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Bee populations have been declining globally over recent decades due to habitat loss, intensive farming practices, changes in weather patterns and the excessive use of agrochemicals such as pesticides. This in turn poses a threat to a variety of plants critical to human well-being and livelihoods.
Jan 18, 2024 · Bees boast climate superpowers, especially when it comes to their role in preserving the health of threatened ecosystems and grasslands like the Northern Great Plains. The multitude of bees and other pollinators that help keep grasslands healthy are essential partners in maintaining a stable climate.
Oct 3, 2024 · How do bees contribute to biodiversity? Bees play a crucial role in biodiversity as pollinators. By transferring pollen from one flower to another, they facilitate the reproduction of plants, ensuring the diversity of plant species and supporting the survival of other animals that depend on these plants.
- Habitat Loss
- Climate Change
- Parasites and Diseases
- Invasive Species
- Honey Bees
As development increases, bee habitat decreases, with woods, trees, grassland and even gardens being destroyed or paved over. The rise in intensive farming methods has also left bees struggling. A staggering 97% of wildflower meadows have been lost since the 1930s, reducing an important food resource for bees. With pesticides and herbicides sprayed...
Climate changeand the extreme weather it can cause disrupts bee nesting behaviour and alters normal seasonal timings, so flowers may bloom earlier or later than expected. Planting more trees is helping to mitigate some of the effects of climate change, but it's still a serious issue that could prove deadly for many of our bees.
Research has found that five viruses known to cause disease in honey bees have been passed to our wild bumblebee population. It isn't yet clear whether these are also circulating in solitary bee populations.
Some non-native species can cause havoc for our native species. The Asian hornet,Vespa velutina nigrithorax,for example, has had a catastrophic impact amongst wild bee populations in France, preying on both solitary and bumblebees. Our bees could be in serious trouble if it establishes itself in the UK too.
Unfortunately, the upswell in the popularity of beekeeping hasn't been great news for the UK's bees. The shipping of managed honey bees between countries saw the varroa mite – a parasite that feeds on honey bees – arrive on our shores in the 1990s. The mites jumped to our wild honey bees and, combined with a rise in other diseases, wiped them out a...
Although only 50 of the ~ 20 000 described bee species are actively managed by people, the entire clade is important for ecosystem functioning and human well-being. Bees and flowering plants have co-evolved, making bees effective pollinators of a large proportion of flowering plant species.
Oct 12, 2021 · By keeping flowers pollinated, bees perpetuate floral growth and provide attractive habitats for other animals such as insects and birds. Bees are easily amongst the most important...
Aug 22, 2021 · Why are bees important to the environment. Nearly 90% of flowering plant species on the planet require pollinators to aid in reproduction. This not only provides a food system for wildlife, but it also creates shelter for animals.