THIS POST IS FROM PHEOBE WESTON WRITING IN THE GUARDIAN. IT IS ABOUT BEES AND WE SHOULD TAKE NOTE

Support the Guardian Support us Fund independent journalism Down To Earth - The Guardian Bees flying around and landing on a tree branch. 18/09/2025 Why saving the honeybee could be bad news for other bees   Phoebe Weston Phoebe Weston Everyone wants to save the bees. Angelina Jolie put on a beekeeping suit for Guerlain and David Beckham proudly presented the King with a pot of honey from his bees in Oxfordshire. So many people wanting to do good have set up hives in their gardens or on roofs that they have become a symbol of sustainability. Of course, farming honeybees is a great way to make delicious honey, but there is a sting in the tail – keeping hives doesn’t help wild pollinators. Successful campaigns to “save the bees” have struck a chord with the public, but domestic honeybees don’t need saving because they are not in decline – setting up beehives is almost the equivalent of farming chickens to save wild birds. Meanwhile, there is a huge swathe of pollinators – about 270 species of solitary bee and 25 species of bumblebee – that are in real crisis and urgently need our help. Many of these threatened species are becoming rarer every year. More on what we can do to help, after this week’s most important reads.   Essential reads Human-made global warming ‘caused two in three heat deaths in Europe this summer’ Human-made global warming ‘caused two in three heat deaths in Europe this summer’ A tiny town in Idaho dodged incineration in 2024. Will the next wildfire take it out? A tiny town in Idaho dodged incineration in 2024. Will the next wildfire take it out? ‘You’re going about your day and suddenly see a little Godzilla’: Bangkok reckons with a giant lizard boom ‘You’re going about your day and suddenly see a little Godzilla’: Bangkok reckons with a giant lizard boom   In focus Various shrubs, some with purple and pink flowers, next to a succulent. Honeybees are essential for pollinating food crops (which we, obviously, need) but research suggests that when honeybee numbers boom, they negatively impact wild pollinators – especially in places where they are non-native such as Australia and America. High numbers of honeybees can actively harm wild bee populations because they outcompete them for nectar and pollen. They can forage further than other bees, but also there can be as many as 50,000 of them in a hive – far more than the nests that native bees live in. That’s not a problem when flowers are plentiful, but in environments where resources are limited, wild bees may struggle to find food. My reporting on this story this week led me to the work of Keng-Lou James Hung, an assistant professor of biology at the University of Oklahoma, who has been studying how this global bee battle is playing out on San Diego’s coastal scrub, where non-native honeybees have gone feral – living wild, not in a hive. Each spring, after the winter rains, this scrub landscape bursts into life. Sagebrush, white sage and buckwheat unfurl their leaves, throwing sweet aromas into the hot air. The landscape has all the hallmarks of a pristine ecosystem, but Hung’s research shows another story is unfolding here. In July, he published a study finding that 98% of bee biomass (the weight of all bees) in that area came from feral honeybees. They removed about 80% of pollen during the first day a flower opened, according to the paper, published in the journal Insect Conservation and Diversity. “Context is king,” Hung told me. “As our study showed, in places like San Diego, it seems likelier that they are exploiting food resources to the detriment of native pollinators. Species aren’t inherently “good” or “bad” but there are circumstances in which the introduction of species to certain locations could be problematic, just like goats and cats introduced to oceanic islands,” he added. Such high rates of pollen extraction leave little for the more than 700 species of native bees in the region, which need pollen to raise their offspring. Some of those species have not been seen for decades. Scientists are finding this kind of story elsewhere in the world, including an experiment on an isolated Italian island showing that honeybees were causing declines in wild pollinators (you’ll have to read my piece to find out more about that). “As a researcher, I always get asked whether all the bees are in trouble, which at least means that people have recognised invertebrates as species that they should be concerned about, so that’s a good start,” says Hung. “We can’t blame the managed honeybee PR machine for being so good at its job; we just need to step up the game on native bee conservation advocacy and education,” he says. How people see the issue will influence how they take action, says Hung. “People who mistake honeybees as conservation targets would donate to causes that support honeybee health research and vote for policies that support beekeepers; if they had all the correct information, they might have instead chosen to allocate some significant portion of those commitments to native bee research and conservation instead.” For people who want to help all bees, the best way to do it is to plant a variety of flowers that bloom from early spring right through to late autumn. Many “weedy” plants are rich sources of pollen and nectar, so ditch weedkiller. Leave areas undisturbed where solitary bees and bumblebees can nest. Also, be lazy! Mowing lawns less frequently can lead to an increase in bee abundance of up to 30%. “I am quite encouraged that all over the world, there is an increased awareness of native bees; and more and more people now know that honeybees are not native to many parts of the world,” says Hung. “Overall I’m optimistic that people are more willing to accept nuanced answers and diversify their conservation interests.” Read more: Wild bees visit different flowers to balance diet, study shows The best way to help bees? Don’t become a beekeeper like I did | Alison Benjamin I was terrified of bees – until the day 30,000 of them moved into my house | Pip Harry   Composted Reads The good news Fish mint, Himalayan chives and berry pickle: how wild ingredients are transforming school lunches in India Fish mint, Himalayan chives and berry pickle: how wild ingredients are transforming school lunches in India Scientists claim they’ve made ‘pivotal step’ in bringing back the dodo for first time in 300 years Scientists claim they’ve made ‘pivotal step’ in bringing back the dodo for first time in 300 years Powering up: how Ethiopia is becoming an unlikely leader in the electric vehicle revolution Powering up: how Ethiopia is becoming an unlikely leader in the electric vehicle revolution The bad news Google’s huge new Essex datacentre to emit 570,000 tonnes of CO2 a year Google’s huge new Essex datacentre to emit 570,000 tonnes of CO2 a year ‘It’s dying in front of our eyes’: how the UK’s largest lake became an ecological disaster ‘It’s dying in front of our eyes’: how the UK’s largest lake became an ecological disaster ‘Extreme nausea’: Are EVs causing car sickness – and what can be done? ‘Extreme nausea’: Are EVs causing car sickness – and what can be done? Read more on The Guardian right arrow The most important number of the climate crisis: 424.3 Atmospheric CO2 in parts per million, 14 September 2025 Source: NOAA   The change I made – Compostable bin liners Down to Earth readers on the eco-friendly changes they made for the planet A compostable bin liner on top of food waste in the opening of a wooden compost container. Melbourne-based reader Bruce Watt emailed to advocate for his simple way to better dispose of your stuff. “I use biodegradable bin liners and dog poo bags and I decline plastic bags in supermarkets where possible,” he writes, adding that it is “very irritating” to deal with plastic packaging. Do make sure you double-check your bags, however – in 2024, the Guardian reported that poor labelling allowed “massive amounts” of plastic, including non-compostable bin liners, to hit shelves. Let us know the positive change you’ve made in your life by replying to this newsletter, or emailing us on downtoearth@theguardian.com   Creature feature – Pronghorn Profiling the Earth’s at-risk animals A herd of pronghorn. Population: Around 1 million Location: Great Plains, US Status: Least concern Although down dramatically from their estimated population peak of 35 million in the 1800s, the pronghorn is thriving after centuries of fluctuation. According to the National Park Service, “coyote predation and reduction of winter range north of the park through development by private landowners” saw troubled times for the animals in the 1990s, but such is their growth in numbers, the animals (often wrongly called pronghorn antelopes) have been spotted exploring new territory. As Jeremy Miller reported for the Guardian in 2020, the animals “ventured into the sun-scorched lowlands of Death Valley national park” for the first time in living memory. For more on wildlife at threat, visit the Age of Extinction page here   Picture of the week One image that sums up the week in environmental news People carrying their belongings wade through a flooded street after overnight heavy rains in Legian, Badung, Bali. Credit: Dicky Bisinglasi/Reuters Bali, Indonesia, has this week faced its worst floods in a decade – with 17 dead and thousands more affected by heavy rain and landslides. As Matt Andrews reports, “this year’s monsoon season began unusually early after India’s wettest May in 125 years. Traditionally, the monsoon starts in early June and lasts through to September.” For more of the week’s best environmental pictures, catch up on The Week in Wildlife here   … there is a very good reason why not to support the Guardian Not everyone can afford to pay for news. That is why our website is open to everyone. 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