The conservation and restoration of wild bees

Abstract

Bees pollinate most of the world's wild plant species and provide economically valuable pollination services to crops; yet knowledge of bee conservation biology lags far behind other taxa such as vertebrates and plants. There are few long-term data on bee populations, which makes their conservation status difficult to assess. The best-studied groups are the genus Bombus (the bumble bees), and bees in the EU generally; both of these are clearly declining. However, it is not known to what extent these groups represent the approximately 20,000 species of bees globally. As is the case for insects in general, bees are underrepresented in conservation planning and protection efforts. For example, only two bee species are on the global IUCN Red List, and no bee is listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, even though many bee species are known to be in steep decline or possibly extinct. At present, bee restoration occurs mainly in agricultural contexts, funded by government programs such as agri-environment schemes (EU) and the Farm Bill (USA). This is a promising approach given that many bee species can use human-disturbed habitats, and bees provide valuable pollination services to crops. However, agricultural restorations only benefit species that persist in agricultural landscapes, and they are more expensive than preserving natural habitat elsewhere. Furthermore, such restorations benefit bees in only about half of studied cases. More research is greatly needed in many areas of bee conservation, including basic population biology, bee restoration in nonagricultural contexts, and the identification of disturbance-sensitive bee species.

Evaluating nesting microhabitat for ground-nesting bees using emergence traps

“…Of these, native bees are the most important pollinator group (Kearns, Inouye, & Waser, 1998). Interest in native bee conservation has risen in tandem with honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) decline (Menz et al, 2010;Winfree, 2010), and with increasing evidence of native bee population declines and local extinctions (e.g. Cameron et al, 2011).…”

Discrimination of haploid and diploid males of Bombus terrestris (Hymenoptera; Apidae) based on wing shape

“…Among the potential drivers of these declines are landscape modification and fragmentation, intensive use of agrochemicals, pathogen infections, competition with alien species, climate change, and interactions between all of these (Potts et al 2010;Winfree 2010). Independent of which driver is responsible, reduced populations experience several threats such as loss of genetic diversity and risk of inbreeding as a result of non-random mating Davis et al 2010).…”

From elephants to bees

“…Not only is the scope of the journal bordered by these species, but both the Asian elephant (Elaphas maximus) and various bee species are known to be in decline or possibly near extinction. There are approximately 20,000 species of bees globally and bees pollinate most of the world's wild plant species (Winfree 2010). The importance of honey bees to the world economy far surpasses their contribution in terms of honey production; they are responsible for up to 30% of the world's food production through pollination of crops.…”

“…The importance of honey bees to the world economy far surpasses their contribution in terms of honey production; they are responsible for up to 30% of the world's food production through pollination of crops. Honey bees in the US and the EU have faced a serious population decline, due in part to a phenomenon called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), which is a disease syndrome that is likely caused by several factors (Hunter et al 2010;Winfree 2010). Declining bee populations have significantly higher infection levels of microsporidian pathogens, lower genetic diversity, multiple viruses, pesticide residues (like imidacloprid (neonicotonoid)), and inability to switch to less preferred food plants although cause and effect remain uncertain (Kleijn and Raemakers 2008;Bacandritsos et al 2010;Hunter et al 2010;Cameron et al 2011).…”