From Christine Birkan, Gloucestershire Bee Keepers Association
Redmarley D’Abitot, Gloucestershire
Your feature article “The sweet smell of death” (7 September, p 28) raises
questions relating to the effect of changes in aphid-deterrent plant odour on
beneficial insects.
The yield of many crops, including field beans, is not only dependent on
fertility and the absence of pests but also on pollination. The Ministry of
Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has this year informed farmers of estimates
suggesting that they can greatly increase their yield and their profits by
having beehives in their fields, even allowing for the usual fee for the service
to the beekeeper.
There is no mention in Stephen Day’s research paper on how plant odour
changes affect bees and other pollinating insects, which would seem essential
before persuading farmers to experiment blindly with this interesting
technique.
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