What if there were no bees?

What goes through your head if I tell you about insects? You probably think of pests or diseases. However, insects are essential to keep ecosystems functioning.

There is a specific species that is highly threatened and on whose survival yours could also depend. So much so that, without them, you would probably have to say goodbye to a good part of the food you eat every day, such as vegetables, fruits, cereals, coffee or chocolate … We are talking about bees.

What if there were no bees? Why are they so fundamental to the balance of our planet?

Since the beginning of the century, there has been a worrying decrease in the population of pollinating insects. 73 studies on entomological fauna in locations around the world and estimated that 40% of all insect species could disappear in the coming decades, and a third of insect species are today in danger of extinction.

Beekeepers say they have seen a 30-90% decline in bee colonies in just a few years.

And this situation has a direct impact on our planet, but also on our way of life, due to the pollination process.

Pollinating insects (mainly bees, wasps and bumblebees) and plants have a very close relationship with each other, and are dependent on each other.

The flowers, which are striking and attractive, attract insects that interact with them and thanks to this movement, the insects carry the pollen from the anther (male organ of the flower) to the stigma (female organ), allowing fertilization.

Bees harvest nectar, which is highly energetic for them due to its sugar content; and pollen, rich in protein and a good food source for the larvae. And in turn, they are the most efficient pollinating insects, especially the honey bee or domestic bee, since their anatomy is widely adapted to induce this process: the body of bees is hairy, has hairs, and also in these hairs they have an electrostatic charge, causing pollen to stick to hair.

To what extent do ecosystems, and our very survival, depend on the bees continuing to carry out this work of fertilization?

An April 2019 report prepared by the World Wildlife Fund together with the European insect conservation organization Buglife, reveals that almost 90% of wild plants depend on animals. These plants are the basis of the habitats that make up ecosystems.

And our diet is also sustained by pollinators: 75% of the world’s major crops depend on animal pollination, according to a study published in 2006 that reviewed 115 world crops.

And we are increasingly dependent: The volume of agricultural production dependent on animal pollination has increased by 300% over the last 50 years. That, the same report warns that pollinator-dependent crops show less growth and stability in yield than other types of crops that do not depend on this process.

In other words, three-quarters of our food depends on pollinating insects , especially bees. In economic figures, the contribution of animal pollination to world crop production is estimated between 235 and 577 billion dollars, according to the Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Dr Simon Potts, who is Co-Chair of Assessment and Professor of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, UK, warned that: “Without pollinators, many of us would no longer be able to enjoy of coffee, chocolate and apples, among many other foods that are part of our daily lives ”.

You like chocolate, right? Well, chocolate, for example, is derived from the seed of the cacao tree, and insects are essential for its pollination. The annual value of world cultivation of cocoa beans is estimated at about five thousand seven hundred million dollars.

Not only the disappearance of bees could threaten the world’s crops. Loss of diversity in bee species can lead to loss of plant diversity. This was shown by a study that analyzed species richness in Great Britain, which decreased significantly when comparing 1950-1969 with 1970-1989.

Why are bees dying?

The survival of pollinating insects is being threatened by several factors. One of the most threatening diseases for bees is Acarapisosis:

It is caused by a contagious parasite, which invades the respiratory tract of bees. These microscopic mites lay their eggs in the bee’s windpipe, and feed on its fluids, weakening them considerably, sometimes causing death.

Another parasite is varroa destructor, which invades the hives of bees. There they lay their eggs in the larva of the bee before finishing its development, and it considerably weakens it. When the mature bee leaves the hive cell, it spreads the larvae of these parasites to neighboring cells, and the pest grows exponentially.

But these diseases are not enough to explain the decline in the bee population.

In recent years there has been considerable debate about the effects on pollinating insects of one class of pesticides in particular: the neonicotinoids. These systemic pesticides spread through plant tissues, and can be found in pollen and plant nectar, with high mortality for bees.

A recent large-scale experiment in Europe found that exposure of wild and honey bees to neonicotinoid pesticides reduces their ability to establish new populations in the year following exposure.

But the survival of bees is also being threatened by other factors, such as

– Loss of habitat due to the use of intensive agriculture

– Climate change

– Hunger and poor nutrition of the bees themselves

International organizations are very aware of the current complicated situation of pollinators, and there is an extensive scientific literature that allows promoting conservation measures for these species. These measures are summarized in trying to monitor bee colonies, and protect their habitats.

But we do not know if every effort we can make will be enough, not only to ensure the biodiversity of our planet, but also to ensure the survival of human populations.