Speaking for the Bees: Why Are Bees Facing Extinction?

Bees are nature’s fuzzy pollinators. From the busy honey bees, to the chunky bumble bees these adorable, hardworking critters have been nestled in our hearts ever since we learned that they occasionally take power naps in flower petals. However, these buzzy buddies have been threatened and forced into near extinction for the past 300 years. Studies have shown that nearly 40% of invertebrate pollinator species face extinction. A research study
in 2019, deduced that one in six bee species globally are regionally extinct and an additional 40 species are vulnerable to extinction.

This is heartbreaking news to our world’s delicate agricultural balance. Approximately 20,000 species of bees are the most crucial to the reproduc- tion of flowering plants, fruits and necessary seeds that make up our world’s biodiversity. Without our pollinators, the world’s agricultural balance will be thrown off its axis and millions of ecosystems will be in threat of complete collapse. As the threat of habitat loss and damaging pesticides become a widespread issue for countless species. The scale has been tipped to deadly odds for the past few years with no solution in sight. Until a recent study, conducted by the University of Oxford, provides a cost-effective and sustainable solution to help tackle the devastating decline in the honey bee population. Pollen makes up the majority of their diet, it introduces important lipids called sterols that are essential for bee’s development. Recently, beekeepers have introduced artificial pollen to feed their colonies but these artificial substitutes contain ingredients like flour, sugars, and oils that do not give these pollinators the nutritional substances they need to properly buzz their way through life. In the new study, carried out in collaboration with Royal Botanic Gardens, University of Greenwich, and the Technical University of Denmark scientists have successfully engineered a yeast, Yarrowia lipolytica, that contains six of the necessary sterols that bees need in a balanced diet. Through a three- month feeding trial, the results were overwhelming.

Colonies that were fed the engineered yeast produced 15 times more larvae than colonies that were fed the controlled pollen substitutes. They also came to the conclusion that the colonies that were fed the engineered yeast would continue to reproduce at a rapid rate up to the end of the three-month period, whereas colonies fed the sterol-deficient diets discontinued reproduction after 90 days. Lead author Dr. Elynor Moore states that, “For bees, the difference between the sterol-enriched diet and conventional bee feeds would be comparable to the difference for humans between eating balanced, nutritionally complete meals and eating meals missing essential nutrients.” Pollinators are essential for 70% of leading global crops. Without these busy buzzers, both human and animal’s major food sources would be threat- ened severely. Scientists hypothesize that this new supplement will be available to farmers within the next two years. Our world has now become a dangerous place for our animal kingdom as they face challenges like global warming and habitat eradication. Positive studies to nurture our neighbors have become increasingly important. The human footprint has devastated these delicate ecosystems into near extinction but it is our responsibility to ensure the safety of every organism on Earth.