Spring without the buzz. Why do bees disappear?

Authors

  • Antonio Gómez Pajuelo Consultor apícola

Keywords:

beekeeping, bee disappearance, climate change, chemical residues.

Abstract

Since ancient times, beekeeping has provided humanity with two important products: honey, the only sweetener until the 16th century, and beeswax. Later, with the development of microscopy, the pollination process became known, allowing the improvement of fruits and seeds, which form one-third of all human food. The problem now observed of the disappearance of bees is due to a combination of factors. Other bee disappearances have occurred in the past but the large decrease in the pollinating bee population since 1995 is specifically attributed to neonicotinoids. The studies in this field led the European Union (EU) to put a ban on three neonicotinoids for a period of two years from 1 December 2013. Other causes of the decreased bee population are the poor autumn flowering of plants due to climate change, which causes malnutrition in bees in a critical stage of their life cycle; the residues of acarides used by farmers to fight the varroa mite, which produce sub-lethal intoxication in bees while affecting gene expression in their immune system; and the selfsame parasitic action of varroa, which also causes malnutrition and transmits diseases. Varying in importance depending on areas and bee farms, these factors interact, creating synergies.

Keywords: beekeeping, bee disappearance, climate change, chemical residues.

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Section

Agroforum