Wild bees play a crucial ecological and agricultural role, but pesticide use is making sightings of wild species increasingly rare. (Composite: Rhiannon Montelius. Image sources: Wikimedia Commons; Unsplash.)
New study reveals link between pesticide exposure and bee population declines
Original story by Darrin Joy
A new study published in Nature Sustainability, led by USC Dornsife Gabilan Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences and Quantitative and Computational Biology and Wrigley Institute faculty affiliate Laura Melissa Guzman along with an international team of researchers, reveals a significant decline in the number of wild bees sightings in areas of high pesticide use compared to areas with no pesticide use.
These pollinators play a crucial role not only in entire ecosystems, but also in the agricultural industry, where they pollinate “three-quarters of food crops and nearly 90% of flowering plant species.”
The findings of the study suggests a direct link between pesticide exposure and bee population declines, and that alternative pest control strategies–such as integrated pest management–may be a better option for conserving the wild bee population.