Honey Bee - Threats and Conservation
'Bee Aware'
Bee Aware
- Original 320mm x 420mm.
Original Available: No
- Original 320mm x 420mm.
Original Available: No
Honey bee populations are facing a gradual global decline. A major driving factor is the loss of diverse floral resources, which triggers severe pollen shortages and bee malnutrition. Gorse, for example, serves as a vital winter protein source that sustains small colonies and fuels brood growth. Ironically, because it is an introduced species that completes with commercial forestry, gorse is classified and treated as a 'pest plant' across New Zealand.
Additional pressures include escalating diseases and an economic undervaluation of the crucial role beekeeping plays in agriculture. Chief among these threats is the varroa mite, a devastating external parasite. White these mites attach themselves to adult bees, they primarily target and reproduce inside the larvae and pupae cells. This weakens the developing brood, causes severe physical malformations, and actively spreads lethal viruses throughout the hive.
New Zealand Beekeeping Incorporated (NZBI) works to conserve and protect New Zealand Honey Bees through education, resources and the provision of ongoing support to backyard beekeepers.
Bee Aware highlights this ecological plight to spark public awareness. It depicts an adult bee gathering pollen from gorse flower, unaware of the destructive varroa mite clinging to its body.
Additional pressures include escalating diseases and an economic undervaluation of the crucial role beekeeping plays in agriculture. Chief among these threats is the varroa mite, a devastating external parasite. White these mites attach themselves to adult bees, they primarily target and reproduce inside the larvae and pupae cells. This weakens the developing brood, causes severe physical malformations, and actively spreads lethal viruses throughout the hive.
New Zealand Beekeeping Incorporated (NZBI) works to conserve and protect New Zealand Honey Bees through education, resources and the provision of ongoing support to backyard beekeepers.
Bee Aware highlights this ecological plight to spark public awareness. It depicts an adult bee gathering pollen from gorse flower, unaware of the destructive varroa mite clinging to its body.