The International Bees Day, which comes this year under the slogan “Bees are inspired by nature to feed us all”, highlights the decisive roles that bees play in the food chain of humanity, and the validity of the ecosystems of the planet, indicating that the loss of bees will make the year lose much more than just honey.
Bees and other pollinations face increasing threats due to the loss of their habitats, the unusual agricultural practices, climate change and pollution. Its decrease in the production of global crops is at risk, increases its costs, and thus the global food insecurity is exacerbated.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), there are more than 200 thousand species of animals that are classified as the vast majority of them wild, including butterflies, birds, bats and more than 20 thousand species of bees, which is considered the “greatest pollinators”.
IVF is essential for agricultural food systems, as it supports the production of more than 75% of the world’s crops, including fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. In addition to increasing crop yields.
Recruits also improve food quality and diversity, and the protection of polls promotes biological diversity and biomedical systems services, such as soil fertility, pest control, air and water regulation.
Tireless insect
According to the data of the United Nations Environment Program, 90% of World Food Production is obtained from 100 plant species, and 70 species need to pollinate bees.
Studies have shown that non -bee insects represent only 38% of the vaccination of crops, compared to less than 5% of the vaccination of crops in relation to butterflies, and the vaccination of birds with less than 5% of flowering species around the world and 1% for bats.
The cost of artificial insemination is at least 10% higher than the cost of bee vaccination services, and in the end we cannot repeat the work of the bees with the same quality or efficiency to achieve the same revenues.
For example, the cost of vaccination of one hectare of apple orchids in the United States ranges between 5 thousand and 7 thousand dollars and with approximately 153 thousand and 375 hectares of apple groves throughout the country, the cost will reach about 880 million dollars annually, for apple fields only.
In general, the insect polls represent approximately 35% of the total global food production, and honey bees take over 90% of the burden of this work.
The risk of extinction
Bees and other pollinations are actually exposed to an increasing threat due to human activities such as the use of pesticides, environmental pollution that includes plastic molecules, electromagnetic pollution (telecommunications vibrations, mobile phones, electricity lines), invasive types of its property, and climate change. Although the prominent image indicates a catastrophic situation related to the census of the world bees.
But the analysis of the data mentioned in the FAO newsletter shows that the idea of collapsing the numbers of bees globally is not completely accurate, but nevertheless remains the future of the global bees numbers is completely unconfirmed.
The data indicates that the number of bees in some Asian countries is witnessing a steady increase, while in the United States and North America in general, great challenges in recent decades, due to the destruction of habitats, exposure to pesticides, climate change, diseases, and parasites.
The increase in the number of bees in Asia is due to the natural diversity of the continent, the mild climate, the traditions of ancient beekeeping, the prosperity of commercial beekeeping, for example China, the largest honey producer in the world, has strengthened its honey bees significantly to meet global demand.
If the areas facing the deterioration of strict policies are adopted to preserve bees and sustainable agricultural practices, they may contribute to the stability of the numbers of bees, and even enhance them, in the coming years. At the same time, countries that are experiencing a bee numbers must remain vigilant to the emerging threats to protect their achievements.
The future of the bees – which is allocated on May 20 annually as a world day – depends on human beings to adapt, innovate and protect its hail. Instead of focusing only on cases of decrease, it should be studied and simulated stories of its multiplication and the recovery of its dates in different regions of the world.
Eco -friendly agricultural practices, such as inter -agriculture, forestry agriculture, integrated pest management, protect natural habitats, and provide a fixed and loyal food source in the sustainability of pollinations, ensuring the stability and diversity of crops, and reduces food shortages and environmental effects.
The studied efforts to protect pollinators eventually enhance other components of biological diversity, such as pest control, soil fertility, and air and water regulation. And the creation of sustainable nutritional agricultural systems, the bees play a prominent role in it.
