Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Scientific American: Pollinators, yes...Honeybees? Maybe not so much.


chromedome

Recommended Posts

In the wake of the "colony collapse" panic of a decade or so ago, a lot of people took to beekeeping in the interest of sustainability, ecology and so on. In Scientific American, one entomologist argues that maybe this emphasis on (lucrative, non-native) honeybees is misplaced:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-problem-with-honey-bees/

  • Like 2

“Who loves a garden, loves a greenhouse too.” - William Cowper, The Task, Book Three

 

"Not knowing the scope of your own ignorance is part of the human condition...The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning-Kruger club.” - psychologist David Dunning

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yup the world of pollinators is vast. Its is why we need to consider the ecosystem as a whole. It is not  "plug and play" matter. But like Covid articles - suddenly everyone is a correlative scientist...

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, heidih said:

Yup the world of pollinators is vast. Its is why we need to consider the ecosystem as a whole. It is not  "plug and play" matter. But like Covid articles - suddenly everyone is a correlative scientist...

Well...the author does have some pretty pertinent expertise, if you scroll down and read the bio.

“Who loves a garden, loves a greenhouse too.” - William Cowper, The Task, Book Three

 

"Not knowing the scope of your own ignorance is part of the human condition...The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning-Kruger club.” - psychologist David Dunning

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, chromedome said:

Well...the author does have some pretty pertinent expertise, if you scroll down and read the bio.

I did not mean that author - I meant all the bee bunnies that don't get the whole picture.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Okay, gotcha. :)

“Who loves a garden, loves a greenhouse too.” - William Cowper, The Task, Book Three

 

"Not knowing the scope of your own ignorance is part of the human condition...The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning-Kruger club.” - psychologist David Dunning

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On a related note, it turns out that mosquitoes - of all things - may be a significantly underestimated pollinator (it's fairly far down the article, but the whole thing is a good read).

 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-of-natural-history/2021/08/19/secret-life-worlds-most-hated-insect/

  • Like 1

“Who loves a garden, loves a greenhouse too.” - William Cowper, The Task, Book Three

 

"Not knowing the scope of your own ignorance is part of the human condition...The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning-Kruger club.” - psychologist David Dunning

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This whole honeybee thing has the native plant people going insane over on facebook (they are kind of insane to begin with).  The goal is planting stuff that is native to one's specific ecosystem...no damn Jersey plants on the wrong side of the Delaware please.

 

And nothing not native  or encouraging to invaders. Which is where honeybee loathing enters.  Kind of fun to monitor the high emotions over this stuff, but don't dare wade into it. Quicksand.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, chromedome said:

On a related note, it turns out that mosquitoes - of all things - may be a significantly underestimated pollinator (it's fairly far down the article, but the whole thing is a good read).

 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-of-natural-history/2021/08/19/secret-life-worlds-most-hated-insect/


I’m not sure I can be convinced that mosquitoes are worth it. (They find me especially tasty.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...