Bees

Bzzzzzzz — the sound of bees buzzing through flowers in spring. Have you heard many recently? I haven’t! Where are all the bees?

It seems the council contractors have been spraying a lot more frequently.

I was taking my cat for a walk and I was keeping him in the middle of the footpath because I didn’t want him to touch the areas that have been sprayed because it is very dxic. I saw a sign on the fence saying “Please do not spray this fence line,” and yet they still had sprayed!

Personally, I have seen very few bees recently.

Very few bees is a problem for crops as they are the main pollinators.

They used to use steam on the North Shore, which is non-toxic to the environment, until they switched to using glyphosate because it is much cheaper. They have been spraying a lot more recently around parks, which is a hazard for pets and native bird life — and most of all for bees who come to pollinate the flowers.

Other residents agree with me and have noticed that they have been spraying in doughnut rings around trees, which is completely unnecessary and harmful to the environment. My observations after a survey of friends is that those living in Puhoi, Orewa, Silverdale and Wainui have very few bees, and those living in Manly and Makarau have many.

If a bee comes into contact with a plant that has been sprayed, death is quite likely as it disrupts their nervous system. If they don’t die, they are less productive and have shorter lives. It also affects the colony as it disrupts their communication and it can also disrupt the bees’ reproductive health, leading to colony collapse.

When herbicides are applied to crops, it causes a huge problem for bees as they will be coming to pollinate, and it can cause problems with their navigation and ability to find food, ultimately leading to colony collapse.

The most commonly used herbicides such as glyphosate (otherwise known as Roundup) and neonicotinoids, which are in insecticides, have been shown to have a particularly strong impact on bees. These chemicals can bind to the bees’ nervous system, disrupting communication between individuals and ultimately affecting colony behaviour.

There are indirect effects as well. The role of habitat destruction and loss of forage is a big problem.

The Journal of Ecology published a study that showed when herbicides are sprayed, there is a 50% loss of plant diversity, which can have devastating consequences for bees.

In 2024 Auckland Council and its contractors used over 30 tonnes of glyphosate.

What you can do to help the bees: plant wildflowers and other plants that bees love such as lavender, borage, roses — and also look for alternative ways to get rid of weeds that are not harmful to Bees