Times of the Islands Spring 2023
Presents the "soul of the Turks & Caicos Islands" with in-depth features about local people, culture, history, environment, real estate, businesses, resorts, restaurants and activities.
Presents the "soul of the Turks & Caicos Islands" with in-depth features about local people, culture, history, environment, real estate, businesses, resorts, restaurants and activities.
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feature<br />
Opposite page: Bees work toge<strong>the</strong>r in <strong>the</strong> hive in complex interactions to turn pollen and nectar ga<strong>the</strong>red from flowers into honey. Without<br />
<strong>the</strong> pollination provided by bees, certain flowering plants could not exist.<br />
Above: Honey bees are swarming honeycomb cells nestled in a fallen tree trunk in Jamaica.<br />
SHUTTERSTOCK<br />
Foray into Beekeeping<br />
Pine Cay was <strong>the</strong> site <strong>of</strong> TCI’s first bee hive.<br />
By Diane Taylor<br />
The 2021 David Attenborough film, “Breaking Boundaries,” tells <strong>of</strong> a time not too long ago when England<br />
had no more short-haired queen bumble bees, a species important for pollination, not a single one. In<br />
1990, <strong>the</strong>y were extinct in <strong>the</strong> UK due to loss <strong>of</strong> grassland habitats. To stave <strong>of</strong>f potentially bleak harvests,<br />
England sent a brigade <strong>of</strong> scientists to France where <strong>the</strong>ir mission was to steal a hundred <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
nectar-drinking insects to ensure a functioning ecosystem that would, in turn, ensure good crops. Theft<br />
was an immediate solution to a desperate situation. Bees are that important.<br />
<strong>Times</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Islands</strong> <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2023</strong> 55
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