World Bee Day: Bees facing new threats, putting our own survival at risk

Bees are an essential part of our food chain, with more than three-quarters of global crops depending on pollinators. A new report for World Bee Day has highlighted emerging threats that mean the insects could struggle to survive. Without them, most of our crops would not grow. But the humble bee has been on the decline for decades. Pesticides and climate change have taken much of the blame for that downward trend. "If the decline in pollinators continues, we are going to see significant food insecurity, because the amount, the quality and the quantity of yield will reduce. But also, pollination plays a huge role in the nutritious value. So, micronutrients in the food are dependent on having good pollination. So not only will we have a reduction in the food quantity that we eat, the quality will also be seriously affected," says the report's co-author, Deepa Senapathi, who is head of the Department of Sustainable Land Management at the University of Reading. Experts identified the top 12 new threats facing bees. Some relate to pollution—artificial light at night has reduced flower visits by nocturnal pollinators by 62 percent. Antibiotic pollution in hives could be affecting bee behavior, such as reducing how often they forage for flowers. Pesticides, air pollution and microplastics also made the list. "We talk about how pollution is a big issue, right? But what we may not really focus on is the actual specifics of what type of pollution. So, for example, diesel and exhaust fumes, for instance, when they pollute the air, they can also disrupt pollinator plant interactions. So, the bees may not be able to kind of identify their best foraging resources. If there's heavy metal pollution in the water or the soil, that may impact behavior of bees. It may even impact their reproductive success survival," says Senapathi. Other problems facing bees are more frequent and fierce wildfires destroying habitats, which can't recover quickly enough afterwards. The report titled Emerging Threats and Opportunities for Conservation of Global Pollinators was commissioned by Bee:wild, a global campaign to save pollinators. World Bee Day is May 20. This article was provided by The Associated Press.