2 ms·
It's related. Yes, there are other factors like insecticide use, habitat destruction, monoculture farming, etc. Bees are not the only factor, bet they are one o
by friendzis 2mo ago
It's related. Yes, there are other factors like insecticide use, habitat destruction, monoculture farming, etc. Bees are not the only factor, bet they are one of the factors.
In the "old days" beehives were stationary and found certain equilibrium with the rest of the ecosystems. Diminishing honey returns on additional hives placed practical limits on honey farm sizes.
However, these days commercial hives are literally transported all over the place following flowering plants, one hive serves serves a significantly larger area than in the past. The colonies can grow larger and denser, they outcompete other insects and starve them, suppressing numbers and diversity. On top of that they spread diseases while being treated, putting further strain on wild ecosystems.
That's a huge threat. If for whatever reason there was a mass colony collapse event or we simply stopped migratory beekeeping, huge areas would become under pollinated, collapsing food supplies over night.