Bees are thriving thanks to 'less traffic, less pollution,' during coronavirus lockdown

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This is one bit of news we can all "bee" thankful for.

The coronavirus pandemic has upended every facet of humanity, but bees are thriving thanks to less pollution and improvements in the environment, British news agency SWNS reports.

Helen McGregor, a beekeeper in England, notes the stay-at-home practices that have resulted in drastic drops in pollution are having a trickle-down effect on the health of bees.

Beekeepers Helen McGregor and Lorant Nagy check hives in colorful rapeseed fields near Edinburgh. (Credit: SWNS)

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“Less traffic, less pollution is bound to make a difference to the environment which of course has a positive knock-on effect for bees," McGregor said. “I think people are more aware of what’s going on around them and in the countryside just now because of lockdown. Hopefully we see these changes lasting."

McGregor and her family have owned the largest bee farm in the country, Denrosa Apiaries, in Coupar Angus, Perth and Kinross, since the 1940s. It has 4,000 hives, each one with approximately 50,000 bees.

Beekeeper Helen McGregor checks hives in colorful rapeseed fields near Edinburgh with the Forth Bridges in the background. (Credit: SWNS)

McGregor, whose grandfather Kenneth started the business almost 80 years ago, thinks it's possible that people are "more aware of nature," noticing the hives when they are taking walks.

“They are more aware of nature, maybe seeing hives when they are out and about and thinking more about the food they are eating and where it comes from," the 43-year-old explained. “It’s taking people back to their roots, making them look at what’s necessary in life and what’s not, it’s back to a basic outlook on life."

The health of the bees at the farm is important, not just to the family business, but the local economy as well. “We have hundreds of sites from down in England, all the way up to Aberdeenshire, with billions of bees," Helen noted.

“A lot of farmers are looking for bees to help with crop pollination," the mother of two continued. "We have mini hives which we use to build up bee levels and we breed our own queen bees."

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As of Friday afternoon, more than 4.48 million coronavirus cases have been diagnosed worldwide, more than 1.42 million of which are in the U.S., the most impacted country on the planet.

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