The honeybee is one of the most important contributors to the success of Australian agriculture, but the pollinating insect is experience a massive global decline. David Stone considers the plight of the honeybee.
According to the Australian Honey Bee Industrial Council, “around one in every three mouthfuls of food that we consume comes from the aid of pollination by honeybee”. An alternative ways of expressing this is 65% of Australian agricultural is dependent on pollination by the honeybee. Without this humble creature, much of the agricultural industry in this country would not be viable and Australia’s food security would be put at significant risk. The importance of the honeybee, therefore, should not be underestimated.
In a broader context, around 90 agricultural crops – apples, blueberries, coffee, etc – representing one-third of global food production volume, are, in some way, dependent on animal pollination. There are several species responsible for pollination, but the domesticated honeybee is easily the most important: accounting for an average of 80-90% of total animal pollination.
Crops differ in terms of the dependency or response to animal pollination. Certain industries – Almonds, cherries, apples and melons, for example – are totally reliant on bees for the production of fruit and nuts. For other crops, such as oranges and grapefruit, pollination has an impact on size and quality of the fruit.
Given the crucial role played by honeybees in food production, protecting both the wild and domestic bee populations is very important for Australian food production.
The problem facing the honeybee
A gradual fall in honeybee numbers has been cause for Beekeepers’ concern for many years; with changes in agricultural practices, particularly the dependency on fertilizers and other checmials, often being blamed for the phenomenon, but natural factors, like extreme weather, have also contributed to these losses. However, a much more rapid decline of the honeybee, particularly across Europe and the United States, has drawn a large amount of attention and is becoming a significant international concern.
Over recent years, reports have surfaced around the globe of the sharp decrease in the number of honey bees. As far back as 2006, the phenomenon known as ‘colony collapse disorder’ has resulted in enormous losses around the globe. The rate of bee colonies not surviving the winter appears to be increasing each year, with some of the worst effected beekeepers reporting losses of up 90%.
The reason for the fall in bee numbers remains subject to further investigation, with most academics perceiving multiple reasons for the declining populations. One of the most popular theories has attributed the problem to factors such as the varroa mite and other insect viruses, which can kill off entire colonies.
The problem facing Australian food production
So far the varroa mite has not reached Australia, but scientists studying this biosecurity threat, believe such an incursion is inevitable, given that it has already reached three of Australia’s nearest neighbours; Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and New Zealand. Should the varroa mite arrive, destruction of bee colonies will be dramatic and crops reliant on pollination will very likely be decimated.
Over the past 50 years, the global production of pollination-dependent crops has grown at an accelerated pace, relative to the overall growth of food production.This trend is expected to continue and as such, sustainable methods for maintaining pollinating animal numbers must be developed.
This is a global issue, one that will have an inherent economic impact. To solve the problem, a greater level of cooperation is required between the academic world, governmental bodies, apiarist and companies directly dependent on pollination.
Image courtesy of https://www.myowy.com.au