We haven’t seen a quarter of known bee species since the 1990s
A sweeping analysis shows an overall downward trend in bee diversity worldwide, raising concerns about these crucial pollinators.
ByLiz Langley
Email
But, it seems, these crucial insects aren’t doing very well. A study published today in the journal
One Earth reveals that in recent decades, the number of bee species reported in the wild has declined globally. The sharpest decrease occurred between 2006 and 2015, with roughly 25 percent fewer species spotted—even as sightings by citizen scientists were increasing rapidly.
Halictid bees—also called sweat bees for their attraction to our perspiration—pollinate important crops such as alfalfa, sunflowers, and cherries. Observations of these tiny metallic fliers have fallen by 17 percent since the 1990s, the study found.