Saving Malaysia's bees

Despite being instrumental in the cross-fertilisation of crops and the preservation of ecosystems, bee populations are in free fall globally, on account of contamination, the prolific use of insecticides and human encroachment on bees' natural habitat.

Nearly half of invertebrate pollinators, especially bees and butterflies, currently face annihilation, states the United Nations.

Pro-environment campaigners in Malaysia have established the aptly named "My Bee Savior" society to tackle their demise. Software developer Ooi Leng Chye has a passion for bee conservation. He dedicates his free time to the resettlement of bees from urban districts to more rural areas.

Ooi Leng Chye: "So just move them in, take all the comb away, all the comb out from their original place and then move the bee as well as the comb back and place them into a box in wherever place that we want to keep the bees."

Deeming it unnecessary to don a bee-keeping suit, Ooi maintains that bees are aggressive only when sensing imminent danger.

The volunteer painstakingly scoops the bees into a waiting basket and extricates the honeycomb, a process which might last three hours. Once the nest transferral is complete, the bees are destined for a more rustic setting and the bee colony is deposited in a relatively rough and ready wooden container, their newly allocated hive.

Hitherto, the public would routinely summon the emergency services to get rid of a nest. Bees would ordinarily face incineration by the fire brigade, considered the safest and most efficient solution. Capable of handling around 10 bee-nest events every 24 hours, the rescue team also aspire to transform people's fear into respect for nature's providers.

Ooi Leng Chye: "I think it's because urban dwellers are more afraid of bees and not so familiar with bees. So their perception is that bees are very dangerous. So the moment they see bees, they'll immediately try to find some way to remove the bees."

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