The New Threat for Bees

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Micro plastics are made from the breakdown of plastic objects and because they are so small they travel by both air and water – and now by bees.
Bees have evolved to have a hairy body. The hairs are electrically charged during flight which is meant to make pollen stick however according to the a recent study about one-sixth of all particles found on the bees are micro plastics.
Of this according to the study about one-sixth of the particles found on the bees studied were micro plastics 52 percent were fragments and about 38 percent were fibres. Thirteen different types of polymer were found on the bees with the most common type being polyester followed by polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride.
The bees analysed came from 19 beehives. Nine of the apiaries were from the centre of Copenhagen, and the remaining 10 from suburban and rural locations .The city honeybees had more micro plastics , but not much more compared to the countryside indicating wind dispersal over large areas could be a factor.
The source of these microplastics is unclear. It could be from beekeeping practices, like clothing and equipment, that could be leaving plastic traces in the hives or it could be from the wider environment as evidence has shown micro plastics pollution is present in air, soil, and water.
Bees can pick them up in multiple ways including while they are airborne.
More study has to be done on how these plastics effect bee health, quality of honey ,beeswax , Propolis and other varieties of bees.


Simon Mulvany Melbourne, Australia ,Source Dr Alfredo Carpeniti

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