Bees and Pollinators in Perspective: A Review and A Case Study

Pollinators are a key component of global biodiversity, providing vital ecosystem services to crops and wild plants. 88% of flowering plants are pollinated to some degree by animals. There is clear evidence of recent declines in both wild and domesticated pollinators, and parallel declines in the plants that rely upon them. Bees are subject to numerous pressures in the modern world. Honeybees and wild bees both are facing many of the same threats including habitat loss, environmental pesticide exposure, and climate change. The abundance and diversity of flowers have declined; bees are chronically exposed to cocktails of agrochemicals and they are simultaneously exposed to novel parasites accidentally spread by humans. It seems certain that chronic exposure to multiple interacting stressors is responsible for the loss of honeybee colonies and the consequent decline of wild pollinators. Taking immediate steps to reduce the stress on bees is necessary for sustainable farming methods through enforcing effective quarantine measures on bee movements. Besides, effective monitoring of wild pollinator populations is urgently needed to execute management strategies for the future. The present review provides an insight into the decline of bee populations and suggests methods of a wider bee census in Rajasthan, India.