Channel NewsAsia's Lam Shushan takes a peek into the micro-world of bees and why they are an integral part of the ecosystem in Singapore.
Lam Shushan Channel NewsAsia 13 May 15;
SINGAPORE: Carl Baptista, 39, runs a buzzing business with bees. Earlier this year, he and his partner Elric founded Pollen Nation – a social enterprise that offers beehive relocation services for the unwanted “pests” that may dwell in our homes.
The first time I spoke to Mr Baptista, I asked him about the enigmatic bee farming community in Singapore. He corrected me quickly: “First things first, no one does bee farming in Singapore, and I’m not a bee farmer, I’m a bee conservationist.”
He rattled on about his involvement with the insect world and within 10 minutes, told me more about insects than any biology class had ever taught me. Bees have two stomachs, so I learnt, one of which is responsible for regurgitating digested nectar, which is what we know as honey.
It is unsurprising for someone who has a degree in Biotechnology from King's College London to be so passionate about these winged creatures, but it has not always been this way.
“I started out my life in the pest control world, so I used biology to kill insects,” Mr Baptista admitted, “But as I did more things with insects, I was able to breed them and use insects as a tool for medicine, and that made me relook my world.”
BEES IN OUR ECOSYSTEM
In recent years, the term Colony Collapse Disorder has been a buzzword in agriculture intensive countries. It is a phenomenon in which entire colonies of honey bees would suddenly disappear. This is distressing, considering 30 per cent of the food we eat are pollinated by domesticated bees.
In the US, it is projected that the agricultural industry would see losses of up to US$15 billion worth of crops if the honey bee were to go extinct.
So why should people fight to preserve bees in a trade-oriented market economy like Singapore, considering most of the foods we consume is not produced locally?
“If we wish our environment in Singapore to be a sustainable green environment, we have to start talking about insects,” said Mr Baptista. “We have lots of tropical native flowering plants, native trees, but you can’t have that if you don’t have your pollinators present.”
At the moment, Pollen Nation receives at least 10 calls per week from people asking about their “BeeVacuation” services, where they relocate - not exterminate - beehives that may be causing distress to residents.
But Mr Baptista maintains that most bees are harmless unless provoked within close range to their hives. “A lot of the bees that we are seeing everyday are stingless. They don’t even contain stings,” he added.
While the “BeeVacuations” make an interesting story, Carl’s main objective has always been in exploring ways in which people look at insects. He has worked with several primary schools to educate children on the benefits of having bees in the ecosystem.
“It’s about teaching kids to appreciate and respect these insects, and learning how to co-exist with them,” he said. “I hope to be able to walk into a school and hear kids appreciate and talk about bees.”
THE “BEEVACUATION” PROCESS
Towards the end of my phone conversation with Mr Baptista, he eagerly invited me to witness a “BeeVacuation”, even offering to give me a lift to the site.
The next morning, I found myself suited up in bee protection gear for three hours, observing the process of a bee relocation effort.
SWEET RETURNS
At the moment, Mr Baptista rents a space at Bollywood Veggies, where he domesticates some of the rescued bees. They produce about 20-25 kilograms of honey a year, which he hopes to collect and sell as Singapore honey.
However, he stressed that Pollen Nation is not about the honey, but about conserving the biodiversity of plants and insects in Singapore. He plans to achieve this by getting a bigger space within the Kranji countryside to create an ecosystem where plants and insects can interact and thrive.
Bee cause that matters
Ong Wee Jin The Straits Times AsiaOne 17 May 15;
The door of the red postbox clanks open, startling the swarm of occupants inside. The colony of bees springs into a flurry of activity, vibrating wings setting off a menacing buzz.
It is a warning for the intruders. But Mr Carl Baptista, 39, and Mr Elric Tan, 31, are not backing off. The bees don't know it, but they are being saved.
The duo are co-founders of Pollen Nation, Singapore's only conservation organisation that champions the bee cause.
"They are definitely pissed off," Mr Baptista remarks, pumping smoke over the nest to help calm the bees before conducting a "bee- vacuation".
The pair had been called to a house in the Holland Road area as bees had set up a hive in an ornamental postbox in the backyard.
Mr Tan, dressed in a white beekeeper suit, readies a modified vacuum cleaner with a plastic bottle attached to it.
With a flick of the switch, the bottle crinkles loudly, the vacuum pulling in several bees at once. In a few minutes, the bottle is full and it is swapped for an empty one.
This process is repeated until most of the bees have been removed and the honeycomb is visible. The honeycomb is cut away whole and packed.
When bees swarm or set up a hive with people nearby, a common response in Singapore would be to call in pest controllers who would spray insecticide on them, wiping out the entire colony.
Mr Baptista and Mr Tan know this all too well.
It was once part of their jobs.
Mr Baptista had been in the pest-control industry for over 15 years and he estimates that the number of hives he has eradicated is "in the hundreds".
Last year, however, he saw an opportunity to set up an organisation that would spread the bee-conservation message instead. He hopes to change people's perception about bees as pests, through workshops and talks at corporations and schools.
He says: "Many times, people kill bees because they are not aware or lack information. My job is to provide that information.
When people become informed, then they have a choice. It is up to them to make that choice for themselves."
To Mr Baptista and Mr Tan, saving bees is not about the honey, but the important role bees play in the environment.
Bee populations have been declining globally, affecting agriculture as bees have long been the world's main insect pollinators.
When bees go in search of pollen and nectar, their hairy bodies trap pollen and carry them from flower to flower, starting reproduction and the production of seeds.
Without pollination, many edible plants would not produce fruits.
The postbox bees have been relocated to Bollywood Veggies, a farm in Kranji, one of several adoption centres that welcome bees. Mr Baptista says: "I think the bees will be happy there."
