Healthy bees are a good sign of the overall health of the environment of our cities. We have to ask the question though, what exactly does that mean? How do we quantify that a healthy city can be discerned from its urban bee population? Fortunately for us, research has been done, and the results are released. It shows how scientists are using bees to determine how healthy our cities are.
According to a recent study published in March 2019, a group of scientists have found that Honey bees located in the city are great Bio-monitors for our environment. That means the bees can be used to measure the level of toxic elements in our environment.
The report published in the online Scientific Journal, Nature Sustainability, details the findings of Kate E. Smith and her fellow researchers. Based in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences of the University of British Columbia in Canada, she tested honey form Urban Beehives spread across Vancouver.
Testing for trace amounts of heavy metals in honey, the team at the University of British Columbia in Canada can build a picture of what is in your local environment.
The team was looking to build an accurate picture of the levels of lead, zinc and copper in the local environment. They believe that by monitoring these levels, they can help to predict the future impact of our increasingly urban environments accurately.
So how is it done?
The researchers collect honey from local Urban Beehives. They test the honey for the metals to a very high standard. Once they have the data, they can build a picture over the years of how much heavy metals are in the environment and where they are coming from.
Now don't worry, your Urban Honey is not tainted by heavy metals and slowly killing you. The levels they are finding are well below the allowable daily exposure limits. But it does help them understand what is going on in the city.
Why does testing honey show us what is going on in our urban environments?
As many of us know, honey strongly reflects the local flavours of the environment around it. That is why your honey has different characteristics. If there are a lot of Gum trees in the area that the bees are foraging in, you get intense woody flavours. If there is plenty of lavender in bloom, you get light floral honey. In short, your honey tastes like your neighbourhood.
This is what makes the data collected so valuable to the researchers. Bees will generally collect pollen and nectar from plants around two or three kilometres from their hive. They will try to stay as close to the colony as possible but can go up to seven kilometres for food. They go along to flower after flower, picking up pollen. But they also pick up tiny microscopic pieces of metal. This metal is typically airborne metal that has settled on the flowers. It can come from factories and other types of exhausts. But some of these metals and chemicals are not found in our modern cities.
The collection of this data helps scientists know what chemicals are in our air and how much there is. Then they can develop plans to limit and reduce the levels. For example, in Vancouver, they found trace elements of chemicals that are illegal in Canada and most developed countries. They discovered that these chemicals were arriving on ships that were docking in the local port. These ships were coming from a country where the chemicals are still in use. This data helped the researchers understand how pollution travels and how they can limit its spread.
Not bad for a few simple honey tests.
How does this answer our question? How do we know that Healthy Urban Bees means Health cities?
If bees are a reflection of their environment and they are healthy, then that means our environment is healthy!
The study in Vancouver found that the level of metals in their environment was well within allowable healthy limits. As a result, the bees were thriving in those areas. They were happy, producing lots of honey and pollinating as many plants as they can get their wings on.
It’s probably safe to say that if the neigbourhood is good enough for bees, it’s good enough for us.
What does this mean for us? It means that if you see a beehive humming away, or a swarm making itself at home in your backyard tree, take it as a good sign. If the bees feel its a safe enough place for them, and they are getting plenty of healthy food, then it's probably the right place for you too. Bees are a resilient yet delicate little creature. They can serve as our early warning system, letting us know when there is something not quite right in our neighbourhood.
As Urban Bee Project Australia grows, we hope to have these little environmental monitors in as many backyards as possible. We can use their help to help make sure we are doing what we can to look after our neighbourhood.
Next time you see a hard-working girl out there, rest assured that your neighbourhood is healthy. Go ahead and enjoy some delicious local honey too.
We have included the link at the bottom to the research article; if you feel like a good solid read, head on over and read the results for yourself. Just remember that it's written in a scientific format, so don't be surprised when you have re-read it. We know we had to.
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Until our next blog, go make friends with a bee. Share some Ramen with it. Everyone love Ramen.
Article Source: Nature Science. - Honey as a biomonitor for a changing world. (Published: 11 March 2019.)