With reports of declining insect populations around the world, there is growing concern for bees. This has led to an increase in interest in urban beekeeping – growing bees in cities. However, there is an opinion that honey bees, which were brought to the Americas by European colonizers, should live near the monoculture fields of industrial agriculture, where they are critical for crop pollination, and not in cities.
Do bee and wild bees compete?
Some entomologists and wild bee advocates are concerned that apiary bees are out-competing wild bees for sources of nectar and pollen. Scientists who have studied this issue have not been able to unequivocally confirm this. 10 out of 19 experimental studies revealed some signs of competition between apiary and wild bees, mainly in areas near agricultural fields. Most of these studies focus on rural areas. However, some animal rights activists believe that if something can harm wild bees, then it should be discarded. They believe that beekeeping should be prohibited.
bees in agriculture
Honey bees are deeply embedded in the capitalist-industrial food system, which makes them extremely vulnerable. The number of such bees is not declining because people artificially breed them, quickly replacing lost colonies. But honey bees are susceptible to the toxic effects of chemicals containing insecticides, fungicides and herbicides. Like wild bees, honey bees also suffer from nutrient deficiencies in industrial farming monoculture landscapes, and being forced to travel for pollination puts them under stress. This has led to honey bees becoming infected and spreading numerous diseases to vulnerable wild bee populations. The biggest concern is that the viruses spread by the Varroa mite, which is endemic to honey bees, could spread to wild bees.
urban beekeeping
Commercial beekeeping uses many of the methods from factory farming. Queen bees are artificially inseminated, potentially narrowing genetic diversity. Honey bees are fed a highly processed sugar syrup and concentrated pollen, often derived from corn and soybeans, which grow throughout much of North America. The bees are treated with antibiotics and miticides against the Varroa mite.
Research shows that honey bees, as well as some wild species, do well in cities. In urban environments, bees are less exposed to pesticides than in agricultural fields and face a wider variety of nectar and pollen. Urban beekeeping, which is largely a hobby, is not integrated into factory farming, potentially allowing for more ethical beekeeping practices. For example, beekeepers can let the queens mate naturally, use organic mite control methods, and let the bees consume their own honey. In addition, urban honey bees are beneficial to the development of an ethical local food system. Research shows that hobby beekeepers are more likely to lose colonies than commercial beekeepers, but this can change with the right support and education. Some experts agree that if you do not consider bee and wild bees as competitors, you can see them as partners in creating abundance.