The world we live in is incredibly vast, complex and interconnected. Everything we do affects those we share the planet with. While we see ourselves as a self-sufficient and dominant species, what can’t be denied is that we actually rely on animals, and even insects, a lot. One of these is the bee – the buzzing insect that produces honey and pollinates flowers.
Believe it or not, there are growing concerns about the world’s population of bees. It may sound unlikely but things with weird odds have happened more than you think! Studies have shown that bees are actually declining in number in various countries around the world. While this may not sound like a serious issue – it’s not uncommon for animal species to go extinct – it is, since bees are one of the most important species we share the planet with, if not the most important.
On this page, we’ll run you through the mystery of the vanishing bees. We’ll explain what this phenomenon is all about and go over the explanations that have been put forward. We’ll also share some things you can do to protect local bee populations and help you get to understand bees a little bit better. We’ll start with a look at what’s really going on with disappearing bees…
What’s Really Going On?
Over the last two decades, there have been reports from different countries around the world stating that bee populations have gone down. Places such as the UK, the USA and countries throughout Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa have all reported lower-than-expected bee numbers.
No one knows exactly how many bees there are in the world, but when dramatic changes in local populations are observed, alarm bells are sounded. This is because if the population can suddenly change in one place, it can do the same elsewhere. Whenever there’s a change in population – be it a bigger-than-expected increase or a major decrease – this is an abnormal occurrence and scientists want to find out why this has happened.
From 2007 to 2013, it was estimated that some 10 million bee colonies around the world were lost. The terms ‘colony’ and ‘hive’ are used interchangeably quite a lot: a colony is a large family group of bees and a hive is the physical place where bees live; they can be manmade or natural. There can be hundreds, thousands or even tens of thousands of bees in a single colony.
What Types of Bees Are There?
Like most other animals, there isn’t a single bee species. There are estimated to be more than 16,000 species of bees throughout the world. Bees live on every continent except Antarctica and can be found in every habitat where there are flowering plants pollinated by insects. Though bees are mostly known for living in hives, there are a number of species, including the leafcutter, sweat and carpenter bees, that live independently.
The honey bee is without a doubt the best known type of bee. There are over half a dozen species that can be categorised as honey bees living today. Of these, only the easter and western honey bees have been formally domesticated and are used for mass production of honey. Going forward, whenever we mention ‘bee’, it’s the honey bee we’ll be referring to.
In a typical hive, there are several types of bees. The main one is the queen bee, who is the only fertile female and therefore the only bee in the whole hive capable of giving birth. The queen bee constantly emits pheromones, a sort of hormone that lets others in the hive know she’s alive and keeps all other females sterile.
Most of the bees in a hive are worker bees. All of these are female and they have various roles to carry out, including collecting nectar and other necessary substances – many bees can make as many as ten trips to and from their hive in a single day. Workers also clean out cells to make sure they’re ready for storing eggs, nectar and pollen.
Then there are drones. These are males that are hatched from unfertilised eggs. Because the eggs haven’t been fertilised, a drone hasn’t been able to develop a stinger and is physically incapable of collecting nectar. The one and only purpose of a drone is to mate with the hive’s queen.
What Bees Are Vanishing?
It’s safe to say that many different species of bees are experiencing declining numbers. However, the phenomenon has mostly been associated with honey bees, since these are the ones that are kept by people for the purpose of honey production and the pollination of crops. There have been some reports about honey bees disappearing (more info on this below), but such data doesn’t yet exist for other species, as these aren’t as closely monitored by people.
So when people talk about bees disappearing, there’s no definitive answer as to just how many species are being affected. The honey bee is certainly being affected, but we just don’t know to what extent other types of bees are experiencing declining numbers. Some of the lesser species may already be close to extinction; some may be gone in a few years, or even sooner. Since the honey bee is the one we rely on the most, this one is no doubt going to have the most protection should it actually become endangered. Though having said, efforts to protect the honey bee will likely benefit other species.
Why Are Bees Vanishing?
The vanishing of bees is often presented as a mystery. However, it’s not really a mystery because numerous explanations have been put forward and they’re very probably solutions.
Habitat destruction is a key factor. Bees need their hives, but they also need access to water sources and, of course, flowering plants. Most of the time, bees travel less than a mile to get what they need, but some have been known to venture as far as five miles from their hives.
When pesticides are used on plants, the aim is to protect the plants from things like unwanted insects and weeds. There are all sorts of pesticides and the chemical composition of them, as well as their effects on bees, can vary greatly. Some can have negative effects on a bee’s ability to navigate and breed, while others can kill immediately kill bees when they come into contact with them. The most harmful pesticides are those that don’t kill straight away and can be transported with the bee back to the hive, where many, if not all, of the bees there can end up dying.
The loss of habitats and the use of pesticides are believed to be the two main contributing factors to the vanishing of bees. Some other factors include air pollution, global warming and drought.
In some places, bees may be disappearing because of a combination of the factors mentioned above. In others, it may just be a single factor that causes bee numbers to decline. The general consensus is that there’s no great mystery behind the declining numbers of bees. The factors we’ve mentioned have been affecting other species, so it’s very likely indeed that they’ll be affecting bees, too.
Colony Collapse Disorder
It’s also worth mentioning colony collapse disorder. This is something that has happened throughout history, but it gained a lot of attention in 2006 when there were many reports about it taking place.
What colony collapse disorder refers to is when adult worker bees disappear from hives and leave them practically empty, save for the queen bee, some immature bees and some nurse bees, along with a supply of food. Few, if any, dead bees are found near the hive and it’s as if all the workers decided to take off and not come back.
During the 2006-2007 winter season, beekeepers reported 30-90% of their hives being effectively abandoned in this way, which was previously unheard of. Factors attributed to colony collapse disorder include viral infections and parasites, along with pesticides, habitat loss, starvation, malnutrition and the queen bee being of a poor quality (i.e. not producing enough eggs, is too old or is diseased).
Things like pesticides and habitat loss can directly cause bee numbers to decline; they can also cause this to happen indirectly through instigating colony collapse disorder. Usually, a bee will stick to its hive and stay loyal to its queen. If bees leave the hive for whatever reason and try to settle in a new one, they could be seen as intruders and if this happens, they’re likely to get killed by the resident bees.
The Roles Bees Play
Insects may be seen as small and insignificant, but they actually have key roles to play in the circle of life. Bees are some of the most important insects living on the planet today. They’re a source of food for a wide range of animals, such as:
- Birds: robins, woodpeckers, magpies, blackbirds.
- Insects: spiders, centipedes, dragonflies, hornets.
- Mammals: bears, badgers, skunks.
More importantly for us humans, bees are vital for keeping the environment healthy and ensuring the worldwide economy remains stable. How is this so? Because the majority of the plants we rely on for food have to be pollinated and it’s bees that do quite a lot of the pollination. In fact, it’s estimated that roughly a third of all the food consumed by people around the world is pollinated by bees.
Bees also produce honey, of course, but this is something that humanity can live without. It’s the pollination of crops that is the bee’s most important role by far. The bee is very much an integral part of not only the food chain, but also the circle of life. We forget this from time to time, but we’re reliant on other species, even tiny, seemingly insignificant ones, and the roles they play benefit us in ways we often take for granted.
What If All Bees Vanish?
If all bees were to vanish, that would have a devastating effect on the world’s food chain. Should this actually happen, it would of course be a gradual process – you wouldn’t just have all bees everywhere suddenly vanishing overnight. But what many fear is that while the vanishing of a species is gradual and not instant, it can be sped up by a number of factors. The more it happens, the more the impact of that species’ loss is felt and before we know it, it’s too late to do anything; there comes a point where things are irreversible.
We aren’t completely reliant on bees for food, so if they were to vanish we’d still be able to acquire large amounts of food. If it became clear that bees are going to become extinct, there’s no doubt people would try to find some sort of solution to replace their contributions to food production.
What makes the potential loss of bees particularly devastating is the fact that, even in 2021, food poverty is still a huge problem. It’s estimated that roughly 820 million people aren’t getting enough food to live healthy and active lives. Food poverty affects people just about everywhere, but it’s particularly problematic in developing countries such as Ethiopia, Haiti, Indonesia, Niger and the Philippines, to name a few.
About a ninth of the world’s population isn’t currently receiving enough food. If bees were to gradually get closer to extinction, the number of people suffering from food poverty would likely rise. Developed countries where most people have access to enough food would be better prepared to tackle the problem. Developing countries, on the other hand, may well struggle to get their citizens fed and would be worse affected by the lack of bees.
How You Can Help?
There’s no denying that we as a population need bees, so we can’t let them vanish. The disappearing of bees isn’t being given much attention by world governments at all. That being said, there are things you can do to protect and even restore the bee population in your local area:
- Stop using herbicides and pesticides on plants in your garden. Use products that protect not only your plants, but also the bees and other important insects that could be visiting them.
- Encourage farmers to stop using these products. Farmers often have huge fields and if they give up harmful substances, it can make a significant difference.
- Research local bee protection initiatives and get involved. There are bound to be some national efforts, at least, that you can get involved with.
- Support local beekeepers by buying the honey the sell and even do some volunteer work with them.
- Bees need trees for nectar, so ask about planting trees and make sure existing trees are well protected.
- If your home has a garden, make it bee-friendly by planting year-round flowers. Make the outdoor space you have as welcoming to bees as possible.
- Become a beekeeper yourself. If you’ve got the space for a hive and enough money for the starter equipment, why not give it a go? It can be a rewarding hobby, especially if you’re into conservation (and like honey!)
The points listed above are just a few things you can do to help prevent the loss of bees. The best solution is, of course, awareness. The more people know about the bees’ plight, the more work can be done to helping them thrive. As well as taking steps to promote bee conservation in your part of the world, spread the word and get others to do the same.
Conclusion
Throughout history species of animals have come and gone. These days, we’re more conscious of the consequences of our actions than ever before. We’re acutely aware of how our dominance of the planet affects the countless other species we share it with. Many animals are facing declining numbers, but we can live without most of them. The bee is a species that we would struggle to live without.
If bees were to keep vanishing, there would be all sorts of knock-on effects on things like the environment and, critically, food production. That’s why people have been paying attention to reports of declining bee numbers and efforts are being made to conserve them. The issue isn’t being taken seriously be world leaders yet, but it may well be in the near future if numbers continue to decline around the world.
Hopefully this page has given you an idea of what the mystery of vanishing bees is all about. As we’ve said previously, there really isn’t any mystery to it: bees, just like other species we live on Earth with, are susceptible to natural diseases and predators, as well as manmade things such as habitat loss and the use of pesticides. Education is needed so that people know this issue isn’t a mystery and is actually quite serious!