What Would Happen If All The Bees Died?

So you have probably heard this before: If all the bees disapppear, the human race disappears too.

The first man to ever said that was Einstein. He knew a lot about nature and science, and bees help us produce food.
'' People would have only 4 years left to live. No more bees means no more pollination, no more plants, no more man, no more animals.''

And it is concerning, as bees are gradually disappearing from many places in the world.
The bee population in the USA in 2012 declined by 60%, far above the normal 5% - 10% after the winter season. So this had led experts to rate the year 2012 as the worst year in history for beekeeping.

Why are these insects disappearing?

• BEES AND PESTICIDES

50 000 bees died in Oregon due to the effects caused by a pesticide, so this is an example, how substances can have an impact. The cause of mass death of bees in Europe is the use of a particular type of fertiliser (neonicotinoids).

So bacially, the mixture of substances interfers with the learning circuits in insects' brains. It makes them slower to learn or they even completely forget basic associations for their survival (linking floral aroma and food). The bee dies because it can't feed themselves.

The EU reacted and in 2013 has banned the use of three pesticides.

• BEES AND KILLER MITES

University of Dundee (GB) has researched the impact of 2 insecticites (neonicotinoids & coumaphos) used in beehives to kill the Varroa mite.
It's an external bee parasite, that feeds on its blood. Meaning, the bees' offspring would die and or be born deformed, which would stop them from performing the tasks of the colony.

Results from using pesticides only last from 3 to 4 years, since then they become immune.

• POLLUTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE EFFECTS IN BEES

Bees and other insects find it difficult to locate chemical signals sent out by flowers due to air pollution. Climate change makes the situation even worse as it alters flowering and the amount of plants due to rainy seasons (it affects the quality and quantity of the nectar).

• TERRIBLE CONSEQUENCES IF THE BEES DISAPPEARED

The disappearance of bees would cause a food crisis as 84% of commercial crops depend on bee population.
In Spain in 1987 a good sunflower harvest was expected, but this did not happen, due to the lack of beehives (it was caused by the loss of bees, from the varroa mite).

• WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?

In Brussels, the 3 pesticides have already been banned.

USA has come up with an electrical system called ''Mitezzaper'', to eliminate the mite, it's like an electric box, that irradiates heat. (It's 85% effective).

Pennsylvania fights it with formic acids, and other beekeepers have used powdered sugar.

Argentina has trialled essential grapefruit oil with positive results.

Also we can fight this problem in our everyday life by combating climate change and pollution. If we all did something, we could change the world.

Thanks for reading! :)