Solitary Bees Need More Space, Scientists Warn

Solitary bees require significantly more land, according to Canadian experts investigating the insects’ condition.

Undomesticated bee species such as bumblebees and mason bees are highly efficient pollinators. There are an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 solitary bee species in the world. Solitary bees are often also called wild bees.

Now a study by researchers from two educational institutions in Canada reveals that the amount of land needed to support them is up to three and a half times greater than what is currently recommended.

Dr Alana Pindar from Cape Breton University in Sydney, Nova Scotia, said: “Our results show that safeguarding healthy wild bee communities requires 11.6 to 16.7 per cent land cover from a range of habitat types in a landscape.”

The community ecologist – whose studies focus on the effect environmental stressors have on bees – added: “This is irrespective of whether maintaining species richness or abundance are stated conservation goals.”

Dr Pindar explained that the determined range was 2.6 to 3.7 times greater than the current 2.5-per-cent land cover proposal. She warned: “Any conservation policy falling short of these targets will severely impact bee biodiversity.”

Dr Pindar and her research partner, Dr Nigel Raine from the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario, combined extensive collection records of Canadian wild bees with high-resolution habitat maps to determine how much land the insects need.

Dr Raine said: “To conserve wild bees and the pollination services they provide to us, we need to know the extent of the habitat required to sustain the species. Despite the importance of these questions, the answers were previously unknown.”

According to the expert on the ecology of pollinators, the investigation’s results “provide clear and targeted recommendations for action to conserve these essential pollinators.”

He warned: “Failing to meet these targets will worsen the global biodiversity crisis.”

Dr Raine underlined: “One in every three bites of food we take is the direct result of pollinators.”

The scientist said any shortcomings in protecting bees would eventually affect the human food supply on an international scale.

Various previous studies indicate that pollinator populations are decreasing worldwide. The application of chemical substances in agriculture and back gardens as well as habitat loss due to construction projects are seen as the main reasons for this development.

Arranging wildflower strips on farmland and keeping backyards free from insecticides can help to improve the situation, according to experts.

Speaking about the efforts of Global 2000, the Austrian environmental organisation he is working for, biologist Dominik Linhard told NewsX: “We are trying to encourage people to create flower meadows and small biotopes. For biodiversity, it’s also important that lawns get mowed less often.”

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