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“Bee friendly” bags will fund SU student’s research into bee ecology
Author: Wiida Fourie-Basson
Published: 28/03/2017

With every "Bee friendly, Bee aware" bag you buy from Woolworths, R10 will go towards Stellenbosch University (SU) student Kayla Lawson's MSc research on the microbial ecology of honey bees.

Kayla is investigating the effect of everyday stressors on the immune system of honey bees, as well as its impact on the microbial community that resides within the gut of the honey bee.

"We will specifically be looking at stressors such as exposure to agricultural chemicals and pathogenic infections such as American Foulbrood Disease, as well as what happens when bees' diets are restricted to a monoculture crop, therefore limiting their access to a diversity of nutrients," she explains.

It is currently generally accepted in scientific literature that this microbiota plays an important role in keeping the bee's immune system healthy, but up until now researchers could not find evidence of a direct link.

Prof. Karin Jacobs, a microbial ecologist in SU's Department of Microbiology and her supervisor, says while the microbiota of mammals are well understood, researchers are not even scratching the surface when it comes to understanding the microbial ecology of insects like honey bees.

Kayla's research will answer one of the major questions about the microbial health of honey bee colonies and open the door to more focused research and interventions.

Crowdfunding for honey bee research

The opportunity to financially support Kayla's research through Woolworth's Good Business Journey initiative, in conjunction with Bags4Good, was made possible by Mr Mike Allsopp. He is one of South Africa's foremost experts on honey bees and based at the Vredenburg Research Centre of the Agricultural Research Council outside Stellenbosch.

Kayla met Mr Allsopp when, as a third-year student, her group had to put together a research proposal for their third-year microbiology project.

"Prof. Jacobs allowed us to run free and choose our own projects. We then decided to do something about bees dying out and contacted Mr Allsopp for an interview," she explains.

However, arriving at the ARC the group first had to listen to an hour lecture on why honey bees are not dying out and why the students should be more critical when reading articles on the internet. For her postgraduate studies, Kayla then decided to continue with the honey bee research.

"I wasn't interest in just any project. I wanted to do something that will make a difference," she emphasises.

But the "Bee friendly, Bee aware" campaign is not only about raising funds, but rather a means of raising awareness about the plight of honey bees.

Did you know, for example, that honey bees have to visit about five million flowers and travel about 100 000 kilometres to produce a jar of honey, or that 68 of the 92 major crops sold in stores are directly pollinated by honey bees?

What are happening to honey bees?

Mr Allsopp says there exists a common misperception that honey bees are dying out.

While major declines in managed honey bee colonies have been observed in the United States and the European Union, a 2009 study found that the global stock of managed honey bee hives have increased with about 45% since the 1950s. However, at the same time the demand for animal pollination services have increased with 300%.

"South Africa's honey bees are not vulnerable and they are not on the brink of extinction. However, they are under extreme stress because of human-driven actions, such as the use of pesticides, land-use changes and a growing population."

Consumers can make a difference by, for example, planting indigenous flowering plants and trees, banning pesticides from the garden, and preserving wild habitat.

Follow Kayla's research on her Instagram account at bee_friendly_bee_aware

On the photo, MSc student Kayla Lawson with the"Bee friendly, Bee aware" bags from Woolworths which will help fund her research into bee-ecology at Stellenbosch University. Photo: Wiida Basson

Contact details

Prof. Karin Jacobs

Tel: (021) 808 5689

E-mail: kj@sun.ac.za

Media enquiries

Wiida Fourie-Basson

Media: SU Faculty of Science

Tel: +27 _21 808 2684

E-mail: science@sun.ac.za

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StellenboschUniversityScience/

Twitter: @scienceSUN @StellenboschUni