DCs for Bees: the sub-initiative to help save Ireland’s wild bee species

DCs for Bees is a sub-initiative of Host in Ireland – their aim is to help save Ireland’s bee population by educating, advocating, creating awareness and taking action.

According to pollinators.ie, Ireland has 21 bumblebee species, of which four are endangered and 2 are vulnerable. Two bee species have become extinct in Ireland within the last 80 years (Andrena rosae and Nomada sheppardana). Another species, Andrena fulva, thought to be extinct, was rediscovered in 2012. There are 98 species of wild bee and one species of honey bee, known as the Apis mellifera mellifera, the European dark bee.

“The more research we did, it started to come around bees and the dire situation that we’re in around that and bees are only an indicator, so bees and butterflies are an indicator of biodiversity as a whole”, said Michelle Wallace, Head of Operations, Host in Ireland. “We arrived on it because it felt like something that we could make a difference in. It felt like something where, ‘if I just do something on my own, in my back garden, I can make a difference’ and that’s the really powerful thing about bees.”

DCs for Bees uses ambassadors to “advocate, create awareness and take action through their organisations, their colleagues, their communities and their family and friends”.

“It is scary”, said Ismay Crowley, DCs for Bees Ambassador and Marketing Executive, Suir Engineering. “If we can do just one small thing, like being an ambassador – I mean I’ve been linking with people in my locality that I would never normally be speaking to – I’ve been speaking to schools and our local beekeeper’s association and, even just spreading the word with workplace colleagues can work.

“If we can do this one small thing, but as a collection of people, absolutely, we can do a whole lot more… it’s the first time this industry has come together to do something like this, to get our own Pollinator Plan. So, hopefully others will follow suit, and then you’ve got even more getting involved”.

“For me, it was like twisting a rubber arm, you know, it was very easy for me to join the crew. It was my pleasure, to be honest”, said Brid Saruwatari, DCs for Bees Ambassador and Financial Controller, Keppel Data Centres in Ireland. “There’s so much in the media now about the impact of climate change on daily living, about what’s going on with the ozone layer, about changing habits.

“I guess in the back of my mind subconsciously, I was looking for a project where I could make a difference. So, this was perfect for me… I have an awful lot to learn, I don’t know anything about bees really, I just know how much they contribute to the whole biodiverse universe that we live in. But I want to learn more, and I want to share what knowledge I have with the team of ambassadors that are there.

“If you just buy a box and put a bit of soil in it, and put a few seeds in it, and you don’t have to have a big garden… if everybody did that… every little bit makes every little difference, it can just build up into something fantastic”.

Friends of the Earth have recommended some ways in which people can create havens for bees, such as giving them shelter by letting grass grow and putting away the pesticides.

“(Brid) was mindful enough to spot a bee that was thought to be extinct for over 80 years, said Michelle. “Now, Brid didn’t discover it after 80 years, but she DID have the first sighting in Carlow, where she’s based, of this bee.

“That feeds into the National Biodiversity Data Centre and their tracking of this bee, and hopefully it’s expanding now, rather than contracting”.

Bees aren’t just under threat in Ireland, or the UK, they’re under threat globally. AG Daily reported that data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Statistics Service revealed “In 2017, the United States had 2.88 million honeybee colonies, down 12% from the record high 3.28 million colonies in 2012”.

“In areas of the U.S., they’ve got severe issues around pollination, and because of monoculture farming, they’re driving around trucks of beehives to pollinate crops”, said Michelle. “In Ireland, we have rich hedgerows, and this really, really helps our pollination and hopefully can contribute somewhat to protecting our bees.

“I do know that in China, there are actually people employed to help physically pollinate crops because that biodiversity doesn’t exist… they actually have people hired to do the job”.

Brid drew attention to a case where a shop removed all products related to bees and pollination from their shelves, and people were shocked by how few products remained.

An example of this occurred in Woolworths in Sydney, Australia. The store removed all products that rely on pollination (fruit, vegetables, nuts, cereal, coffee etc) from bees and other insects to highlight how it is a vital part of ecosystems and everyday life.

According to pollinators.ie, “In Europe alone, 84% of the 264 crop species are animal pollinated and 4,000 vegetable varieties exist thanks to pollination by bees. Across Europe, crop pollination accounts for nearly €15 billion of the total economic value of crop production per year. In Ireland, the annual value of animal pollination to home- produced food crops was recently estimated to be up to €59 million per year”.