Bees - Apiformes ReThink

When we think of bees, we usually think of honeybees, but they are just a few of the 20,000 bee species found worldwide. For example, bumblebees are also a type of bee. The species that humans use for honey production belong to the honeybees (Apis)[1]. Wild and domesticated bees live either solitarily or in more or less advanced bee colonies [6].

Bees are essential pollinators, accounting for about 80% of all pollination worldwide. They are of great importance for biodiversity and the ecological balance of nature. Approximately 90 % of our flowering plant species on Earth depend on pollination [3].

Plants are not only food for wildlife; they also provide homes and shelter for many species. Even bees themselves can be food for other animals [3]. Many bee species specialise in different pollen plants, making them particularly vulnerable to habitat changes [5]. Bees are, therefore, good to use as bioindicators of the state of nature. Both their presence/absence and quantity show whether there are changes in the environment [2].

In 2020, bees were recognised as the planet’s most critical and irreplaceable living organisms [5]. They are threatened by conventional agriculture that uses
pesticides, which are harmful to bees. The pesticides can poison them or kill flowers on which bees depend [2].

Key functions

● Pollination

● Indicators of climate change / environmental status / state of nature

● Food/food for other animals

Threat

● Pesticides

● Monocultures

● Climate change

● Habitat degradation

● New invasive predators

Common species

There are over 20,000 bee species around the world, and in Sweden, there are around 280 species, of which about 41 species are bumblebees [4].