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Bee saving paper- A solution for Crop Pollination

It’s been a problem since years that bees which are the natural source of pollinators for our crops are getting extinct day by day resulting in the decreasing extent of variability and thus affecting crops growth. Bees, which are responsible for pollination leads to cross pollination in crops and thus increases the food supply. If they are in danger no doubt we are short in supply of food after few years.

Updated on: 4 December, 2018 12:34 PM IST By: Dr. Sangeeta Soi

It’s been a problem since years that bees which are the natural source of pollinators for our crops are getting extinct day by day resulting in the decreasing extent of variability and thus affecting crops growth. Bees, which are responsible for pollination leads to cross pollination in crops and thus increases the food supply. If they are in danger no doubt we are short in supply of food after few years.  

As a means of saving dwindling bee populations, this Polish startup has come up with an ingenious way of turning one of our most commonly used substances into an energy drink for pollinators. Bee saving paper is a biodegradable paper that is packed full of energy-rich glucose that is nutritious and delicious for bees – and it doesn’t even make the paper sticky. It works like an energy drink for bees to help them fly further. 

The material is made by dissolving a special kind of sugar into water, making a paste that beekeepers use to nourish their hives during the winter. According to the paper startup’s website, only 0.5 kilograms of the substance is enough to feed several thousand bees. The paper contains a unique form of energy-rich glucose that is appetizing for bees for but does not make the paper sticky. This is thanks to a special kind of sugar, which can be dissolved into water from a food known as “fondant for bees” 

How does it work? 

This paper is made from honey plant seed ‘Lady Phacelia’ as it may provide taste to the bees and its biodegradable product may also lead to a rest stop for bees. Leaving a strip of our paper next to  a struggling bee has a second benefit – once the bee has eaten the glucose,   
a honey plant will grow from the leftover strip.  

Now the question is how the bees will find paper as their food. We would like to tell you that these papers are not plain normal paper but with some colourful graphics that attract the bees and bring them close to the paper. It can be used for countless purposes like a coffee sleeve, a bag, a car park ticket, and a picnic plate.

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