Climate Change And Land Use Changes Threaten Native Bee Populations

Warming temperatures at night combined with habitat destruction are the cause of large population declines in wild native bee populations.

F I G U R E 1 : One of the many bee hotels made from reed stems used in this study. Different bee and wasp species close the entrance of their nests with their own special type of materials. (Credit: Christine Ganuza, doi:10.1098/rspb.2024.3053)

The world’s insect population is collapsing, with more than 40% of all insect species facing extinction (ref). The most affected insect groups include our old friends, the butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera), bees and wasps (Hymenoptera) and dung beetles (Coleoptera). This impending collapse poses grave threats to global food security, to the proper functioning of global ecosystems and to global biodiversity, and is particularly severe for solitary bee species, which are especially sensitive indicators of ecosystem health.