Plastic And Bees: What Is The Connection?

World Environment Day is an anniversary that was established by the United Nations General Assembly back in 1972, when 5 June was designated as the day to celebrate our planet. Since then, a different theme has been chosen each year to focus public attention on a particular environmental issue. The locations hosting the celebrations are also different each year. All these initiatives and activities are promoted by UNEP, the United Nations environment agency.

This year the theme is 'pollution caused by single-use plastic' and the host country will be India. Speaking of bees and everything that revolves around their world, you may be asking yourself: "What do bees have to do with pollution caused by plastic?" It may seem impossible, but the connection is there and it is astounding to say the least. Before we find out, however, we would like to quote you just some of the UNEP data on the consumption and pollution resulting from the use of single-use plastics: 50% of the plastic used in the world is single-use;. 8 million tonnes of this plastic waste end up in the oceans annually. They are equivalent to one truckload of rubbish per minute; In the last decade, we have produced more plastic than in the entire last century; 500 billion plastic bags are used every year on Earth; As many as one million plastic bottles are purchased every minute.

The purpose of this day is to raise awareness among the world's population about the inordinate consumption of plastic and its consequences, trying to propose alternative solutions to solve the problem. Here are some tips to limit its use and preserve our planet: - If possible, do not use plastic bags, preferring cotton bags even over biodegradable bags; - If you are a parent, use eco-friendly nappies; - Remember that every item you use in the future will be waste, so make the most of it and don't throw it away before it's due; - Use reusable packaging and containers. If, for example, you can recover water from dispensers, opt for glass bottles, which also keep better; - Always separate waste, even if it is not compulsory in your city.

We talked about preserving our planet, about reducing plastic consumption, but our initial question was about the relationship between bees and plastic. What can bees have in common with this fantastic insect and this material that is proving to be more and more of a plague on our planet every day? The connection between bees and the environment is very easy to guess: bees are a true environmental bio-indicator and allow us to gather a lot of information about the level of pollution and healthiness of various ecosystems. What links them to plastic, on the other hand, is absolutely incredible and will leave you speechless with amazement! Recently, it was discovered that certain bee species are able to 'recycle' plastic waste! But what does this exceptional ability of theirs consist of?

Researchers from New York University and the Canadian University of Guelph have realised that in Canada two species of bees have developed the ability to use different materials, including plastic, to build their hives. We are of course not talking about our Apis Mellifera, but other pollinators belonging to the same family. The discovery was quite fortuitous. Inside the nests of a particular type of bee, the Megachile campanulae, a sticky substance was found, initially mistaken for chewing gum. After several analyses with instruments such as the infrared microscope, Dr. Andrew Moore discovered that this species, which usually uses plant resins for nest construction, occasionally replaced these substances with sealants based on polyurethane, a plastic material.

Continuing with these studies, it emerged that bees of the family Megachile rotundata also used pieces of polyethylene-based bags to build cells in their nest. The surprising thing is that this material replaced almost a quarter (23%) of the leaves normally used for the same purpose. One might think that the collection of this substance was accidental or due to a lack of availability of leaves, but this is not the case. Studies have shown that the different chewing of plastic and the abundance of leaves were clear evidence that the collection of the material was not accidental. The nest cells constructed from plastic material in no way affected the health of the larvae, which, on the contrary, developed completely free of parasites. One negative aspect, however, is the possible proliferation of mould, caused by the high level of humidity inside the nests.

These observations, although still early, are very comforting, as they testify to the adaptability of these important pollinators, which also try to make the best of pollution from human plastic waste. Bees too, in their own way, make their contribution to 'recycling' all the plastic that is thrown into the environment every day without any consideration or scruple. You too contribute, not only on World Environment Day, to reverse this trend, preserving our nature, our planet and also our bees.

If you too would like to celebrate this event on 5 June and share it on social media to make your friends even more aware, don't forget to use the two official hashtags: #WorldEnvironmentDay and #BeatPlasticPollution. Make your contribution by putting into practice those little tricks that can help our environment and planet. Discover also how bees are essential to preserve our ecosystem and biodiversity and give them a hand adopt a 3Bee hive.