Transcript
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Hello, this is 6 Minute English
from BBC Learning English. I'm Phil.
And I'm Beth.
Do you like honey, Phil?
Hmm, I use it a lot
in cooking, so yes.
Well, the relationship
between humans, honey
and the bees which make it
goes back
thousands of years.
Prized for its taste
and medicinal properties,
in ancient times honey was known
as liquid gold.
But now, thanks
to modern farming methods,
populations of many insects,
including bees, are in decline.
Saoirse, a worried listener
from London,
called BBC World Service programme
CrowdScience about the problem.
I'm Saoirse from the UK and my
question is can honey help save bees?
I've been vegan for about nine years
and I don't eat honey myself,
but I still have
a question mark around it
because I know that
our bee populations are declining.
Saoirse is a vegan – someone who doesn't
eat anything which comes from animals.
Not just meat, but things like milk,
eggs and honey too.
Although Saoirse
doesn't eat honey herself,
she says there's a question mark
around eating honey.
The phrase,
a question mark around something,
means there's doubt or uncertainty
about something.
And what Saoirse
is uncertain about is
whether eating honey
might actually save bees.
So, would it be better for declining bee
populations if more people ate honey?
That's what we'll be discussing,
using some useful new words and phrases.
Plus, you'll find all the vocabulary
from this episode
on our website,
bbclearningenglish.com.
But bee-fore that,
I have a question for you, Phil.
The buzzing sound bees are famous for
is made by flapping their four wings
incredibly fast, but how fast?
Do honey bees flap their wings:
a) 90 times per second,
b) 190 times per second,
or c) 290 times per second?
Well, I have absolutely no idea, so
I'm going to guess 190 times per second.
OK. Well, we'll find out the answer
later in the programme.
We've been talking about honey bees,
but these are just one
of the 20,000 species of bee
which exist around the world.
In fact, honey bees are one of the
most widespread insects on the planet
and not endangered at all.
But the picture isn't so good for
wild bees, including the bumblebee,
as biologist Dave Goulson,
from the University of Sussex,
explained to BBC World Service
programme CrowdScience.
In the UK, we have 26 bumblebee
species but three have gone extinct.
Many of the others are now clinging
on in little isolated pockets
of good habitat.
The honey bees have beekeepers
to look after them,
but nobody's looking out
for the wild bees.
Three of the 26 species of
British bumblebee have gone extinct,
and Dave says
other species are clinging on,
meaning barely continuing to survive
with great effort.
This happens in isolated pockets –
small areas of habitat
in which a particular insect
or animal can survive.
So, while honey bees
may not be endangered,
lots of other bee species are,
and this is bad news because we rely
on insects to pollinate crops
and to keep ecosystems functioning.
That's right, Beth.
87% of all plant species
need insects for pollination,
so without them most plants
on Earth would disappear,
which would obviously be
catastrophic.
But according to Dave Goulson,
pollination is just one
of the many things bees do for us,
as he explained to
BBC World Service's CrowdScience.
That isn't the only thing
that insects are doing
and there are much less glamorous,
less well-known things,
like recycling cow poo
and helping to keep the soil healthy
and helping to control crop pests
and so on,
all of which are also
really important.
And we, kind of,
take them for granted
or are just oblivious
that they're even happening.
Recycling cow poo
and keeping the soil healthy
are two important jobs bees do
which we take for granted.
If you take something for granted,
you fail to value or appreciate
something which benefits you.
We humans are oblivious,
meaning unaware or unmindful
of the many things bees do
to support life on Earth.
So, while eating more honey probably
won't do much to save wild bees,
there are things you can do,
such as growing bee-friendly plants
which flower in spring, like lavender.
OK. Phil, I think it's time
to reveal the answer to my question.
I asked you how many times
bees flap their wings per second.
You said 190, which was...
the correct answer.
Well done!
Ooh!
OK. Let's recap the vocabulary
we've learnt, starting with vegan –
someone who doesn't consume
any animal products.
If you say there's a question mark
around something,
you mean there's some doubt
or uncertainty about it.
If an animal species is clinging on,
it's holding onto existence
with great effort.
Isolated pockets refer
to small areas of habitat
in which a particular insect
or animal can survive.
To take something for granted means
to not appreciate or show gratitude
for something which helps you.
And finally, the adjective
oblivious means unaware.
Once again, our six minutes are up,
but if you're keen for more, then
head over to our website,
bbclearningenglish.com,
and download the worksheet
and try the quiz on this episode.
Goodbye for now.
Goodbye.
Vocabulary
Word 1 of 15prized
word
0:26
"valued very highly."
More Listening Practice
About this lesson
Explore why wild bee populations are declining and what we can do to protect them in this 6 Minute English episode.