When bees fall silent, what does agriculture lose?

01

What is pollination, and what do bees do?

Pollination is the transfer of pollen from the male to the female part of a flower. It enables fertilisation and, in turn, seed and fruit formation. Wind and water can move pollen too, but many wild and cultivated plants benefit from animal visitors.

As bees collect nectar and pollen, grains attach to their bodies and are carried to other flowers. Honey bees are highly visible because they live in large, manageable colonies. Wild bees—with different body shapes, flight times and weather tolerance—provide complementary services in many crops.

Pollinator diversity matters because one species cannot always replace another. Different pollinators match different plants, seasons and conditions. The issue is therefore not only the number of hives but the health of the whole landscape.

02

What does agriculture lose when pollinators decline?

The first effect is not always the complete loss of a crop. Some plants may produce fewer fruits, smaller or misshapen produce, uneven ripening or lower-quality seeds. The size of the effect depends on the crop’s pollinator dependence and the availability of alternative pollinators.

FAO reports that about 75% of global food-crop types benefit at least partly from animal pollination, while animal pollination affects about 35% of crop-production volume. These figures answer different questions: 75% refers to crop diversity, while 35% refers to production volume.

Pollinator-dependent crops include many fruits, vegetables, nuts, oilseeds and spices. The potential loss is therefore not only about tonnes harvested; it can also affect dietary diversity, micronutrient-rich foods, farm income and consumer prices.

03

Why are bees and other pollinators declining?

Pollinator decline rarely has a single cause. The loss of flowering and nesting habitat, poor season-long nutrition in simplified landscapes, climate-driven shifts in flowering time, drought and extreme heat can all increase pressure.

Parasites, diseases and invasive species can particularly affect managed honey-bee colonies. Pesticide exposure may also cause lethal or sublethal effects depending on the active substance, dose, timing and route of exposure. In real landscapes, these pressures can interact.

Reducing the problem to one product or one species narrows the solution. Effective protection needs to combine habitat, farming practice, disease management, climate resilience and pesticide-risk reduction.

04

How can pesticides reach pollinators?

Pollinators may be exposed directly during spraying or through drifting droplets. Later exposure may occur through pollen and nectar, plant surfaces, dust particles or contaminated water. Not every product and application creates the same risk.

Risk varies with toxicity to bees, formulation, dose, flowering stage, time of day, persistence and the pollinators present in the area. Label requirements, flowering restrictions and communication with nearby beekeepers are therefore critical.

A product’s effectiveness against a target pest does not mean it is inactive in non-target species. Regulatory assessment aims to examine these risks; correct use and field monitoring determine how the stated conditions work in practice.

05

What can farms and cities do?

Pollinator-friendly farming does not mean abandoning production. It means managing farmland as a functioning ecosystem. Integrated pest management can reduce unnecessary applications, while flower strips, hedgerows and semi-natural areas can provide food and shelter across the season.

Cities, villages and home gardens also play a role. Locally appropriate plants that flower at different times, small uncut areas, protected nesting places and avoiding unnecessary pesticide use can support urban pollinator networks.

06

The story is bigger than the honey bee

Honey bees are culturally and agriculturally valuable, but pollination cannot be left to one species. Wild bees, bumblebees, hoverflies, butterflies and other animals form a network that covers different plants, times and weather conditions.

That network also supports the reproduction of wild plants and the fruit and seeds eaten by birds and other wildlife. Silence in the landscape therefore means more than lower honey production; it signals a weakening of the living fabric around agriculture.