Urban Bees Find Food More Easily!

According to a recent study, it turns out that London’s bees travel less to access nectar-rich flowers than those in the United Kingdom’s countryside, a surprising discovery that shows the floral abundance in the British metropolitan area.

Urban beekeeping is a growing trend since residents are sensible to the survival of the bee population, and researchers were curious as to find out the differences between inner-city bees and those living in the countryside.

The team observed foraging flights of western honey bees, or Apis mellifera, in 20 colonies – 10 in London and 10 in rural farmland. On average, urban bees flew 492 meters while rural ones flew 743 meters to reach food, a difference of close to 50%. Also, upon sampling the nectar collected, the quality is better in the metropolitan area since there are year-round landscaped flowers and devoted spaces for gardens. Farming areas should add non-crop flowers in their fields to help rural bees have access to richer food closer to their beehives.