A group in Oslo, the capital of Norway, has developed the world's first "bee highway" to protect bees and prevent disruptions in food production. Through this initiative, the organizers of this project hope to give the world's most essential pollinators a safe passageway to the city through adequate shelter and food sources.
The bee highway was created in collaboration with various companies, state sectors and private residents. These groups transformed a piece of their property into a bed of grass, flowers and all things vital for bee survival. Individuals can join in the project and express their support by contributing a part of their rooftops to the long route of the bee highway. Aside from the bees' usual "workplace" consisting of flowers to pollinate, some "stops" along the highway are also created to provide food and a place to rest for the bees. The public can see the entire map of the bee highway through its interactive website, polli.no. This site continuously expands as new individuals partner with the project and create their own bee havens.
"We are constantly reshaping our environment to meet our needs, forgetting that other species also live in it," says Agnes Lyche Melvaer, head of the Bybi, the environmental group that spearheads the project. "To correct that we need to return places to them to live and feed."
Some parts of Oslo's bee highway used to be mere patches of grass, but now owners have transformed spots into rich gardens of marigolds, sunflowers and nectar-containing flowers, feeding the bees as needed. An accounting firm located in a posh business district of Oslo transformed its 12th floor office by endowing its terrace with perennial sedum plants and two bee hives. This notable part of the bee highway serves as the workplace of about 45,000 bee workers as they carry out their tasks alongside their corporate human counterparts nearby.
The problem of bee population decline in Norway isn't as massive when compared with the problems facing bees in the U.S. and other countries in Europe; however, one third of the 200 species in the country are already considered endangered. If the country continues to lose its bees, the food production cycle may be widely affected, as about 30 percent to 40 percent of food production relies on pollination. Alternatives if local bee populations are decimated include hand-pollinating crops or renting hives and moving them around the country to different spots as the growing season needs demand.
Bees are important to humans as they are the main pollinators of the planet. Food items such as apples, asparagus, cherries, cucumbers, blueberries, pumpkins and watermelons are among the many that need the pollinating services of bees to grow. Bees also contribute to the beautification of the planet by enhancing the growth and aesthetic features of the world's flowers. Bees also provide shelter to other insects and birds, which are also essential in the ecosystem.
Photo: Beatrice Murch | Flickr
