Viruses and Infections in Honeybees Are Endangering Bumblebees

Wild bumblebees are important contributors to the ecosystem. They provide pollination to a lot of the world's flowers as well as foods, helping produce 87 of the leading food crops worldwide. If they were lost in nature, it would be devastating for plants.

The main pollinators in the world are insects, namely bumblebees, who are famous for making you nervous as they jump from flower to flower when you're relaxing in your backyard. They help pollinate 80% of all flowering plant species and 35% of crops, reports the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The reduction or loss of pollination can threaten the lives of the plants as well as the pollinators.

Mark Brown of the University of London reported that wild populations of bumblebees in Europe, North America, South America, and Asia are in decline. His study about the ailments affecting bumblebees can be found in the Nature journal. The main culprit for the bumblebee's population decline is the parasites, pathogens, and disease spread by honeybee hives.

His study tracked 750 bees in 26 sites throughout Great Britain and "heavily points to honeybees" spreading the viruses and infections because their rates of possessing the ailments recently found in the bumblebees are greater. Additionally, the Brown and his researchers conducted lab work on captured bees and documented the spread of diseases and parasites.

Previous studies have shown that bumblebees and honeybees both immensely contribute to fruit and flower pollination worldwide. Numbers in the U.S. have recorded bumblebees contributing $3 billion worth of pollination and honeybees contributing nearly $20 billion worth. Although the honeybees contribute more, the bumblebee's population decline is a big concern.

"Bumblebees are an effective alternative to labor-intensive manual pollination of greenhouse grown tomatoes, sweet peppers and strawberries," found a Clemson University study. "The bumblebees' longer tongue and wing vibrating tendencies make them more efficient pollinators for some plant species."

To read more about the declining population of bumblebees and their important contributions to the environment, visit this ABC News article.