Bee keepers - Eco project

Research question: How does the climate change and human activities affect the bees?

Summary of the project: 

We are 26 students interested in nature and science. During our research we learnt that the bees keep the environmental balance, but, unfortunately, the bees’ population decrease each year. The beekeepers don’t have an accurate answer to this problem, so we decided to be the detectives who investigate if and how does the climate change and human activities affect the bees. Through our research process, we wanted to find out which of the human activities could be the cause of the problem and, if so, what we can do to protect the natural balance. Being an active part of this project empowered us. Even though we are young, we are ready to make our voices heard to help and protect the bees.

Main results: 

We started our investigation divided in three work groups. Each team had a specific area of interest and the research process led us to the causes of bees’ population decrease.

The first team accessed EO Browser and searched for the photos provided by Sentinel 2 during the past five years to investigate the local acacia forest. We performed measurements and concluded that the forest is healthy and large, without any deforestation areas. The second team accessed EO Browser and performed infrared filters observations of the local flora and crops. We concluded that the vegetation is healthy, but we couldn’t find information about the quantity and type of pesticides used by the farmers. Finally, the third team contacted a local meteorologist and a specialist in flora and fauna. We interviewed a meteorologist from the local station, and he informed us that the local climate didn’t suffer major changes in the past years which could affect the bees. We also interviewed a specialist in local flora and fauna, but she couldn’t share information about the amount and the quality of pesticides used to keep the crops healthy. She also informed us that the wild bees species disappeared long time ago and in our local area only domestic bees can be found.

During the investigation process we concluded that the real problem of the bees is the humans’ activity, not only the pesticides used in agriculture, but also the chemical substances used in spring and summer to fight the unwanted insects such as mosquitos and flies.

Actions to help lessen the problem: 

At the end of our investigation, we concluded that the bees’ population is affected by humans’ activities, especially by the pesticides used in agriculture and in the local neighbourhood to fight against unwanted insects. As the expert said, some changes in climate are visible, but they do not affect the bees very much. A more serious problem is the quantity of pesticides used in the local community. We decided to start a door-to-door awareness campaign and motivate our neighbours to become Beekeepers like us. We made posters and shared them directly to our neighbours’ post boxes. The word spread quickly, and the campaign was a success. The next step is to contact the local authorities with the help of our adult neighbours. The steps are small, but we are hoping for the best. In the future, if every person in our local community is aware that pesticides should not be used anymore, the bees’ population will increase in a healthy environment for people and all the living creatures.