Corporate bee accountability among Swedish companies

Imagine billions of workers who work without a break, in silence and without pay. This is the reality for bees. For a long time no one saw any value in the work they do. It has taken a tragedy for us to understand their economic value. In the US a large part of the natural wild bee population has died off; the same thing has happened in Europe.
Pollinating insects are vital for the ecosystem to function, for the global economy, for modern consumer culture and for human survival. Without bees and other pollinators, more than 50% of the food we consume would disappear or sharply rise in price. Primary vegetables, fruit and berries are pollinated by bees. Meat and dairy products are dependent on pollinators, since large proportions of livestock fodder such as clover or alfalfa require pollination. Cotton is also pollinated by insects, as well as rubber trees. So without bees humans would have to live without jeans, T-shirts or sneakers, as well as refreshing fruits or a cup of coffee in the morning. Most of us would survive solely on corn, rice and wind-pollinated grains, but we would probably suffer from deficiency diseases such as scurvy.
In landscapes where wild pollinators are decreasing, honey bees promote the maintenance of plant species; therefore honey bee losses are of great concern. Current honey bee colony losses worldwide are caused by colony collapse disorder, the mite Varroa destructor and pesticides. One of the first alarms raised concerning mass bee death came from a beekeeper in Florida in November 2006 who discovered that his bees had disappeared. Further reports showed that the phenomenon could be found in the USA, Canada and it was also detected in Germany, France, Holland and Italy.
Although much is still to be researched and explained about massive bee death, most researchers agree that the answer is to be found in a combination of the following possible explanations. Genetically manipulated crops, inbreeding, chemical pesticides, parasites, stress from modern industrial bee management, where bee colonies are shipped on trucks between huge mono crops that require fertilization, are all part of the problem. The issue most frequently identified is the use of chemicals in modern farming. In particular, the use of neonicotinoid pesticides can be linked to the mass death of bees. This pesticide is spread in plant tissues and is deadly to insects throughout the growing season, including during flowering when honey bees consume their pollen. Neonicotinoids affect insects’ central nervous system. Some studies show how neonicotinoids affected the bees’ ability to navigate. Another reaction is that even very small amounts of neonicotinoids deteriorate the reproductive ability of bumblebees, another important pollinating insect.
In Sweden gains and losses in bee stock have been documented for almost 100 years. Sweden has not suffered from mass death of bees, which is reported in other parts of the world. In Sweden the bees, in recent years, have hibernated relatively well due to warm winters. There is also a completely different pressure on the usage of pesticides and chemicals in agriculture in Sweden compared to other countries, as many Swedish beekeepers fight mites using organic methods. It is illegal to use substances such as neonicotinoids in crops that are attractive to bees or other pollinators. So even if pesticides are a problem for pollinators internationally, this is less of an issue in Sweden. The spread of the varroa mite is a far greater problem for Swedish bees.
Last year’s media attention on the mass death of bees has affected both people and companies. Disasters often trigger human reaction to prevent further deterioration or extinction. The mass death of bees is linked to money for most of us, as we are nearly all invested in stock markets through pension funds and other forms of institutional investment, and stock markets are clearly affected. This financial connection also creates a great opportunity for marketing and sales of products that in one way or another can be associated with honey or pollinating bees. As a reaction several companies donated money to bee research: for example the cosmetics chain The Body Shop donated 20 Swedish kronor per sold product of one of their make-up series for three weeks in summer 2011 to the Swedish Beekeepers Association.
Many companies are not satisfied with simply donating money or demonstrating concern for the bees in their advertising. Instead, some companies try to get involved in other ways. One way they are involving themselves in bee decline is by introducing beehives close to their corporate buildings, such as in courtyards, on terraces or on rooftops. This type of initiative is a new and increasingly common phenomenon in Sweden. In this chapter, we discuss this corporate use of beehives as a means of demonstrating sustainable development; we explore corporate accountability in relation to bee populations and the impact of these initiatives on urban biodiversity and environment.