Save the bees! Alarming facts for the impending bee death

Save the bees! Alarming facts for the impending bee death

Österreich - Today, on May 20, 2025, the World Bienentag is celebrated worldwide. This day serves as an urgent appeal by conservationists to save honey bees and the wild bees, the risk of which is becoming increasingly clear. Various organizations, including the Austrian Wildbee Council and the nature conservation association, emphasize the immense importance of these insects for biodiversity.

The dangers that threaten these important use insects are diverse. In particular, the rapid construction , the use of pesticides such as glyphosate and the mechanical influence by lawn mowers damage the habitats of the bees. Wild bees are dependent on specific plants and are in a critical situation through these developments.

glyphosate and its influence on bees

A new study by the University of Texas in Austin, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , shows worrying results: Glyphosate significantly weakens the immune system of honey bees. Bees that come into contact with glyphosate have an increased death rate, especially in the event of exposure to pathogens. The tested concentrations are considered harmless in nature, which underlines the question of these findings.

In view of these results, the BUND an immediate exit from glyphosate. This is associated with a comprehensive reform of the approval procedures for pesticides such as glyphosate and neonicinoids. The federal government suggests that only industrial studies should be used for admission. In addition, the organization is calling for a re -evaluation of the long -term consequences and interactions of pesticides and faster market removal of dangerous substances.

The worrying bee mortality

The worldwide bee death has accepted worrying proportions. Since 2006, beekeepers have reported annual losses of 5 to 10 %, which have risen to 30 %. In total, beekeepers have lost about 10 million beehives since 2006, which corresponds to an estimated value of two billion euros. Last winter the loss was around 23 % of the stocks. Bees play a crucial role in our ecosystem - they are responsible for the pollination of about a third of all foods that we consume, including fruit, vegetables and nuts.

The factors that lead to this alarm include not only pesticides, but also parasites such as the Varroa mite, malnutrition through monocultures, and the effects of climate change . These framework conditions lead to weakening the bees, which is expressed, among other things, by symptoms such as deformations of wing and paralysis. The phenomenon of colony collapse disorder is particularly worrying, in which entire bee colonies disappear without a trace.

The Federal Environmental Authority describes the causes of bee death as multifactorial, which means that it cannot be attributed to a sole cause. In order to maintain the biodiversity of bees in the long term, in addition to the protection of their natural habitats, a rethink when using pesticides is also necessary.