FROM FLOWER TO FOOD: HONEY BEES AND THEIR ROLE IN CROP PRODUCTION

Yıl 2024, Cilt: 3 Sayı: 2, 56 - 63, 31.12.2024

Zeliha Selamoğlu , Muhammad Yasir Naeem

Öz

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are fundamental to the functioning of global agricultural systems, providing essential pollination services that significantly enhance crop yields, quality, and economic value. As key pollinators, honey bees facilitate the reproduction of many flowering plants and crops, making their role crucial for both biodiversity and agriculture. This review examines the multifaceted contributions of honey bees to agriculture, highlighting their critical role in the pollination of key crops including fruits, vegetables, nuts, and oilseeds. Empirical studies reveal that honey bee pollination can lead to substantial increases in agricultural productivity: up to 20% for apples, 80% for blueberries, and 33% for cucumbers. Additionally, honey bee activity is vital for high-value crops such as almonds and canola, with reported yield increases of 40% and 25% in nut set and oil content, respectively. Despite their importance, honey bee populations are under severe threat from a range of challenges including pesticide exposure, habitat loss, diseases, parasites, and climate change. These stressors compromise bee health and pollination efficiency, with potential negative repercussions for agricultural productivity and food security. Addressing these challenges requires a multifaceted approach encompassing improved agricultural practices, habitat restoration, and integrated pest management. This review underscores the urgent need for concerted efforts to support and sustain honey bee populations to ensure the continued provision of their vital pollination services, which are crucial for the stability and productivity of global agricultural systems.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Honey Bees, Pollination Services, Agricultural Productivity, Crop Yields, Bee Health

Etik Beyan

yok.

Destekleyen Kurum

yok.

Teşekkür

teşekkürler.

From Flower to Food: Honey Bees and Their Role in Crop Production

Öz

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are fundamental to the functioning of global agricultural systems, providing essential pollination services that significantly enhance crop yields, quality, and economic value. As key pollinators, honey bees facilitate the reproduction of many flowering plants and crops, making their role crucial for both biodiversity and agriculture. This review examines the multifaceted contributions of honey bees to agriculture, highlighting their critical role in the pollination of key crops including fruits, vegetables, nuts, and oilseeds. Empirical studies reveal that honey bee pollination can lead to substantial increases in agricultural productivity: up to 20% for apples, 80% for blueberries, and 33% for cucumbers. Additionally, honey bee activity is vital for high-value crops such as almonds and canola, with reported yield increases of 40% and 25% in nut set and oil content, respectively. Despite their importance, honey bee populations are under severe threat from a range of challenges including pesticide exposure, habitat loss, diseases, parasites, and climate change. These stressors compromise bee health and pollination efficiency, with potential negative repercussions for agricultural productivity and food security. Addressing these challenges requires a multifaceted approach encompassing improved agricultural practices, habitat restoration, and integrated pest management. This review underscores the urgent need for concerted efforts to support and sustain honey bee populations to ensure the continued provision of their vital pollination services, which are crucial for the stability and productivity of global agricultural systems.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Honey Bees, Pollination Services, Agricultural Productivity, Crop Yields, Bee Health

Kaynakça

• Ali, M. A., Abdellah, I. M., & Eletmany, M. R. (2023). Climate change impacts on honeybee spread and activity: A scientific review. Chelonian Research Foundation, 18(2), 531-554.
• Amro, A. M. (2021). Pollinators and pollination effects on three canola (Brassica napus L.) cultivars: A case study in Upper Egypt. Journal of King Saud University-Science, 33(1), 101240.
• Anees, M., Ali, M., Ghramh, H. A., Sajjad, A., Ali Khan, K., Saeed, S., & Razzaq, K. (2022). Impact of bee and fly pollination on physical and biochemical properties of strawberry fruit. Horticulturae, 8(11), 1072.
• Barberis, M., Calabrese, D., Galloni, M., & Nepi, M. (2023). Secondary metabolites in nectar-mediated plant-pollinator relationships. Plants, 12(3), 550.
• Budge, G. E., Pietravalle, S., Brown, M., Laurenson, L., Jones, B., Tomkies, V., & Delaplane, K. S. (2015). Pathogens as predictors of honey bee colony strength in England and Wales. PLoS ONE, 10(7), e0133228.
• Desha, T. G., Dubale, B. T., & Soboka, W. L. The Effect of Honeybee (Apis mellifera) Pollination on Seed Yield and Yield Components of Brassica carinata A. Braun Shaya Variety in Highland of Bale, South-Eastern Ethiopia.
• Divekar, P. A., Nebapure, S., Majumder, S., & Verma, C. K. (2023). Honeybee and Crop Pollination: concepts, challenges and applications.
• Dufour, C., Fournier, V., & Giovenazzo, P. (2020). The impact of lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Ait.) and cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.) pollination on honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colony health status. PLoS One, 15(1), e0227970.
• Durant, J. L., & Ponisio, L. C. (2021). A regional, honey bee-centered approach is needed to incentivize grower adoption of bee-friendly practices in the almond industry. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 5, 628802.
• Földesi, R., Howlett, B. G., Grass, I., & Batáry, P. (2021). Larger pollinators deposit more pollen on stigmas across multiple plant species—a meta‐analysis. Journal of Applied Ecology, 58(4), 699-707.
• Galajda, R., Valenčáková, A., Sučik, M., & Kandráčová, P. (2021). Nosema disease of European honey bees. Journal of Fungi (Basel), 7(9), 714.
• Joshi, U., Kothiyal, K., Kumar, Y., & Bhatt, R. (2021). Role of honeybees in horticultural crop productivity enhancement. International Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 17(AAEBSSD), 314-320.
• Khalifa, S. A., Elshafiey, E. H., Shetaia, A. A., El-Wahed, A. A. A., Algethami, A. F., Musharraf, S. G., ... & El-Seedi, H. R. (2021). Overview of bee pollination and its economic value for crop production. Insects, 12(8), 688.
• Kiatoko, N., Pozo, M. I., Van Oystaeyen, A., van Langevelde, F., Wäckers, F., Kumar, R. S., ... & Jaramillo, J. (2022). Effective pollination of greenhouse Galia musk melon (Cucumis melo L. var. reticulatus ser.) by afrotropical stingless bee species. Journal of Apicultural Research, 61(5), 664-674.
• Kline, O., & Joshi, N. K. (2020). Mitigating the effects of habitat loss on solitary bees in agricultural ecosystems. Agriculture, 10(4), 115.
• Kumar, R., Hajam, Y. A., Kumar, I., & Neelam. (2024). Insect Pollinators’s Diversity in the Himalayan Region: Their Role in Agriculture and Sustainable Development. In Role of Science and Technology for Sustainable Future: Volume 1: Sustainable Development: A Primary Goal (pp. 243-276). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.
• Leska, A., Nowak, A., Nowak, I., & Górczyńska, A. (2021). Effects of insecticides and microbiological contaminants on Apis mellifera health. Molecules, 26(16), 5080.
• Lu, C., Hung, Y. T., & Cheng, Q. (2020). A review of sub-lethal neonicotinoid insecticides exposure and effects on pollinators. Current Pollution Reports, 6, 137-151.
• Mashilingi, S. K., Zhang, H., Garibaldi, L. A., & An, J. (2022). Honeybees are far too insufficient to supply optimum pollination services in agricultural systems worldwide. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 335, 108003.
• Morfin, N., Goodwin, P. H., & Guzman-Novoa, E. (2023). Varroa destructor and its impacts on honey bee biology. Frontiers in Bee Science, 1, 1272937.
• Negi, N., Sharma, A., Chadha, S., Sharma, P. C., Sharma, P., Thakur, M., ... & Kaur, M. (2020). Role of pollinators in vegetable seed production. J. Entomol. Zool. Stud., 8, 417-422.
• Noël, A., Le Conte, Y., & Mondet, F. (2020). Varroa destructor: How does it harm Apis mellifera honey bees and what can be done about it? Emerging Topics in Life Sciences, 4(1), 45–57.
• Osman, M. A., & Shebl, M. A. (2020). Vulnerability of crop pollination ecosystem services to climate change. Climate Change Impacts on Agriculture and Food Security in Egypt: Land and Water Resources—Smart Farming—Livestock, Fishery, and Aquaculture, 223-247.
• Pardo, A., & Borges, P. A. (2020). Worldwide importance of insect pollination in apple orchards: A review. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 293, 106839.
• Perrot, T., Bretagnolle, V., Acar, N., Febvret, V., Matejicek, A., Grégoire, S., & Gaba, S. (2024). Bees improve oil quality of oilseed rape. Basic and Applied Ecology, 76, 41-49.
• Ramello, P. J., Almada, V., Ashworth, L., Alvarez, L. J., & Lucia, M. (2024). Bee size increases pollen deposition in Cucurbita maxima (Cucurbitaceae) crops. Apidologie, 55(2), 23.
• Requier, F., & Leonhardt, S. D. (2020). Beyond flowers: including non-floral resources in bee conservation schemes. Journal of Insect Conservation, 24(1), 5-16.
• Requier, F., Pérez-Méndez, N., Andersson, G. K., Blareau, E., Merle, I., & Garibaldi, L. A. (2023). Bee and non-bee pollinator importance for local food security. Trends in ecology & evolution, 38(2), 196-205.
• Rollin, O., & Garibaldi, L. A. (2019). Impacts of honeybee density on crop yield: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Ecology, 56(5), 1152–1163.
• Sharma, S., Kumar, S., Kaur, G., & Banga, S. S. (2023). Floral volatiles may influence honey bee visitations in oilseed Brassica species. Journal of Crop Improvement, 37(1), 119-139.
• Stemkovski, M. (2023). The Effects of Recent Climate Change on Spring Phenology, With a Special Focus on Patterns of Bee Foraging (Doctoral dissertation, Utah State University).
• Straub, L., Villamar‐Bouza, L., Bruckner, S., Chantawannakul, P., Kolari, E., Maitip, J., ... & Williams, G. R. (2021). Negative effects of neonicotinoids on male honeybee survival, behaviour and physiology in the field. Journal of Applied Ecology, 58(11), 2515-2528.
• Weekers, T., Marshall, L., Leclercq, N., Wood, T. J., Cejas, D., Drepper, B., ... & Vereecken, N. J. (2022). Ecological, environmental, and management data indicate apple production is driven by wild bee diversity and management practices. Ecological Indicators, 139, 108880.
• Wojcik, V. (2021). Pollinators: Their evolution, ecology, management, and conservation. Arthropods: Are they beneficial for mankind, 1-22.
• Yourstone, J., Varadarajan, V., & Olsson, O. (2023). Bumblebee flower constancy and pollen diversity over time. Behavioral Ecology, 34(4), 602-612.
• Zariman, N. A., Omar, N. A., & Huda, A. N. (2022). Plant attractants and rewards for pollinators: their significant to successful crop pollination. International Journal of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, 5(2), 270-293.