FFS 007 - Why Bees Matter

In this episode, we discuss the wonderful world of bees and why bees matter.

I talk with Dr. Dennis vanEngelsdorp, assistant professor of entomology at the University of Maryland in the United States, and project director for the Bee Informed Partnership. He’s also the former acting Chief Apiarist in Pennsylvania, and is widely known and been very influential in his work with bees on a phenomenon called Colony Collapse Disorder.

We explore:

• The historical significance of bees and our evolving relationship with them

• What bees really are, what they do, and a few misconceptions surrounding bees

• Why bees matter for sustainability and why we can’t live without them

• The mystery of Colony Collapse Disorder

• What we can all do to directly support bees

Links

• ‘A plea for bees’ Dennis vanEngelsdorp TED Talk

• Bee informed Partnership – a collaboration of leading research labs and universities to better understand honey bee declines in the US.

• US Geological Society, Sam Droege Solitary Bee pictures, Native Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab

• ‘The first 21 days of a bee’s life’ - Anand Varma - TED Timelapse

• The Xerces Society - international nonprofit organization that protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitats.

• Pollinator Partnership- promoting the health of pollinators, critical to food and ecosystems, through conservation, education, and research.