Amid growing concern about the impact of pesticides on pollinating insects, and on the occasion of World Bee Day, CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) shares some of its contributions from science to promote the conservation of bee communities and the development of sustainable solutions.<\/p>
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Alejandra Mart\u00ednez-Salinas, coordinator of the Forests and Biodiversity in Productive Landscapes Unit, warns that the indiscriminate use of pesticides threatens not only domesticated bees but also wild species, which are essential for ecosystem health and food security.<\/p>
\"Unfortunately, much of the focus, especially in the media, is limited to the species Apis mellifera<\/em>, which is a domesticated species used for honey production (hence the name apiculture and beekeeping). However, the honeybee or European bee, as it is also known, is an introduced species, not native to the Americas, and although they are very important for honey production, we forget that there are hundreds of other species of wild bees about which we know very little and on which we need to expand our research efforts,\" explained Mart\u00ednez-Salinas.<\/p> CINAT-UNA (Center for Tropical Beekeeping Research at the National University of Costa Rica) indicates that Costa Rica has registered 650 species of bees, while research by the Forests and Biodiversity in Productive Landscapes Unit on coffee farms reports more than 41 species of wild bees visiting coffee plants during their flowering (data comes from studies solely in Costa Rica).<\/p> Mart\u00ednez-Salinas highlights that pesticide use impacts bees in three main ways: direct mortality from contact with chemicals, indirect mortality by destroying their food sources, and contamination of those food resources. According to Mart\u00ednez-Salinas.<\/p> The root of the problem lies in the lack of information and awareness about the harmful effects of pesticides.<\/p> Most farmers apply these products out of agronomic necessity and cultural reasons, without fully considering or understanding the environmental consequences.<\/p> \"We have to find a balance between how we carry out traditional agronomic practices within a crop and how we avoid harming the organisms that are also providing us a benefit, such as pollination. Applying many chemicals, regardless of whether they are pesticides or herbicides, will have a negative impact on different communities of pollinating insects such as bees, beetles, butterflies, ants, and wasps,\" Mart\u00ednez-Salinas added.<\/p> <\/p> Three important contributions from CATIE:<\/strong><\/p> Additionally, CATIE celebrates World Bee Day with activities both on its campus and in collaboration with other institutions and shares public educational resources on its social networks.<\/p> Finally, CATIE is working on the ecological restoration of areas on its commercial farm, including the planting of melliferous species to improve habitat for pollinating insects, thanks to the contribution of organizations like Bee The Change, a project that includes planting melliferous plants and installing bee hotels to promote year-round availability of food resources and provide suitable spaces for their protection and reproduction.<\/p> <\/p> Generation of knowledge<\/strong><\/p> Research conducted by Mar\u00eda Fernanda Guanga Guill\u00e9n on pollinator communities (bees) on the CATIE farm and its surroundings, as well as by Denis Padilla Raudales on bee communities in the Chiquitano forest of Bolivia, has revealed outstanding data on pollinators in different contexts.<\/p> Additionally, CATIE leading projects like the one on Conserving Neotropical Migratory Birds, funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), not only benefit migratory birds but also pollinators, by promoting agricultural practices that harmonize production with environmental conservation.<\/p> To access some of the most recent research and publications from CATIE on this topic, you can check the provided links.<\/p> <\/p> Research and Publications<\/strong><\/p> Mar\u00eda Fernanda Guanga Guill\u00e9n<\/strong>, generation 2022-2023, scientific master's in Management and Conservation of Tropical Forests and Biodiversity.<\/p> Her research was conducted with pollinator communities (bees) on the CATIE farm and its surroundings, reporting 27 bee species in land uses such as forests, forest plantations, pastures, and sugarcane. She is currently working to publish a research article with her results.<\/p> His thesis is available in the institutional repository: Denis Padilla Raudales<\/strong>, generation 2021-2022, scientific master's in Management and Conservation of Tropical Forests and Biodiversity.<\/p> Denis conducted research evaluating pollinator communities (bees) in the Chiquitano forest of Bolivia, with the support of the Foundation for the Conservation of the Chiquitano Dry Forest (FCBC), specifically with the Alta Vista Tropical Dry Forest Study Center (CEBST-AV).<\/p> His thesis is available in the institutional repository: Eugenio Sol\u00eds Rodr\u00edguez<\/strong>, generation 2012-2013, scientific master's in Management and Conservation of Tropical Forests and Biodiversity.<\/p> Eugenio researched bee communities in coffee areas bordering forest patches in the Central Volcanic Range Biological Corridor (CBVCT), and his thesis is available in the institutional repository: Andrea Garay<\/strong>, Specialist in Sustainable Agribusiness at the Unit of Environmental Economics and Sustainable Agribusiness of CATIE UEAAS\/EfD, carried out in 2016.<\/p> According to Garay's study, beekeeping represents between 70 and 100% of the economic income of the families that participated in the study, highlighting that it not only provides economic income but also satisfies social and environmental needs.<\/p>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.catie.ac.cr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Trigona-silvestriana3.jpg\")
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Assessment of bee communities in the main land uses of the CATIE commercial farm<\/a><\/p>
Bee communities (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in contrasting environments of a landscape in the Chiquitan\u00eda, Santa Cruz, Bolivia<\/a><\/p>
Contribution of an ecological connectivity network to the ecosystem service of pollination in agricultural crops, case study: coffee in the Central Volcanic Range Biological Corridor, Costa Rica<\/a><\/p>