Title Graphic Credit Alex Taylor, Everyday Conversation
Each month our Bee Informed Blog highlights current news, science, and research related to solitary bee conservation, food insecurity, and sustainability.
This month, we've decided to do something a little different and highlight five short educational videos to help you learn more about the importance of bees as pollinators, the threats they face, and their contribution to sustainable development.
All videos are available to watch for free on YouTube.
Enjoy and Happy Learning!
1. Center for Biological Diversity - Native Bee Diversity in North America
View this beautiful slideshow of some of North America's Native Bees.
(Running Time 1 minute 40 seconds)
2. FAO - Imagine a World Without Bees
More than 75 % of the world's food crops rely on pollination. Without bees, we wouldn't have these nutritious foods. Bees play an essential role in keeping us and the planet healthy.
(Running Time 1 minute)
3. Team Candiru: The Solitary Bees
90% of the world's bees are solitary bees. Our solitary species are crucial pollinators yet are little known or conserved. This short film aims to change that by showcasing the fascinating behavior and value of solitary bees. It follows various species through their struggles to find resources, avoid death and create new life.
(Running Time 17 minutes, 4 seconds)
4. Marla Spivak: Why bees are disappearing
Bees are disappearing around the globe. Using the honey bee as an example, Marla Spivak reveals four interacting reasons our bees are dying. Since bees pollinate a third of the world's crops, we must take these global declines seriously. Could this incredible species be holding up a mirror for us?
(Running Time 15 minutes, 57 seconds)
5. Lucy King: How bees can keep the peace between elephants and humans
Imagine waking in the middle of the night to an elephant ripping the roof from your house in search of food. This scenario is a reality in some African communities where, as wild spaces shrink, people and elephants compete for space and resources like never before. In this engaging talk, zoologist Lucy King shares her solution to the rising conflict: fences made from beehives that keep elephants at bay while helping farmers establish new livelihoods.
(Running Time 13 minutes, 24 seconds)
Learn more about the Elephants & Bees Project.
