Recent studies show that the populations of many pollinating insects are in decline. This finding is particularly worrying for bees since they are the most efficient pollinators. This loss would provoke disastrous consequences for the sexual reproduction of plants: over 80% of species of wild flowering plants and 70% of cultivated species in Europe depend on the pollinating activity of insects, especially the intervention of bees. If the decline of bee populations is worrying for natural ecosystems, it is also the case for agriculture, and it follows that one third of our food source will be directly affected.
The causes of this decline are multiple and are closely linked to human activity.
The disappearance of possible nesting sites (reparcelling of land, urbanisation) the widespread use of pesticides, the unnecessarily premature and frequent mowing of prairies, the increase in monoculture, exaggerated road-side upkeep are the main causes of bee decline.
This phenomenon is accentuated by the scarcity of indigenous flowering plants (species that come naturally from an environment, a region or a country), a main food source for pollinators. The fewer the pollinators, the fewer the plants. This vicious circle must be broken, however difficult.
A road-side colonised by bee nests vs road-side not covered in concrete.
