The honey bee pollination accounts for $15 billion a year, but over the last 15 years, the population has been declining rapidly. This has been especially true in the U.S., where “about 30 percent of beehives collapsed because of disease, parasites, poor nutrition, pesticide exposure, and other issues,” according to the National Resource Conservation Service, NRCS.
This percentage jumped to 37% between October 2018 and April 2019. The Bee Informed Partnership surveyed 319,787 colonies, from backyard beekeepers to company-owned hives. Last year, the reported 37% winter hive loss was 8.9% higher than their 13-year survey average, and the level of total loss throughout the last decade has been close to 40%.
It is not just bees that are in danger. Other pollinators such as bats, butterflies, and birds have also experienced declining populations in past years. In a two year study in the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service, conducted by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform, researchers found that 16% of vertebrates and 40% of invertebrate pollinators are in danger of extinction. The American Beekeeping Federation reports that some crops “are 90% dependent on honey bee pollination, and wild and domestic honey bees contribute “nearly $20 billion to U.S. crop values.”
Pesticides are recognized by numerous peer-reviewed studies as a factor in bee population decline. A study published in Science Mag details the effect neonicotinoid pesticides have on bees, specifically reducing colony growth and queen production. The Journal of Environmental Health published a study in January 2019 documenting the presence of neonicotinoid pesticides in the commercial food supply, including “foods sold and consumed in the United States.” The European Union banned these pesticides in 2018, and the US banned 12 products while allowing five to remain on the market.
Glyphosate is used to kill weeds all around the world, and studies indicate that the EPSPS enzyme inside glyphosate affects many different types of bacteria. One of these types of bacteria is located inside a honey bees stomach. This makes the bee lose weight and its ability to fight disease. Studies also indicate that humans are affected, as well, and the shikimate pathway disruption that occurs in the presence of glyphosate is blamed for a host of health problems.
With the rise of mass production farming, more chemicals are disrupting the environment as they are introduced to pollinators. As consumer awareness grows and governmental forces combine with local environmental groups, protective efforts including the prohibition of toxic pesticides could give pollinators a chance to rebound.
Though the groups have different opinions on how to proceed, many different organizations are studying these declines and different tactics to rebuild the populations. The NRCS, run by the Department of Agriculture, is working on providing a bigger food supply for bees and other pollinators around the country. The Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, is taking steps to protect pollinators by making sure pesticides are not harming beneficial insects, but critics note that a revolving door between regulatory agencies and the industries they are tasked with overseeing is a blatant conflict of interest, and one of the reasons that change has been so slow to manifest. In 2008, the Farm Bill was passed which allowed the Department of Agriculture to improve or recreate pollinator habitats. Lobbying from both sides of the conflict, including the petrochemical industry and independent groups aligned with environmental protection, have created a situation where little is accomplished through federal regulation.
The average person can help, as most cities and towns allow beehives in backyards. Beehives only take up a few square feet of space, and there is little to no upkeep during the wintertime. People can also help by planting more food sources for bees, like gardens or windowsill flowers, and by choosing to not spray toxic herbicides and pesticides.
