Content:
Bee health 2018, expansion of the topic, cause research, measures.
Cooperation with Portuguese partner
Further site searches for locations for research stations
Establishment of contacts with leading institutions on the subject of bee health
Relocation of the foundation
Outlook 2019
Bee health 2018
Expansion of the topic, cause research, measures
The year 2018 began very sobering for beekeepers in Germany - with regional differences. Many beekeepers had to record high losses of complete colonies, which accounted for up to 50% of the population.
Varroa mite
The Varroa mite infestation is considered to be the main cause. This is detectable in the colonies that remained dead in the hive. Even more careful preventive measures are indispensable. However, this is already the only option that beekeepers can implement themselves. The Foundation held talks with many of those affected and discussed the efficiency of countermeasures.
> This resulted in a leaflet that is made available to beekeepers free of charge.
Use of pesticides in agriculture
The amount of so-called "plant protection products" used in Germany remains at a very high level. The Federal Environment Agency communicated the following data in a release on April 9, 2019:
Use stagnates at a high level
Biodiversity continues to decline
816 registered "plant protection products
270 different active ingredients
Approx. 100,000 metric tons applied to cropland, of which approx. 35,000 metric tons are pure active ingredients Source Umwelt Bundesamt, 9.4.2019
These are enormous quantities that certainly have a significant impact on insect-bee mortality. Every driver can easily see this on his windshield after a highway trip, which shows less and less dead insects compared to past years. Statistically, these quantities result in a discharge of about 8.8 kg of pesticides per hectare of cultivated land. From the point of view of the Foundation, this is an intolerable state of affairs.
The topic can also be found in the Foundation's flyer mentioned above.
NABU is also addressing this issue. Here is a quote from the pesticide report for Baden Württemberg:
"Pesticides pollute the environment and contribute to the decline in biodiversity. "By spraying away wild arable weeds with herbicides such as glyphosate, insects such as wild bees no longer find food. Highly toxic insecticides such as those from the notorious neonicotinoid group of active ingredients kill animals directly, weaken their immune systems or cause them to lose their sense of direction."
Source NABU, Pesticide Report for BW, March 18, 2018.
The Foundation participated in the EU public consultation on the issue.
A higher level of education in this area is urgently needed. This is especially true against the background that the issue is massively downplayed by influential lobbyists. For example, the positive development of the number of beekeepers in Germany is reported again and again over the year 2018. This is true and of course we are also pleased about this development. In recent years, a slight increase in the number of bee colonies has also been registered. The fact that the existence of peoples in Germany in the past 100 years of approx. 2,300,000 on approx. 800,000 peoples decreased is unfortunately concealed.
> concordiaNATURA plans to support young beekeepers who are starting out.
CCD – Colony Collapse Disorder
As already reported in the annual review, the foundation is addressing the issue of "Colony Collapse Disorder". This is understood to mean the complete fly-out of an entire colony, which, due to a lack of orientation, cannot find its way back to the hive and dies. The phenomenon occurred for the first time in 2006 on the North American continent. Until now, it was assumed that this effect occurred there due to a strong industrialization of beekeeping (professional beekeepers, migratory beekeeping, pollination beekeeping). Thus it is reported that after the almond blossom in California many thousands of bee colonies do not find their way back. In the meantime, more and more beekeepers in Germany and Europe are also reporting this phenomenon. The subject is largely unexplored. It is speculated that CCD is triggered by a number of different factors. Poisoning of bees by pesticides, infection by mites and other pathogens, and - newly - electrosmog. The Swiss scientist Daniel Favre has recently published a research report on this subject, in which he reports great alarm and ultimately the "flight" of bees from high-frequency radiation.
> concordiaNATURA has purchased measuring equipment that can detect both high and low frequency radiation. A series of experiments is being developed.
Bee mortality due to honey extraction
With this topic we meet with the beekeepers - naturally - on little Gegenliebe. Many beekeepers finance their hobby and their commitment to the bees through the sale of honey or even generate one.
>The foundation is looking for cooperation partners among beekeepers who provide some bee colonies for the test and finances a part of the losses through missing honey sales.
Despite the resistance, we do not want to close our eyes to this point. The first results at our cooperation partner in Portugal are very successful. Here only small amounts of honey were taken. The bees survived 100%. However, the result is not representative and must be supported by further test series over a period of several years.
Cooperation with Portuguese Partner
We have already reported that this year we have found a cooperation partner in Portugal who has agreed to provide space for the installation of bee colonies and to accompany the research project. At this location, the focus is on the comparison of bee health between colonies from which honey is extracted and colonies from which no honey is extracted.
The site, a quinta in northern Portugal, has excellent conditions. No industry, no agribusiness, only small-scale farming structures, no pesticides, little traffic, natural landscape.
Not least the commitment of the owners contributed to the decision to favor this location.
> concordiaNATURA wins first cooperation partner in Portugal
Further site searches for locations for research stations
There is still the objective to win further locations and beekeepers who participate in the research work. This is not always easy, because the ideas about a species-appropriate husbandry of bees differ and also the effort is considerable. The interest of the foundation lies in finding locations and partners who bring in a serious commitment and guarantee a species-appropriate keeping of the bees. In addition, the cooperation partner must be willing to record the results in a specified form at specified times. The additional effort can be partly compensated by grants from the foundation. The foundation is in discussion with interested parties and is confident to win further cooperation partners in Germany and their European countries.
In order to be able to carry out the work comprehensively, it will probably be necessary for the foundation to have its own location, beyond consideration for neighbors, in an environment that is as close to nature as possible.
> concordiaNATURA is looking for further locations and committed beekeepers.
> concordiaNATURA plans to establish its own experimental station.
Establishing contacts with leading institutions on the subject of bee health
Cooperation with other institutions involved in the field of bee health will continue to be sought. The basic prerequisite for this is the distance to industry and lobbying associations from the agricultural and pharmaceutical sectors.
> concordiaNATURA is looking for cooperations with institutions in the field of bee health
Relocation of the Foundation
As of 01.05.2019, the seat of the Foundation will change, according to the resolution of 23.12.2018. The address of the new seat will be as follows:
Stiftung concordia NATURA
Sankenbachstraße 100
72270 Baiersbronn
Summary and outlook 2019
In the past year, we continued to work consistently on our goals within the framework of the foundation's statutes. We consider the acquisition of our first cooperation partner, who fully supports our goals and contributes personal commitment and a suitable location, to be very positive. We are now in a position to provide other interested parties with a good reference, which will support the acquisition process. We will consistently work on the further expansion of research stations.
We consider the topic "bee mortality due to electrosmog" to be very important and have integrated it into the project. The importance will probably increase due to the development of the planned 5G network. Questions about this to public agencies, to what extent one has dealt with the network expansion and a correlation to bee health, have been ignored so far. However, we will continue to work in this regard.
In addition to research, this concerns in particular the necessary educational work on the topics. Necessary against the background that causes for the progressive bee mortality are not known and on the other hand, are denied or played down by influential lobbyists.
Through the planned relocation of the site from the Stuttgart conurbation to the Black Forest, we hope for good cooperation with local beekeepers. The region offers a natural environment. This will be one of the focal points in the coming year. First contacts have already been made.
The negative development in the area of bee health confirms our decision to continue to devote ourselves to this topic. The reasons for this are manifold. Research projects are often financed by industry and lobbying associations and therefore sometimes cause irritation among decision-makers in politics. There is no other explanation for a decision by the EU Commission to ban the application of glyphosate in private gardens and to continue to approve it in agriculture.
The concordiaNATURA foundation sees its duty, within the scope of its possibilities, to conduct objective, independent research projects and to communicate the grievances offensively. The planned flyer is a first step on this path.
We thank all supporters for their support during the past year.
Klaus Heinzel
- Founder -
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