Industry research<br /> for large-scale sustainability Industry research<br /> for large-scale sustainability

Glossary

Bees

Honey and wild bees are of great importance for agriculture. As pollinators of many crops and wild plants, they make an indispensable contribution to agricultural production and food security. Pollination by bees, wild bees and bumblebees has a major impact on the harvests of fruit, berries, rapeseed and, in some cases, vegetables. At the same time, pollinators in Europe and other temperate zones are exposed to a variety of threats that have led to a decline in populations. The honey bee is not existentially endangered because it is an important farm animal in Switzerland and will always be kept accordingly.

Reasons for colony losses of honeybees include parasites (Varroa destructor) and diseases (Nosema spp. Or viruses), or an insufficient continuous supply of flowers and food. The reasons for the decline in wild bees are a loss of flower diversity and quantity and an associated lack of food. Honey bees kept as livestock are frequent food competitors of wild bees.

The disappearance of small structures and habitats that are needed for reproduction also plays a role. Farmers can make an important contribution to promoting pollinators with various measures such as the creation of flower strips and the provision of structurally rich areas. And every garden owner can improve the food supply for honey bees and wild bees by planting so-called hive plants.

According to the annual report of the Swiss Bee Health Service (BGD), widespread infestation of hives with the parasitic predatory mite Varroa, which has been spreading increasingly in Switzerland since the 1980s, is seen as the greatest impairment to bee health and the main reason for winter losses.

Sources

Terms from the glossary