Bees and biodiversity vs greenhouses

Unwatch Thread

1. 
   
   
   This is a replacement of the original post, which I messed up by typing vd instead of vs. I can't get the original to delete.
2. 
   
3. Why is pollination and the role of insects such as bees important, and preferable to artificial pollination, fertilisation, and just growing everything in greenhouses?
   
   Before anyone asks, this is not for a course, I am asking for my own interests and purposes. Nor is it for the essays I used to write online, I have struggled for so many years to understand these basic questions now that I have come to the conclusion that I am lacking in knowledge on ecology, plant life and the whys and wherefores of pollination and its role. For instance I have asked on this site before, what good am I doing by attracting bees t my garden, are these the same bees that will fertilise crops in farmers' fields, and in fact if so surely I am luring them away from such places by attracting them to mine. The general consensus was that we do no good to the planet by attracting bees and that there s a surplus of plants, not a shortage. A colleague was saying recently that we could lose all bees and just slap up greenhouses everywhere and use hand pollination for crops. I wanted to plead the opposite case but could not find the right words to do so. I'm assuming it would cost a lot in terms of equipment, time and wages.
   As for greenhouses, I posed this question to someone and they just said, "What about the greenhouse effect?" but would not elaborate. It seems the Eden Project has been successful and it is run along the lines of turning the whole area into a glorified greenhouse.
   Simple answers only please. I am a beginner in these matters and would just like to know more about ecology and how we can help it, though I'd appreciate a bit of detail rather than just something along the lines of "We can never do better than Mother Nature," or links to books - I work in libraries, believe me I have read all the famous books on these subjects and I do not understand them.

 

're bees for pollination vs artificial pollination:

In a single day, a single bee will travel several miles from its nest/hive to go foraging. It will visit literally thousands of flowers. Now multiply that one bee by hundreds or thousands that might be in its colony, and it becomes immediately clear that bees are far more efficient as pollinators than anything artificial.

As for luring them away from commercial crops, that's not going to be a problem. One of the biggest problems facing bees of all kinds in the UK is loss of habitat, and loss of foraging area. This means they are in decline. If you fill the average domestic garden with bee friendly plants, you still won't be supporting a whole colony, but you will be taking the pressure off a bit by giving them somewhere safe to rest, and a bit of extra food.

 

Thanks. That's a helpful answer.

 

I would still like very much to hear the case in favour of encouraging biodiversity and insect pollinators vs greenhouses and artificial fertilisation of plants. I am on the side of biodiversity want to do anything that boosts wildlife, but I am seeking clear and concrete answers as to why and how this is preferable to artificial means, partly to equip me better in answering those who claim the opposite. For instance, a colleague was saying recently that we could lose all bees and just slap up greenhouses everywhere and use hand pollination for crops. I wanted to plead the opposite case but could not find the right words to do so. I'm assuming it would cost a lot in terms of equipment, time and wages.
As for greenhouses, I posed this question to someone and they just said, "What about the greenhouse effect?" but would not elaborate. It seems the Eden Project has been successful and it is run along the lines of turning the whole area into a glorified greenhouse.

The stock answer tends to be that we are best just trusting Mother Nature and not trying to do things artificially as this always ends up going wrong, but I'm seeking more of a detailed answer and to know how and why this is so.

Thanks.

 

Tell your colleague to learn some absolutely basics of horticultural science.

Or as an experiment, but a bunch of flowers and a small paint brush. Have your colleague gently use the brush to transfer pollen between every flower without damaging them. Have him do this several times a day, explaining that flowers produce different amounts of pollen at different times. Then ask him if he'd like to do that for every flower on every tree in a commercial orchard.

Or simpler, just ignore your colleague, or tell him he is talking out of his rear end and just 1 minute on Google will highlight just how very wrong he is.

 

After tonights storm Henry has had its way i dont think there will be any greenhouses left where I live.

 

"Artificial" pollination (which by the way I use in my greenhouse) by either hand, which costs a lot of time (diy labour) or money (running fans) or time and money (working to segregate plants then running fans) , is okay for situations where cross pollination is absolutely not wanted. This would be necessary in such cases as myself keeping my peppers true to themselves. Or marijuana growers who accidentaly get a male mixing in with the gals and they have the ability to turn off the fans to stop pollen from floating and pull that boy out of there!

Bees don't cost a thing, are lovely to watch and are a part of mother earth. They don't cost a penny in electricity and need no supervision. They also give honey, no charge.

 

Look at what was developed in Cambridge - this could help the bees tremendously. This site asks you to sign up but you don't have to, just hit the x. I personally enjoy the news in their emails... and this one is quite timely given this recent discussion.

http://modernfarmer.com/2016/02/cam...-75673733&mc_cid=c6c70fa30f&mc_eid=13ea8c4429