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There have been increasingly frequent discussions in the scientific community about a mass insect extinction event; From a meticulous German study documenting that “The country has lost three-quarters of its aerial insects since 1989,” to a similar report in Puerto Rico observing “in the past 35 years, the abundance of invertebrates such as beetles and bees had decreased by 45 percent.” The evidence for global insect decline seems to be coalescing.
Such a phenomenon will wreak havoc on global ecosystems, and especially human civilization at large. Aerial insect pollinators are absolutely critical to global food supplies. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, “Three out of four crops across the globe producing fruits or seeds for human use as food depend, at least in part, on pollinators.”
While general aerial insect populations seem to be declining across the globe, bees are the most critical and concerning target. Threats to bee populations have been widely studied to incite popular concern. As with any ecological web, the processes that disrupt bee colonies are influenced by a confluence of factors. Varroa mites are a prominent threat, as they…
