What would happen if bees disappeared?

An apocalypse, not exactly imaginary. The world without bees It would be a disaster of biblical proportions, for which there would be few remedies. Try taking a long, 360-degree look at the food aisle of a supermarket: 70 percent of the products you see would be gone. Their life depends, in some way, on some form of pollination. A world without bees would no longer have the natural artificial fertilization service these precious insects provide, and there would be no way to replace it with any form of fertilization governed by machines or human hands.

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A world without bees

The disappearance of the api It is not science fiction, it is not only part of a long list of stories and wonderful films (the most famous is Bee Movie), but it is part of the concrete hypotheses with which our unsustainable planet has to deal: at the moment there are 350 species of bees at risk and in the last thirty years the populations of this insect have decreased by 25 percent. Climate emergency, excessive use of pesticides, natural habitats in disarray: the factors of danger to the life of bees There are many. And each one is somehow influenced by the violent hand of man, who once again squanders a natural resource of unique strategic value.

Bee Intelligence

In a recently published book, The intelligence of the api (Cortina editions), written by Randolf Menzei e Matthias Eckoldt, the tiny brain of the api: a volume of one cubic millimeter, effectively the head of a pin, with less than a million nerve cells. Yet this mini-brain, you think, is made for thinking, to the point that bees are able to learn and solve problems., are able to distinguish the colors, to remember that a particular smell is linked to a special reward, what moves to make to orient oneself, to dream. In short: the bees They have a brain that, although small, works very well.

What would life be like without bees?

And this scientific narrative, updated and tested by expert and wise hands, does nothing but confirm la centrality of bees within our ecosystem and how we must not waste them. Hence the need not to be afraid of bees (this does not mean, obviously, challenging them), but rather to cuddle them, protect them, and be fully aware of how important they are. central to our natural balance.

In particular, up to 35 percent of global food production depends on the role played by api. Of the 100 crops that account for 90 percent of world production, food, 71 are linked to the pollination work of bees and, in Europe alone, as many as 4 thousand different crops grow thanks to bees (data Unep – United Nations Environment Programme).

This means that if these precious insects were to disappear, the consequences on food production would be devastatingWho would pollinate crops? Artificial pollination is a slow and expensive process, while the value of this service, provided free of charge by bees around the world, has been estimated at approximately €265 billion per year.

How long would we live without bees?

Albert Einstein's prediction was very precise: without the beesHumans could not live more than four years. Their disappearance would therefore be destructive, totally destructive. The alarm raised by Einstein is linked to a very important scientific fact: 80 percent of fruit and vegetable production depends on pollination processes. Therefore, on bees. And this means that without the life of bees, human life cannot exist, at least as we have seen it until now.

Pesticides that are causing bees to disappear

Unfortunately, beekeepers see their breeding and production decrease year after year. honey, this is also due to the use in agriculture of pesticides neonicotinoid-based: substances that cause bees to lose their bearings and prevent them from returning to their hives.

The number of bees in the United States declined by 23 percent last winter, which is why the White House created the “Pollinator Health Task Force” whose task is to find a strategy to defend these precious insectsAnd even the European Union has intervened by banning some pesticides. But besides bees, there are also other pollinating insects that are valuable for the production of our crops: among these are butterflies, at serious risk of extinction due to pesticides. As the latest report from theEuropean Environment Agency, The presence of butterflies has now reduced by 50 percent, with 8 of the 17 species considered at risk of extinction..

Glyphosate and bees

Scientific literature highlights that among the silent killers of bees there could be the glyphosate, the most widely used herbicide in the world. According to experts, the substance could alter the intestinal microbiota of these hardworking insects, exposing them to the risk of contracting infections. Even the neonicotinoid insecticides They are considered the quintessential enemies of bees. It is estimated that they are directly responsible for the bee mortality recorded in the last decade in several Western countries and the United States. One fact stands out. A study published in Plos One, found that in the last 25 years the American agricultural landscape has become 48 times more toxic to bees, as well as to other insects, precisely because of the spread of neonicotinoid pesticides. “Neonicotinoids are a bit like the new DDT”, commented the expert Kendra Klein, co-author of the research. But with the big difference that for bees "they are a thousand times more toxic than DDT“, the scientist specified.

Climate crisis and the disappearance of bees

Alongside the indiscriminate use of pesticides, other threats also threaten the survival of bees. fragmentation of natural habitats, the expansion of monocultures, the lack of diversity, parasitic diseases, the introduction of alien species such as vespa velutina, a new predator of European bees, are all factors that taken together have had a serious impact on the fate of these pollinating insects. Among the causes of the bee massacre, the climate crisis should not be underestimated: a study published in the journal Global Change Biology , shows that abnormal temperatures, abnormal rainfall and crazy seasons are decimating North American bees far more than the continued destruction of their habitat perpetrated by our own species.

How to help bees

To concretely help these tiny pollinators, even we ordinary citizens can implement a series of measures that can make a difference. These include:

Building shelters for wild bees in our gardens, where possible;
Seminars flowers and plants capable of providing them with nourishment. Greenpeace recommends choosing organic seeds of different varieties, an option that not only helps bees but also improves soil health and fertility. Among the many plants that can provide good food for industrious pollinators are: marigold, vetch, sainfoin, clover, alfalfa, coriander, cumin, dill, borage, rosemary, thyme, mallow, and lavender;
Limiting our ecological footprint, adopting a sustainable and environmentally friendly lifestyle.

How to behave in front of a swarm of bees

As you might think, the sight of bees, especially if there are many of them, can be scary. In reality, bees are insects harmless and rarely attack or sting unless disturbed.

Once you have spotted the swarm, don't panic, keep your eyes peeled. children and pets away from insects and immediately contact an experienced beekeeper in your area: will capture the swarm without harming you and move it to a safe placeAlternatively, immediately report the swarm to the fire department or local police, and they will contact the beekeeper directly.

Don't disturb the swarm and do not use chemicals to keep bees away: these small insects play an essential role in ecosystems and a third of our food depends on their pollination work.

What would happen if there were no more bees?