Urban beekeeping has been touted as a way to boost pollination and improve sustainability, food security and biodiversity in cities. Many people and businesses who've added beehives to their backyards and rooftops (including CBC) say they're doing it to help fight declines in bee populations.
But researchers say urban beekeepers are likely doing just the opposite when it comes to wild bee species.
McGill entomology researcher and PhD candidate Gail MacInnis presented her findings at the Apimondia International Apicultural Congress in Montreal earlier this week
McGill entomology researcher and PhD candidate Gail MacInnis says that when comparing pollination efficiency between wild bees native to Canada and the more numerous honey bees, there is no contest. Wild bees win, wings down.
Some entomologists are sounding the alarm that native bees could be in danger of being wiped out, because of the popularity of urban beekeeping.
“The danger is that we’re probably losing species and don’t even know it,” says Gail MacInnis, a PhD entomology candidate at McGill University. Something needs to be done, she says, to control the number of honeybees being raised.
publié 11 fév 2014 | Le Délit
Rédigé par Alexandra Nadeau
Published on Feb 7, 2014 | Inhabitat
Written by Lori Zimmer
