Bee preservation

We at Karibu are actively committed to the preservation of the native honey bee. Even though it is still hardly reported, bee populations are declining every year. If no countermeasures are taken in the future, this could become a significant problem. We would be happy to explain why:

Importance of bees
More than 80% of the more than 2,000 native crop and wild plant species depend on the pollination performance of our native bees. Without the pollination of bees, our harvest in Germany of about 75% of the crops that serve us for nutritional purposes would be significantly smaller. So the bees create the foundation of our food!

Many important fruits and vegetables such as apples, strawberries, tomatoes and cherries as well as some fodder crops for meat and milk production would reduce the normal yield by 10-20%!

Furthermore, many plant species would simply become extinct, as they cannot form seeds to reproduce without fertilization.

The bees are dying!
Here in Germany alone, the number of bee colonies has shrunk by 30% since 1990 from around 1.1 million to about 700,000 bee colonies! The trend is quite clear, further falling! The reason for the extinction is quickly identified, bees have less and less natural habitat and more and more pesticides and insecticides are being used in agriculture. The Varroa mite, which was introduced from Asia, also contributes to bee mortality. This mite attacks the entire bee colony and chronically weakens it, making it more susceptible to other diseases or mite infestations. Currently, bee import and export is increasing drastically. Especially on plantations, etc., more and more bee colonies are being bought, set up and transported away again. This means that diseases spread faster within the colonies. Another problem is the shortage of beekeepers. In Germany alone, less than 1% of the approximately 100,000 beekeepers are professional beekeepers. The majority are therefore hobby beekeepers.  Due to the cheap import of honey from China, there was a massive drop in honey prices, so that the effort of caring for and marketing the honey is simply no longer worthwhile for more and more beekeepers. Thus, the trend in the number of beekeepers who take care of the bee colonies at the present time is also decreasing.

What does Karibu do?
We are committed to the concept of Bee-Rent. Currently we have "leased" 8 bee colonies, more are to follow in the future. The colonies are placed on the edge of the company premises, so that you can go about your work undisturbed. The beekeeper who takes care of our bees visits regularly. Depending on the weather and the condition of the bees, this can be more than 12 visits a year. In this way, we actively support the immediate environment and the entire ecosystem.