Bee colonies around the globe are dying at alarming rates. No more so than in the US, where it's estimated the 44 percent of colonies were lost in 2016 alone. There are many reasons for that alarming decline, most of which are down to us.
Things like overuse of diesel fumes, pesticides, intensive farming practices, and parasites from introduced species have contributed, and if things do not improve soon, we could face a major collapse in our food supply. Because these tiny, hard-working creatures are an integral part of many ecosystems and pollinate up to 80 percent of our crops, and if they were to continue dying at these rates we can say goodbye to many plants that we rely on, as well as an entire plethora of other creatures that need them too.
Some Mcdonald’s in Sweden are doing their bit to help bees, by hosting beehives on the roofs of their restaurants. Some are planting flowers outside as well, providing a bee-friendly environment that has helped to boost the population in the country.
To pay tribute to these efforts, Mcdonald’s commissioned a professional carpenter to make the ‘smallest ever Mcdonald’s,” that is, actually, a fully functioning beehive featuring a McDonald’s sign, drive-through, an outside seating area and even little advertisements on the windows!
With 37,000 restaurants around the world, the Swedish initiative could prove to be a huge help to bees if it's adopted in other countries.
The EU has recently enforced a total ban on the outdoor use of neonicotinoids, widely used pesticides which endanger bees and have contributed sharply to their decline.
In the US, though, the current administration approved a dump of bee-killing pesticides on 16 million acres of land with the use of ’emergency’ approval to save cotton crops. While this might have worked in the short term, the lack of long term care for a vital pollinator reflects badly on the US government’s commitment to major environmental issues.
Image credits: NORDDDB
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