Greenpeace: The global and European situation with bees and other pollinators

The problem of bee decline

Since the late 1990s, beekeepers around the world have observed the mysterious and sudden disappearance of bees, and report unusually high rates of decline in honeybee colonies.Bees make more than honey – they are key to food production because they pollinate crops. Bumblebees, other wild bees, and insects like butterflies, wasps, and flies all provide valuable pollination services. A third of the food that we eat depends on pollinating insects: vegetables like zucchini, fruits like apricot, nuts like almonds, spices like coriander, edible oils like canola, and many more… In Europe alone, the growth of over 4,000 vegetables depends on the essential work of pollinators. But currently, more and more bees are dying. The bee decline affects mankind too. Our lives depend on theirs

40%

Loss of commercial honeybee in the US since 2006

 

25%

Loss of commercial honeybee in Europe since 1985

 

45%

Loss of commercial honeybee in the UK since 2010

 

For more info: http://sos-bees.org/situation/