The effects of the lockdown on bees and beekeepers

What happened to the bees during the pandemic?

In the year 2020 and 2021 there were frequent restrictions related to our mobility. The block relating to human movements has created a strong slowdown in all activities.

During the pandemic many beekeepers found it difficult to reach their apiary. The bees , on the other hand, seem to have benefited from the lockdown periods , reminding us once again that humans are the cause of many problems that damage nature.

Our forced confinement has allowed nature to carry on its normal and incessant cycle of development, undisturbed. Our forced absence was the cause of a miraculous rebirth of nature. Let's see how the bees have benefited from these periods.

Reduction of pollution and welfare of bees

The reduction of harmful emissions, and the decrease in pollution , have led the earth to be reborn. The first to benefit from this context were the animals.

The bees in particular found themselves living in a healthier environment . The life cycle of these insects is usually very short, around 40/60 days. This means that some generations of bees have actually lived in a very favorable territory and benefited from it.

First of all, the obsessive cleaning along the roadsides was interrupted, allowing plants to grow and flourish, offering an additional and unexpected food source for bees and other pollinators.

Another factor that should not be underestimated was the sharp reduction in traffic . The scarcity of cars on the road, in many areas of the planet, has caused a drastic drop in pollution. Smog, even if indirectly, has always been a strong enemy of swarms.

What happens with smog in fact, has nothing to do with the breathing of bees, but reduces their ability to perceive the scent of flowers. In this way, the identification of food becomes difficult and the bees work double to feed half of them, consequently, the colonies weaken.

Nature is reborn without man: a point to reflect on

Clearly, this period of blockade has really made us realize that many of the problems our planet suffers from are linked to us and to some of our wrong behaviors.

Man is increasingly abusing all the resources the planet offers. The lockdown helped us understand how nature can benefit from our absence. For this reason, we must ensure that our survival does not damage the development of nature and that it does not hinder its life cycles.

It is important to be able to maintain all the benefits we have seen over time. The waters of the rivers have become clearer again, the air quality has improved, the plants have managed to proliferate and the whole of nature has brought about a real rebirth.

These events should really make us think. We know very well that pollution has had a direct impact on the depopulation of bee families . Eliminating or otherwise reducing the use of chemicals and pesticides as much as possible is the first step to encourage the development of these very important animals.

The difficulties of beekeepers

While the bees regained balance and strength, on the other, beekeepers during the lockdown, struggled to fully manage their work due to limitations. In Italy, there were no major problems since farmers were still allowed to move within state borders. In other countries, on the other hand, there have been many restrictions that have had a strong impact on this sector.

In Greece, for example, beekeepers couldn't travel long distances and struggled to get to the swarms. The limitation on travel has reduced the possibility of nomadic beekeepers to lead their bees to nectar sources for foraging.

The importance of bees for our planet

Bees are pollinating insects . This feature makes them very important for our planet. The work of bees has a strong impact on the world's food available. This is because thanks to the pollination process, bees favor the exchange of pollen between flowers and plants, causing their continuous proliferation.

Without the work done by bees with constancy, many plant species that we have available today would not exist.

The extinction of certain plant species would cause many imbalances within the food chain and irreversible damage could occur such as the disappearance of other animal species.

A third of the food available to us today may not exist. Bees are essential to maintain the balance of the ecosystem and the entire planet.

For over thirty million years, bees have been helping flowers to expand their range and reproduce, ensuring the maintenance of biodiversity and even helping to restore areas close to desertification.

Protecting the lives of these wonderful animals is just as important as our survival.

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