Today is Endangered Species Day says the World Wildlife Fund. So, in honor of the day,
US Person posts this story about Rome's bees in a time of pandemic. Honey bees are not endangered, but face many environmental threats to their existence, one of which is sudden colony collapse syndrome.
[26.08.08} Their populations have decreased world-wide.
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| credit: AFP |
A colony of honeybees lives on the roof of a
carabinieri building. The police have been monitoring the 150,000 bees living in three hives during Italy's strict, two month quarantine. Their caretakers found the bees are enjoying a "Roman Holiday" of sorts. They have beneficially reacted to the lack of vehicle traffic, pollution, and noise in the sprawling city of 2.8 million. “They’ve been happy,” said Raffaele Cirone, president of the Italian Apiculture Federation says. Their numbers have increased and they appear healthy, an indication of the good nutrition they are receiving. Honey has also improved in appearance and taste. Tests show that the bees are visiting 150 different flowers up to 2 kms away. That is an increase from 100 flowers before the lockdown began. Bees are now able to smell flowers farther away because of a cleaner atmosphere. Before quarantine, the urban bees only foraged up to a kilometer away. Cirone is particularly interested in the effects of particulates of heavy metals and microplastics, PM10 and PM2.5, on bee health.
There are an estimated 1000-2000 hives in the Eternal City. Urban bees may have an easier life than their rural relatives, which have to contend with intense use of pesticides on crops.
{18.03.13} Quarantine conditions provided a unique opportunity to study the affect of drastically altered human activity on rooftop hives. Although it might appear strange military police should study urban bees, part of the
carabinieri's jurisdiction is protecting forests and the environment. They are sharing information with thirty other groups studying Rome's bee colonies with a view towards increasing their number of colonies to aid pollination needs. Data from the quarantine period included in a three year project,is expected to be reported this summer. It seems that these"sentinels of Nature"are telling us something important.
