Bees provide an environmental quandary.
One the one hand we are dependant on food crops which need European bees
to fertilise the flowers (to say nothing of our taste for their honey)
But they compete too successfully with native bee species and one of the
effects of that is that many native flowers with a shape which prevents
European bees from entering, like tubular flowers, are not being
pollinated because of the absence of small native bees. This is is quite
a concern in some places.Con asks about nectar feeding birds and I suspect
there is a long term impact if the absence of native bees prevents the
reproduction of some native species and a reduction in available nectar
and pollen.
I had not thought of it before, but curiously, the virus threatening
European bees could make life better for native bees, the plants they
pollinate and the birds which feed upon them!!
On 6/10/2014 7:51 pm, "Con Boekel" <> wrote:
>European honeybees are introduced domestic animals or introduced ferals
>depending on their function.
>
>I have often wondered what impact bees have on bird species that depend
>on large amounts of nectar and pollen during the breeding season.
>
>regards
>
>Con
>
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