To bee or not to bee
new horticultural trends in the uk have spelled bad times for bumble-bees, large insects belonging to the Bombus family. The bumble-bee population is declining; among Britain's 19 species of bumble-bees, only six boast a healthy population. Modern gardening practices with hybridised varieties of flowers have driven the bumble-bee to the edge.
The hybridised flowers look larger and have greater commercial use. But their nectar yield is little. This has meant loss of sustenance for the bumble-bees, who need large amounts of energy to fly as they are bulkier than honey bees. They store very little honey in the bee-colony and die in a matter of days without a steady supply of nectar ( New Scientist , Vol 154, No 2087).
Bumble-bees are not seen as the most valuable of the species. But contrary to popular belief, they are of immense economic importance. They are very efficient and irreplaceable pollinators with long tongues
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