Guest blog by Susan Jonas, proposer of the SOS for Honeybees campaign
There is a
wonderful podcast - ‘Gossip from the Garden Pond’ (Best of Natural History
Radio 4) - three tales written by Lynne Truss which reveal the funny side of life
in and around a garden pond and open a door into this fascinating world.
My favourite
is the tale of the Garden Spider – it includes the protestations of a wasp being
wrapped up ready for lunch and the delights to be had from consuming a
butterfly, but I did feel sorry for the bee as it got caught in the web! All
these insects are pollinators to be welcomed in the garden, but many are facing
far worse problems than being eaten by a spider.
In 2009,
honeybees were in the news because their populations were declining, and without
pollination many crops are at risk of failing. The resolution ‘SOS for
Honeybees’, which was carried at the 2009 NFWI Annual Meeting, highlighted the
plight of bees and identified loss of habitat as a possible cause. The response
from WI members was overwhelming; some members trained as bee-keepers, and bee-friendly
plants were planted in even the smallest window boxes- there was something for
everyone to do!
The national
campaign led to the WI’s involvement with the National Pollinator Strategy.
Loss of
habitat, disease, pesticides, climate change – or a combination of these – may
all be contributing to the decline in pollinator populations. However there is
a huge need for more research, particularly in the field. Scientists require data as the evidence base
for policy decisions, but how is this data to be collected?
At a ‘Bee
Summit’ hosted by the NFWI and Friends of the Earth to coincide with the first
anniversary of the publication of the National Pollinator Strategy, I was asked
to speak about ‘Engaging the Public in Citizen Science’. This involves creating
a partnership between professional scientists and enthusiastic volunteers. In
the UK, there is a wonderful history of volunteers collecting data, particularly
for birds, butterflies and mammals, so could we do the same for pollinators?
To try this
out, I signed up for a citizen science project - ‘Bees ‘n Beans’ – at Sussex
University. This project was a little
bit more than just data collecting; it was actually doing an experiment
alongside about 500 other people spread across the UK. The aim of the project was to study insect
pollination in gardens and allotments.
My garden is
where it all happens! I call it my
evolving work of art, a place to experiment and sufficiently 'messy’ to be
attractive to pollinators. For those
worried the science might be too hard, rest assured there are no ‘right
answers’. This is an investigation! All
that is required is some knowledge of growing plants, a bit of time and some
space. It is no harder than following a
recipe, and the results can be a surprise...
So what did
I actually do?
The broad
beans and ‘rat-tailed’ radish seeds arrived from Sussex University in April
with plastic pots and plenty of instructions about how to grow them. I started
a journal to record everything I did and everything I saw. I made sure I
treated all the seeds fairly – same compost, same watering regime, etc.
Four
specimens of each plant were selected in May - one plant was put under fleece,
one plant for hand pollination, one free for all, and a spare in case of
accidents!
Hand
pollinating the broad bean flowers was quite straightforward- the bumblebees
joined in!
The radish
flowered in July - the small white flowers were of no interest to bumblebees
but attracted hoverflies. I hand pollinated with a paintbrush.
Small
beetles attacked the leaves and flowers of most plants, but under the fleece
the plant grew magnificently with masses of flowers!
I harvested
the broad beans in August, counting and weighing the pods and beans. The
radishes had no pods to harvest – this was all part of the experiment!
All the data
was sent to the professionals for analysis plus information about the
pollinators I had noticed.
As well as
providing vital data for large-scale research, taking part in this citizen
science project was fun. Recording everything in a journal is quite revealing. I had not taken much notice of hoverflies
before, but now I recognise them as important pollinators. The fleece protected
plants from predatory insects but there was no harvest. No pollination means no
crops.
Hand
pollination is quite time consuming and may not give the plants the extra
‘buzz’ to release pollen that insects give them. I saw Carol Klein on Gardeners’
World use an electric toothbrush for this purpose. Research shows that good
pollination increases both the quantity and quality of yields. My blackcurrants
are testament to this - I won first prize for them in the village show.
Resolutions
give us a mandate for action but we still need to be engaged and given
something positive to do.
We are
helping bees by creating ‘bee-friendly’ habitats and using less pesticide in
our gardens – now the researchers need a helping hand too. The need for information is great and creating
partnerships can make it happen.
At Sussex
University, the Buzz Club organises citizen science projects which connects
enthusiastic volunteers with large-scale research. This year I am taking part again – this time
with two projects ‘All About Alliums’ and ‘Bees ‘n Beans’!
The Buzz
Club offers citizen science opportunities across the UK and more information can
be found on their website www.thebuzzclub.uk/
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| Susan Jonas speaking at the 2015 Bee Summit (credit: Amelia Collins) |
