#15 - Tom Earls: Why We Need To Protect Bee Populations

Mind Body Plants

Tom Earls is a beekeeper and educator in Surf Coast, Victoria, and the founder of Coastal Nectar.

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Specifically, we discuss:

• Why we need to protect bee populations
• Role in the ecosystem
• Pesticides and insecticides
• Medicinal properties of honey
• How to help local bee populations thrive

Coastal Nectar links:

Coastal Nectar on Facebook
Coastal Nectar on Instagram

Mind Body Plants links:
Mind Body Plants on Instagram

Education and further resources:
Bringing bees back to Australian backyards
Supporting native bee populations
Ensuring our food security
Bees are dying. What can we do about it?

Worldwide, bee populations are on the decline. This is caused by the use of pesticides and herbicides, climate change, loss of habitat, and agriculture services like monoculture farming, contributing to a loss in plant biodiversity. Without plant biodiversity for bees to pollinate or feed on, bees are hindered to provide their colony and subsequently, the ecosystem at large. Why do we need to protect bee populations? Bees are keystone species, meaning they are an organism that helps hold the system together. Without keystone species, the ecosystem would be drastically different or cease entirely. If bees die off it will end most life. Throughout nature, animals depend on bees for their survival because their food sources, things like berries, fruits, seeds, and nuts, rely on insect pollination. Pollination is needed for the growth of flora, providing the habitat and nutrition for animals.