Real Estate Articles
Homeowners urged to save the bees
Beekeeper and honey bee location expert Art Hall speaking to Realtors
Bees may be pests to some people, but they are important to agriculture. One third of the world's food supply is pollinated by bees. Without bees to keep plants and crops alive, the world will not survive.
Members of the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors recently learned of this sobering thought from beekeeper and honey bee location expert, Art Hall. Hall asked the Realtors to relay the information to homeowners, stressing the importance of bees to the world's survival. The honey bee, which is the most endangered bee, is responsible for over $30 billion a year in crops.
Beekeeping originally started in Egypt in 2400 B.C. European beekeeping began in the 1300s. There were no honey bees in America until the Europeans brought bees to Virginia in 1621. Hall said today there has been an increase in backyard beekeeping as more people become aware of their threat of extinction.
Hall distinguished honey bees from yellow jackets, noting many people confuse the two. Honey bees have wings over their body, are fuzzy tan and black in color, have a straight antennae, are broader between the thorax and abdomen and can only sting once. Yellow jackets have wings on their sides, are shiny, yellow and black in color, have a curved antennae and are narrower between the thorax and abdomen. They can be aggressive, but they are useful because they in eat bugs. They are also attracted to sweets and meat, so are often seen at bar-b-ques.
Hall removes bees from homes, backyards, and commercial structures for a fee. He warns it is not enough to just kill bees with spray, as their remnants create spores of black mold, which destroys structures and is also a mandatory disclosure.
Bees like warm, dark and dry areas. They can be found in trees, on and inside walls, and even in kitchen vents. They need to be removed, the area of their location then needs to be cleaned, sealed and calked, said Hall.
Hall donates the bees he removes to the 4-H, the Future Farmers of American, and anyone who will prove that they will keep the bees alive and not kill them.
The beekeeper stressed the world needs to save honey bees because they pollinate hundreds of plants upon which livestock feed. Bees help create billions of dollars of increased yield. He noted one fruit tree grower said bees can mean a difference of 40 to 50 percent increase in yield.
Bees are dying due to a phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder, which occurs when the majority of worker bees in a colony disappear and leave the queen behind. Other reasons are parasites, imported bacteria, and pesticides.
Honey bees are currently being trucked across the country to places that need them. Companies are attempting to replace honey bees with robotic bees, but Hall does not believe they can successfully replace the honey bee.
To protect the bee population, homeowners can reduce pesticide usage, support local beekeepers, plant year-round forage and tell neighbors and friends about the importance of their survival.
Homeowners also can contribute to bee survival by mowing their lawn once every two weeks instead of every week, according to a report in the journal Biological Conservation. The article describes an experiment where 16 lawns in Springfield, Massachusetts were mowed every week or once every two or three weeks for over two summers. Researchers found lawns mowed once every two weeks had 30 percent more bees than the other lawns because they had more flowers compared with the one-week yards, and easier access to the flowers compared with the three-week yards which had taller grass.
The Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR) is a professional trade organization representing over 4,000 REALTORS® and Affiliate members engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula and in the South Bay. SILVAR promotes the highest ethical standards of real estate practice, serves as an advocate for homeownership and homeowners, and represents the interests of property owners in Silicon Valley.
The term "REALTOR®" is a registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and who subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.
Variations of this article have appeared in local area newspapers.
For further information, please email or call the SILVAR office at (408) 200-0100.