It turns out we have been saving the wrong bees (msn.com)
The thesis is that honeybees are competing for nectar and pollen with other pollinators to the general detriment. On the other hand I can imagine that agricultural monocrops satiate native pollinator populations. On the gripping hand most field crops don’t require insect pollination - cereals are wind-pollinated, and lack of pollination may if anything increase root crop yields.
Very interesting article.
Highly misleading headline - “wrong bees” suggests we shouldn’t be saving honeybees - which is nonsense.
It isn’t news but it clearly needs more publicity. Bee hives have been banned from certain SSSIs for decades because of the issue of competition with the native bees. I also think the business of planting for pollinators is a distraction from the real issues. It is like being told to hang up more peanuts to save Britain’s birds.
