Bees face new threats from wars, street lights and microplastics, scientists warn
War zones, microplastics and street lights are among the emerging threats to the bee population, according to scientists.
Bee experts have drawn up a list of the 12 most pressing threats to the pollinator over the next decade, published in a report, Emerging Threats and Opportunities for Conservation of Global Pollinators, by the University of Reading.
Increasing war and conflict around the world is harming bees, the scientists warn. This includes the war in Ukraine, which has forced countries to grow fewer crop types, leaving pollinators without diverse food throughout the season.
The researchers found microplastic particles were contaminating beehives across Europe, with testing from 315 honey bee colonies revealing synthetic materials such as PET plastic in most hives. Artificial light from street lamps has been found to reduce flower visits by nocturnal pollinators by 62%, and air pollution has been found to affect their survival, reproduction and growth.
Antibiotics, used in agriculture, have made their way into beehives and honey. They have also been found to affect the behaviour of pollinators including reducing their foraging and visits to flowers. Pesticide 'cocktails' also play a significant and emerging role; although some pesticides are now regulated to be kept below 'safe' limits for bees and other wildlife, research has found they can interact with other chemicals and cause dangerous effects.
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Prof Simon Potts of Reading University, the lead author on the report, said: 'Identifying new threats and finding ways to protect pollinators early is key to preventing further major declines. This is not just a conservation issue. Pollinators are central to our food systems, climate resilience and economic security. Protecting pollinators means protecting ourselves.'
The authors have called for a number of measures to protect bees, including stronger laws limiting antibiotic pollution that harms bee health, transitioning to electric vehicles to reduce air pollution affecting pollinators, creating flower-rich habitats within solar parks, and breeding crops with enhanced pollen and nectar for better pollinator nutrition.
The report's co-author Dr Deepa Senapathi, also from the University of Reading, added: 'It will take effort from everyone to address these threats. We need to maintain, manage and improve our natural habitats to create safe spaces for pollinators. Individual actions like providing food and nesting areas in our own back gardens can help in a big way. But policy changes and individual actions must work together so everything from gardens and farms to public spaces and wider landscapes can all become pollinator-friendly habitats.'
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In recent years, Amato and his colleagues have charted even longer journeys. In a 2023 survey of clouds, they reported finding bacteria carrying 29 different kinds of resistance genes. A single airborne bacterium may carry as many as nine resistance genes, each providing a different defense against the drugs. Every cubic metre of cloud, they estimated, held up to 10,000 resistance genes. A typical cloud floating overhead may hold more than a trillion of them. Amato and his colleagues speculate that clouds hold such a high number of resistance genes because they can help the bacteria survive there. Some genes provide antibiotic resistance by allowing bacteria to pump the drugs out of their interiors quickly, getting rid of them before they can cause damage. The stress of life in a cloud may cause bacteria to produce toxic waste that they need to pump out quickly as well. Clouds may be able to spread these resistance genes farther than contaminated meat and water. Once in a cloud, bacteria can travel hundreds of miles in a matter of days before seeding a raindrop and falling back to Earth. When they reach the ground, the microbes may then pass along their resistance genes to other microbes they encounter. Every year, Amato and his colleagues estimate, 2.2 trillion trillion resistance genes shower down from the clouds. It is a sobering thought to hold in one's mind on a walk through the rain. We walk through downpours of DNA of our own making. * Carl Zimmer's latest book Air-Borne: The Hidden History of the Life We Breathe is out now. -- For more science, technology, environment and health stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.
