Bees are among the most important insects and are vital for the survival of the planet as we know it as a third of our food depends directly on the bees. But the bees are dying rapidly. Bee populations around the world are being decimated due to several factors, all of them caused by humans.
Pollination contributes to 70 out of the 100 top human foods, according to Greenpeace. And that supplies 90% of the total nutrition. And bee populations are primarily contributing to it along with a handful of other species of insects.
While their contribution is invaluable, but we can ascribe a value in monetary terms to the service rendered by the bee numbers. It has been estimated that pollinating insects have a total economic worth of around $150 billion. Of that, bees alone are responsible for around $950 million.
But the bee populations and other pollinating insects are dying out at a frenzied pace despite humans acknowledging their monetary value. And human activity is the primary cause of this rapid decline in bee populations.
Massive Decline In Bee Populations Already A Reality
The massive decline in bee populations has been attributed to multiple causes, all of which have a human origin. The lifelines of the planet’s ecosystem are dying out rapidly due to pollution, habitat loss, intrusion of non-native species, pesticides, pollution, and several other factors.
This downward trend in bee numbers will upset years of food security to which the developed world has become accustomed. It would lead to wars primarily for control of food resources. Ultimately it is the bee population of a country that will decide its economic status.
The countries to suffer most are the developing nations as they will not have the backup of technology to save partly save them from this situation.
The Cause For Decline In Bee Populations
A study conducted to analyze bee health covering two decades has found out how human and natural factors are decimating the bee populations. The bees are being severely hampered in their capacity to retain details, forage, produce colonies, and pollinate plants.
Agrochemicals are the primary cause of the decline in bee populations. Pesticides and fungicides are the greatest threats that affect pollen activity, plus decrease the nectar that pollinators can source from the ocean.
Read: Concern Rises After Honeybees Are Seen To Trap Microplastics From Air In Their Body
Scientists have concluded that half the insect species are facing a decline a population. A third of those will have disappeared completely by 2100. 1 in 6 species is already extinct.
