapse of bee colonies. Bees are dying en masse. And now Chinese farmers have already experienced for themselves that pollinating plants without bees is almost a feat.
Although the problem exists throughout the world, it has become particularly acute in the mountainous Maoxian County of China's Sichuan Province, where all wild bees have died out and farmers are forced to pollinate apple orchards by hand.
Pollination of apple trees in Maoxian must be completed within five days, otherwise the trees will not bear fruit. Now every year thousands of residents come to the gardens to do this hard work.
Using homemade pollinators made from chicken feathers or cigarette filters dipped into plastic bottles filled with pollen, one person can pollinate 5-10 trees a day. Children also participate in the process. They climb trees to reach higher branches.
The challenges facing farmers in Maoxian provide a glimpse of what could happen on a global scale.
Continued loss of honey insects will lead to worsening global food security throughout the world. More than 20 thousand species of flowering plants will disappear from the Earth, which will undermine the foundations of the Earth's ecosystems. And 4 years after the complete disappearance of this beneficial insect, according to scientists, humanity will die from hunger and lack of oxygen.
Therefore, let's take care of bees, whose benefits for humans are invaluable.
