Let's talk about bees...
For the past year, the University of Alberta iGEM team has been working to address the issue of Nosema ceranae, a fungal parasite that infects the midgut of Apis mellifera: the Western honeybee. Nosema leads to higher-than average mortality rates and can contribute to the death of entire hives.
Last year, we worked to develop a treatment for Nosema that we called APIS: an Antifungal Porphyrin-based Intervention System for treating Nosema infections in honeybees! APIS works to augment the endogenous heme synthesis pathway in E. coli to produce an excess of protoporphyrin IX, a heme synthesis intermediate, to be used for inactivating Nosema spores.
This year, we are building on our success and inspiring preliminary results to optimize and scale up our project from last year, but we are also tackling another massive issue with Nosema: detection. Essentially, we are creating both a detection and treatment for this silent killer.
But really what it comes down to is this: we are trying to #savethebees. What I have learned from over a year of working with bees is that most people also want to #savethebees, but are lost when it comes to how to do that. So, here are some quick tips on how you can help #savethebees!
1. Live a sustainable lifestyle
One of the major reasons that bees (as well as a myriad of other living things) are currently endangered is due to pollution and a changing climate. The reason climate change is bad for bees is complex (and there could be a whole article on just that) but basically, bees in particular are very susceptible to changes in the environment. This can include changes in temperature (as they need very specific temperatures to thrive), loss of habitat (which reduces their food sources), and pollution (which is toxic to them like it is for many living things).
So pretty much if you love the bees (or just love the bandwagon), one of the number things you can do is to change your lifestyle to be more sustainable. While it can be easy to get discouraged, every change towards sustainability is a step in the right direction no matter how small.
If you're new to sustainability, you can start by reducing, reusing and recycling, getting involved with sustainability organizations in your community, and not using single-use plastics such as straws.
But of course there is a lot of stuff about how to live sustainably online, so here are some of my fav sites if you are interested!
- https://sustainsu.wordpress.com/
- https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/population_and_sustainability/sustainability/live_more_sustainably.html
- https://www.wwf.org.uk/what-we-do/area-of-work/promoting-sustainable-living
2. Plant some, well, plants!
The top two suggestions that come up when you type "plants to" into google are about bees, so I feel like everyone has heard about this. But if you haven't heard, grass is not something bees can feed on and, with the loss of habitats (particularly in residential areas), many areas are made inhospitable to bees because of the lack of flowers. So choose not to have grass and choose to plant some plants instead; not only do they look great but they will really make a huge impact for bees in your area!
If you don't have the time to garden or can't afford plants that's totally fine, just let your yard go wild and the rest will take care of itself. But if you do have the time and the funds, some plants you can plant are lavender, black-eyed susans, and sunflowers.
And remember: DON'T GROW GRASS!
Want to learn more? Check these out:
- https://thehoneybeeconservancy.org/plant-a-bee-garden/
- https://www.heifer.org/join-the-conversation/blog/2018/August/5-easy-ways-to-save-the-bees-and-save-the-world.html
- https://www.ecowatch.com/15-plants-to-help-save-bees-1881882632.html
3. Don't use pesticides or herbicides
This one is the most simple of all, as pesticides and herbicides are toxic to bees and kill them en masse so just don't use them. But if you really have to, and I mean really really have to, just don't. No but in all seriousness, if you think you have to use them, just don't. A weed-free or picture-perfect garden is not worth the death of a species that is integral to food production and the ecosystem.
4. Keep bees!
One way that you can help support the bees is by becoming a beekeeper and keeping some bees of your own! Now this is a big topic and I am definitely not an expert on the subject, but what I will say is if you have the time, money, and are willing to dedicate yourself to keeping healthy bees (which is labour-intensive, costly, and is highly regulated), then you should definitely look into it!
But, there will be a whole blog post on this later on. So if you want to learn more about it for the time being, here are some links to check out:
- https://www.kelleybees.com/blog/kelley-beekeeping/thinking-keeping-bees-part-1-costs-time-intangibles/
- http://www.beesbros.com/how-to-keep-bees.html
5. Stay up-to-date about bees and educate others
There are lots of new work and new ideas about saving the bees that are coming up nearly every day, so a huge step you can take is to stay informed and be critical of what you read. If you read something online about the bees, don't trust it right away (unless it is from a super reliable source) and look into it. You should also try and stay committed to #savingthebees and educate those around you who might not care as much about their importance and what they can do to help.
One way you can do that is by reading our blog regularly (self-promotion heck yeah) and tuning into our podcast which is going to come out soon!
Here are some other resources you can check out:
- https://www.beeculture.com/
- https://americanbeejournal.com/
- https://www.ontariobee.com/inside-oba/OBJ
- https://www.albertabeekeepers.ca/
Have fun kiddos and remember to #savethebees!
- Talia D.
PS. Inspo for this post came from this article.