SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The hills above Carpintera are buzzin’ with bees. For beekeeper Melissa Cronshaw, honey bees are a family affair. “Here’s my father, Paul Cronshaw, said Melissa Cronshaw. “This was an apiary that my dad started back in the 80’s after he had a teacher at Santa Barbara High school with an observation hive in the back of his class,” said Cronshaw. Since then, the father daughter duo have devoted their lives to the wellness of bees. “This is a picture from 2009 and look at all those boxes there there was a lot of boxes … because back then we had more rain,” said beekeeper Paul Cronshaw.
The world of beekeeping is a complex and fascinating one, with a rich history and a vital role in our ecosystem. Beekeeping is a practice that involves the care and management of honey bees, which are essential pollinators. Honey bees are social insects that live in colonies, with a queen bee at the top of the hierarchy.
Cronshaw noticed during the pandemic an uptick in people wanting to become bee keepers. “Just understanding that actually becoming a beekeeper is not being a conservationist …. it’s not even very environmentally friendly nowadays … because too many honeybees is creating problems for those native bees,” said Melissa Cronshaw. Cronshaw believes the booming population is threatening the existence of the 67 other native bees long before the honey bees. These include bumblebees, mason bees, and sweat bees, just to name a few. Cronshaw is confident the community can improve the overall biodiversity by planting more native plants. “The best thing to do today to actually be an environmentalist and a bee steward is to plant flowers,” said Melissa Cronshaw.
The decline of the bumble bee population is due to various factors, including habitat loss and degradation, pesticide use, and climate change. A crucial step in addressing the decline of bumble bee populations is to implement sustainable practices, such as minimizing pesticide use and promoting habitat restoration. Here, we explore the importance of bumble bees and their role in maintaining the balance of ecosystems.
Suckley’s cuckoo bumble bee is considered critically endangered, the Crotch bumble bee is endangered, and the western bumble bee is considered vulnerable. Plus, because there are too many, living too close, honey bees are now attacking other honey bee colonies. Bees are an indicator species and a vital competent of the food chain.
