BEES… why are they so valuable?
Bees are one of the most important pollinators and have a very important role in our lives. Thanks to the hard work of pollinators, we can enjoy fruits, vegetables, wheat, and other types of crops that we eat! More than one third of the food that people around the world eat every day can only grow because of these pollinators.
What does the word pollinator mean? Pollination is the process when an insect, in this case the bee, transports pollen from one flower to the next. This movement allows fertilization to happen; and as a result, it produces more seed, that are usually found inside fruits or vegetables. This means that these tiny, winged creatures are very valuable in the world’s ecosystem.
As the honeybees collect food from the flowers in the form of a sugary syrup called nectar the tiny hairs on their bodies and the pockets on their legs carry the pollen. Can you imagine how hard that is for such a tiny creature?
The Maltese Honey Bee is native to Malta and is a sub-species of the Western honey bee. Its scientific name is Apis Mellifera Ruttneri.
This type of bee is very special as it has adapted over the years to our climate and environment. Making Apis Mellifera Ruttneri very good at surviving our long summers and strong winds. Pure colonies still exist on our island and of the 2,000 beehives spread across Malta and Gozo, 83% have the Ruttneri DNA.
Honey is one of Malta’s most treasured products!
Honeybees follow the seasons. To produce honey, adult bees collect nectar from flowers by extracting it with their tongue. Then they store it in their abdomen where it is combined with their enzymes. After a while, the bees return to their hives and transfer the nectar to other bees, who break it down into different compounds rich with fructose and glucose. This is stored in honeycombs. Did you know that the colour and flavour of honey varies according to the flower from which the nectar was extracted from!
Here is a nectar monthly calendar for you to follow:
The Maltese cross (Lychnis chalcedonica) is one of the plants found in Malta that attracts plenty of bees. The Hummingbird moth and many butterflies are also attracted to this red-flowered plant. Lavender and Thyme are also amongst the bees’ favourite plants.
The 20th May marks World Bee Day. We have seen the importance that these tiny creatures have in our lives. Therefore, we encourage you, to help maintain the bee population alive. This can be done by reducing the use of bee killing pesticides. Did you know that Malta, together with other EU countries have banned a number of these pesticides and this ensures that bees are healthy for the years to come, and we have food grown in our fields to feed the population?
We can also help maintain the bee population alive by planting more native plants that provide different bees with food throughout the year. It is very important to be kind towards the environment as this provides us with a place to relax, food to eat, flowers to enjoy while also providing a healthy place to live for not just us but hundreds, thousands of animals and plants that keep our planet so beautiful!
