What You Should Know About The Drastic Decline Of Wild Bees

This study highlighted that this decline occurs in agriculturally intensive areas, rather than natural areas. These areas are also the most important areas for U.S. agricultural production, comprising 39 percent of the U.S. cropland. Surprisingly, the study suggests some of the crops most dependent on pollinators — including pumpkins, watermelons, pears, peaches, plums, apples and blueberries — have the strongest pollination mismatch, with a simultaneous drop in wild bee supply and increase in pollination demand.  How many wild bees are there now in the U.S.? And how about domesticated bees? There are more than 4,000 bee species in the U.S. The primary domesticated bee is the honeybee, which is typically imported from outside the U.S. There are a very small number of domesticated native bees, such as blue orchard bees and leaf cutter bees. What is causing the decline of bee populations? Who or what is to blame? Habitat loss, pesticides, climate change and bee diseases are known as major risks threatening wild bee populations. My study found that areas converting grassland and pasture to corn fields is a major driver threatening bee populations.  Bees are pollinators, assisting plants to reproduce by taking pollen from flower to flower. What happens to crops and other plants when there's a shortage of pollinators? If the shortage is ongoing, then we might lose some nutritious foods such as nuts and fruits. It also may impact our natural ecosystems because...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news