When it comes to bees, the most common is to think only of honey bees. That is, a group of bees living in a hive, with a queen bee, drones and workers flying from flower to flower collecting pollen, making honey and occasionally stinging someone with their unfriendly stingers. However, honey bees do not represent even half of the bee population. And their companions, the wild bees, can be quite varied.
There are more than 20,000 species of bees and more than 85% of them are solitary and do not live in hives. 80% of the wild bee species nest in subway tunnels or other structures made of mud, pebbles and even snail shells, some even live in the nests abandoned by beetles. Wild bees can be very selective with their feeding after all they have adapted to different types of plants and some of them feed exclusively on a specific plant.
Many animals act as pollinators, from mammals such as bats and monkeys, to hummingbirds and even some types of lizards. But insects are the main group of pollinators, with bees being by far the largest contributors.
However, not all bee species are equally important for agricultural pollination. In fact, only 2% of bee species are responsible for 80% of crop pollination. And not all foods need pollination by insects like bees. However, without their help, our diets would become much less rich and varied; fruit, in particular, is highly dependent on pollinators.
Pests and diseases: The Varroa mite is the major enemy of honey bees. It grabs the bee and sucks out the bee's hemolymph (the bee's equivalent of blood) and body fat, which weakens the bee's immune system. Varroa mites also transmit viral diseases to the bees, which can then spread to the entire colony. Colonies can also be affected and weakened by other pests and predators, such as the Asian hornet, and diseases caused by bacteria, fungi or viruses. In this case, beekeepers play a positive role by ensuring that their hives are healthy and helping to control pests and predators.
Are bees disappearing? In the case of honeybees, the overall picture is that they are not. Managed honeybee colonies have, in fact, increased by 65% worldwide since 1961.
For wild bees, the situation is more complicated: different wild bees have very different biological characteristics and needs, which complicates the assessment of their overall development. However, it is a fact that certain groups of wild bee species in specific regions are declining.