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National Geographic
7 days ago
- Science
- National Geographic
A quiet island experiment reveals a battle of the bees
When beekeepers introduced honeybees to a protected island, wild bees nearly vanished. Could removing the hives reverse the damage? Domestic honeybees (Apis mellifera) help with pollinating crops worldwide, but they also compete with wild bees for nectar resources. Photograph by Ingo Arndt, Nat Geo Image Collection Since 2018, honeybees have feasted on wildflowers across a remote Italian island called Giannutri every spring. But for the last four years, Lorenzo Pasquali had the unusual task of shutting the honeybee hives down and watching wild bees as they scrambled to claim the flowers, racing for every drop of nectar in the absence of their domesticated rivals. Managed honeybees, often used in agriculture, and native bees feast on the same floral nectars and pollens. Ecologists have long suspected that honeybees may be pushing wild bees to the margins, but carrying out experiments in these wild insects has turned out to be tricky. Pasquali, an ecologist now at the University of Bialystok, Poland, and his colleagues turned the islet—just over half the size of New York's Central Park—into a living laboratory to test honeybees' impact. The results, recently published in the journal Current Biology, suggest that wild bee numbers alarmingly dropped. With the temporary removal of honeybees, nectar and pollen levels surged, allowing wild bees to forage more and feed on nectar longer and altering their daily routines. 'It is surprising and a nice experiment,' says Alfredo Valido, an entomologist at the Instituto de Productos Naturales y Agrobiología in Spain, who was not involved in the research. The researchers designed a very clear experiment relating honeybees, flowers and wild bees, he adds. (Native bees that pollinate many of our favorite foods.) A new honeybee (Apis mellifera) emerges from a brood cell to live for six short weeks. It spends that time foraging for food, making honey, and raising the next generation. Composite Photograph by Anand Varma, Nat Geo Image Collection The buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) was one of two wild species that saw a drop in numbers on Giannutri Island after honeybees were introduced. Photograph by Chris Gomersall, 2020VISION/Nature Picture Library Beekeepers first brought honeybee queens to Giannutri to raise them in isolation. The island is part of the Tuscan Archipelago National Park, and in 2021, authorities asked Pasquali's advisor, entomologist Leonardo Dapporto of the University of Florence to investigate whether managed honeybees that were recently brought to the island might have an unexpected ecological fallout. Hiking the island with another colleague, Alessandro Cini of the University of Pisa, they noticed plenty of honeybees buzzing around, but just a few wild bees. From scuba diving to set-jetting 'What if tomorrow there are no honeybees on the island?' Dapporto wondered. 'How [would] the behavior of wild bees change?' The team decided to use the island as a natural experiment. Every other morning, Pasquali would seal off the entrances to all 18 honeybee hives on alternating mornings, making sure the honeybees couldn't leave. Then, he and fellow researchers would observe the island's wild pollinators. The bees were kept inside until late afternoon—just long enough for researchers to observe how wild bees behaved in their absence. 'It was a unique experience. Never boring,' Pasquali says. 'I still remember every plant and rock on the island.' For Pasquali and his teammates, identifying native wild bees was easy. The wild bees are bigger and darker with bright colors. The wild bees also fly with a distinct buzzing sound compared to the honeybees. The researchers tracked how often wild bees entered or exited plots of land, tracking how often they visited flowers, and how long they spent drinking nectar. Using delicate tubes, they also measured the volume of nectar available for the wild bees in presence or absence of honeybees. The team found that when honeybees were locked in their hives, nectar volume increased by over 50 percent in some plants, while pollen level spiked by nearly 30 percent. Subsequently, the researchers found an increased level of searching behavior in wild bees and they also sucked in nectar for a longer time. Over four years, as the team carried out surveys on the island to monitor wild bee populations, they found that Anthophora dispar, a solitary native bee species, and Bombus terrestris, a type of bumblebee, fell by nearly 80 percent compared to their population level at the start of the study in 2021. While in the beginning of the experiment researchers expected to see some impacts to the wild bees, 'we didn't imagine that the impact was this strong,' Dapporto says. The dataset is still a correlation, he adds, but the fact that the wild bee population declined so significantly after the introduction of honeybees puts them on the prime focus compared to other factors. Commercial beekeeping, like this operation on a ranch in California, is extremely important for agriculture, but honeybees may threaten native wild species when they're introduced to protected areas. Photograph by Anand Varma, Nat Geo Image Collection 'We are not against beekeeping practice,' Dapporto adds. But when honeybees are introduced into protected areas, especially those home to rare, endangered, or native wild bee species, park authorities should exercise great caution and ecological assessment. Wild bees on bigger islands and even in sensitive protected areas in mainland regions might be facing similar fates, if honeybees have been introduced without proper assessment, the team says. Wild bees face a range of threats, from habitat loss and climate change to pesticide exposure. But unlike many of these pressures, competition from honeybees is something humans can actively manage. As soon as Dapporto's team informed the national park about the results, the park immediately took action, halting the practice of beekeeping starting this year. That makes the results even more impressive, Valido says, commending the quick action. 'It's not logical to introduce [managed species] in an area where you want to preserve the flora and fauna,' he adds. In addition to beekeeping, 'sometimes conservation areas have a variety of land uses for things like pasture cattle and sheep,' says Victoria Wojcik, Science Director at the Pollinator Partnership Canada, a non-profit dedicated for the conservation of pollinators. Even in these cases, conservationists should look at the ecosystem resources to avoid overstocking. But for an area designated as a critical habitat for an invertebrate species, specifically a bee, 'I would be really confused as to why someone would consider permitting honeybee keeping in that landscape,' she adds. As for Dapporto and his team, they are continuing to track whether the native wild bees would change their behavior and bounce back in number as the honeybees are removed from the island. The team has already collected some data this year and is planning to continue observation for coming years. 'Then we could see if a longer absence of honeybees will produce a [major] effect on the behavior of wild bees,' he adds.
Web Release
20-05-2025
- Business
- Web Release
AMWAJ Development Leads the Charge in Biodiversity with 'Preserving the Pollinators of the UAE' CSR Initiative
AMWAJ Development Leads the Charge in Biodiversity with 'Preserving the Pollinators of the UAE' CSR Initiative AMWAJ Development, the real estate arm of Aurora Prime Investment Group (API), is proud to lead the Group's latest corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative: 'YALLA BEENA! Preserving the Pollinators of the UAE'. Following its entry into the market with two mid-luxury projects, AMWAJ is now entering a new phase, developing luxury communities of higher value — starting with its flagship project in May 2025, which marks the launch of the developer's third project. This initiative reflects AMWAJ's commitment to building with purpose, integrating environmental stewardship into the heart of its future-facing developments. Launched in collaboration with Green Gardenia Landscaping and One Hive Group — the UAE-based sustainability organisation behind Hatta Honey Hive — the YALLA BEENA! initiative with the slogan 'small wings, big purpose' seeks to counteract the decline of pollinator populations, a growing concern amid rapid urbanisation and climate shifts. 'Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do at AMWAJ,' said Aida Al Shehabi, Chief Operating Officer at AMWAJ Development. 'This initiative reflects our broader vision to create communities that are not only intelligently designed but also environmentally responsible. Through strategic collaborations like this one, we are proving that real estate development and ecological stewardship can and must go hand in hand.' Green Gardenia adopted and gave a home to three native Apis mellifera hives, each housing approximately 60,000 hardworking bees. These vibrant colonies play a vital role in supporting the local Hatta ecosystem by pollinating native flora, enhancing biodiversity, and helping nature thrive. Each bee can visit around 5 thousand flowers per day, covering between 75% and 80% of our fruit and vegetables, ensuring our food security. 'A major part of our commitment to sustainability is ensuring that our work creates meaningful value for the broader community we operate in,' said Valentina Orejuela-Correa, Sustainability Engineer at Green Gardenia Landscaping. 'Our partnership with Hatta Honey, the UAE's leading sustainable beekeeping and honey producer, reflects our responsibility to design landscapes that actively support pollinators in the city. Together, we are creating spaces that sustain biodiversity, raise awareness, and offer real solutions to protect bee populations — all while aligning with the UAE's broader sustainability agenda.' One Hive Group, through its flagship environmental centre, Hatta Honey Bee Discovery Centre, will lead the execution of the programme, delivering training, maintaining hives and tracking biodiversity impact. A dedicated environmental symposium and carbon footprint reporting are also in the pipeline. 'In today's world, marketing is no longer just about visibility — it's about values,' said Nathalie Nasr, Marketing Manager at API. 'The YALLA BEENA initiative was born from the belief that even a corporate gift can be a powerful tool for change. It's a prime example of purpose-driven marketing, where brand storytelling, environmental action, and community engagement come together. We are proud to lead with purpose and invite others to support local conservation by adopting their own hives through our collaboration with Hatta Honey.' Aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the initiative contributes directly to: SDG 13 – Climate Action – Climate Action SDG 15 – Life on Land – Life on Land SDG 4 – Quality Education – Quality Education SDG 17 – Partnerships for the Goals As AMWAJ Development evolves its vision for luxury living, this initiative reinforces the belief that sustainability must remain central to growth, innovation, and community building in the UAE.
Khaleej Times
27-01-2025
- Science
- Khaleej Times
Dubai: Eco-warrior Jane Goodall unveils pollinators garden at Expo City
In a significant step towards a sustainable future, the pollinator garden named after Dr Jane Goodall was opened at Terra in Expo City Dubai on January 27, and attended by the renowned ethologist and conservationist. This ecological sanctuary is designed to emphasise the crucial role of pollinators in our ecosystems, particularly native bees. Jane Goodall's Pollinator Garden serves as a dynamic space that offers a model for ecological resilience in urban environments and aims to preserve local flora and fauna. Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels. As the world grapples with urgent issues like climate change and biodiversity loss, Dr Goodall's message resonates: 'We can all play a role in lessening the damage – reducing consumption, alleviating poverty... We are all interrelated.' Key features of the garden The Garden is home to two thriving beehives, each hosting over 15,000 UAE-native Apis mellifera bees. It features native plant species that foster symbiotic relationships with pollinators, creating a sanctuary for local wildlife. The flourishing bee colony, discovered in 2019, has grown rapidly from 2,000 bees during construction to 30,000 just three months after its reintroduction. With the integration of sustainable design and habitat restoration, the garden plays a crucial role in protecting biodiversity. The pollinator garden invites visitors to engage with nature and learn about the vital role of pollinators. Protecting the bees "All bees are good pollinators, and some wild bees are specialised for certain flowers,' Dr Goodall told Khaleej Times. 'Sometimes wild bees are better pollinators – that is, the plant in question will be more productive than when pollinated by the domestic honeybee. If we want to protect wild bees, then we need to protect the plants they have a partnership with,' she added. Dr Jane also highlighted the challenges facing global bee populations due to habitat loss, pesticides, and climate change. 'Some countries are banning the most harmful herbicides and pesticides – deadly for bees and other insects, but now proving harmful to us as well,' she noted. 100 hives, 100 schools Aiming to inspire a new generation of environmental advocates, Terra also announced the launch of the '100 hives, 100 schools' initiative. The programme, which aims to install beehives in 100 schools across the UAE and provides students with hands-on learning experiences, is supported by Roots and Shoots UAE. Students will gain practical experience in pollinator conservation, biodiversity tracking, and honey testing, fostering a sense of environmental responsibility. 'Through this initiative, we can inspire young people to understand the importance of biodiversity and the role pollinators play in ensuring food security and ecosystem health, through innovative hands-on exposure to biodiversity tracking and honey testing,' Dr Goodall said. The initiative's announcement forms part of a three-day programme titled "Pollinate Change, Inspire Tomorrow," featuring an exclusive live Q&A session with Dr Goodall on January 28 at 6pm. The session will be held in the Terra Auditorium, where attendees must register and present a valid Terra ticket for entry. ALSO READ:
