Bring the bees to town
The idea began a few years ago with the rise of urban beehives. Every major city now has them, perched on rooftops or nestled in parks — safe havens that allow these pollinating insects to escape pesticides and slow their decline.
But according to a study, an excessive concentration of these hives could create harmful competition between “domestic” and wild bees. Should we throw them out altogether? Not so fast.
For years, biodiversity experts have observed a dramatic decline in bee populations. To respond, several communities have encouraged the installation of beehives — Paris leading the way.
According to the latest census by the City of Paris in 2015, the capital had 687 colonies of so-called “domestic” bees, in as many hives. And since then, the number has kept rising. In 2017, the city even adopted a “Beehives and Pollinators” plan aimed at continuing to install apiaries through 2020.
Competition between pollinators
For three years, several researchers observed the activity of some of these hives in the capital. According to their findings, the density of apiaries is not without consequences: once the flowers have been harvested by “domestic” bees, there’s nothing left for the wild ones.
“It has been observed that where domestic hives are installed, there are fewer visits from wild pollinators such as bumblebees, butterflies, and both small and large wild bees,” explains Isabelle Dajoz, professor of ecology and co-author of the study. While the “domestic” bee — Apis mellifera, or the honey bee — is the most familiar, France is actually home to around 1,000 bee species. Wild, solitary bees, unlike their counterparts, are not kept in hives and live alone.
In areas where competition is strong, better organization is needed. “We must provide more plants — more nectar-rich species such as lavender, rosemary, or linden trees,” concludes one beekeeper.
Asian hornet, a serious threat to the beekeeping sector and harms biodiversity
The Asian hornet (Vespa velutina nigrithorax) causes significant damage in orchards by devouring fruit and is particularly known for attacking bees. Foraging bees make up about 80% of an Asian hornet’s diet in urban areas and 45% in rural ones. Although not all bees are killed, they experience high levels of stress due to hornet predation, which limits their collection of nectar and pollen and reduces their winter reserves.
The species appeared in the southern part of Île-de-France in 2014. From 50 nests recorded in 2015, the number rose to 269 in 2016 and 391 in 2017 across the region — and that’s only the tip of the iceberg. A nest of the Asian yellow-legged hornet was discovered on July 13, 2016, on the premises of the National Museum of Natural History in Paris. The Asian hornet is steadily gaining ground in the capital.
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