The global crisis beneath the buzz : No honey bee, no Green Revolution
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Mangsatabam Dinachandra Meetei
From ancient poetry to modern science, honey has long captured human imagination. A clay tablet from 5000 BC records a king addressing his bride as “honey-sweet,” reflecting how deeply this natural nectar was woven into early cultures. In ancient Mesopotamia, couples fondly called each other “honey.” Revered for its medicinal and nutritional value, honey — and the honeybee that produces it—has been esteemed across civilizations as a symbol of health, vitality, and prosperity. Yet today, these tiny workers face an unprecedented crisis. Their decline is not just about honey. It is about the very foundation of global food systems, biodiversity, and the gains of modern agriculture—the Green Revolution.
The Many Faces of Honeybees : Honeybees are not a single creature but a group of species with unique roles:
1. Indian honeybee (Apis indica), 2. European honeybee (Apis mellifera), 3. Rock or giant bee (Apis dorsata), 4. Little bee (Apis florea) The Indian and European species are the backbone of commercial beekeeping. Because of its superior honey-gathering ability, the European honeybee has been introduced into many Indian regions, such as Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, to improve honey yields. These two species are also the only honeybees successfully domesticated for large-scale apiculture. The rock bee, though the greatest honey producer, remains wild and aggressive—unsuitable for domestication.
Its massive combs, sometimes 1 to 1.5 metres across, hang from cliffs or tall trees. The little bee, on the other hand, forms palm-sized combs and has limited commercial value. Other lesser- known species, including stingless bees, produce honey that many believe has potent medicinal properties. In fact, in a world-first conservation leap, munici- palities in Peru’s Amazon have granted legal rights to native stingless bees to protect them from defores- tation, pesticides, and pollution— an unprecedented move in insect protection.
Honey: Nature’s Golden Gift : Honey is much more than a sweetener. Unlike refined white sugar, which contains mostly sucrose and virtually no nutrients, natural honey is rich in easily digestible glucose and fructose, plus vitamins and essential minerals such as iron, copper, and calcium. It has long been used as a natural remedy for wounds, coughs, digestive issues, and general health enhancement. This nutritional richness is part of why honey —and bees themselves—have been held in high regard throughout history.
Pollinators at the Heart of Agriculture : Beyond honey, honeybees’ most important role is pollination, the process by which pollen is transferred between flowers, enabling plant reproduction. Unlike wind or water-pollinated plants, many crops rely on insects — especially bees — for effective pollination.
Today, beekeeping (apiculture) is more than honey production; it has become a pivotal agricultural activity. Pollination biology is central to plant breeding, hybridisation, and seed and fruit production. Honeybees are the only pollinators humans can reliably manage on a large scale, making them indispensable — especially as other native pollinators decline due to habitat loss and intensive agriculture. Scientists estimate that a large portion of the world’s crops depends at least partly on insect pollination. For instance, a comprehensive review of global pollinator data found that bees and other pollinators support about 75 per cent of the world’s leading food crops, including many fruits, vegetables, nuts, and oilseeds.
Without effective pollination, yields for these crops fall sharply. Certain orchard trees, especially almonds and berries, produce tiny harvests without active bee involvement — a threat not just to beekeepers but to global food supplies.
Alarming Declines: A Crisis in Numbers : Recent data paint a stark picture. In the United States, commercial beekeepers reported losses averaging 62 per cent of honeybee colonies between June 2024 and March 2025 — far higher than normal seasonal losses. An estimated 1.6 million colonies were lost, marking one of the worst periods for honeybee health on record. Such losses have profound agricultural consequences. For example, California produces 80 per cent of the world’s almonds, a crop almost entirely reliant on honeybee pollination each spring. Severe colony losses have left growers short by as many as 500 000 hives, risking both crop yields and economic stability.
In Nepal’s mountainous regions, traditional beekeepers reported a 44 per cent decline in occupied beehives and a 50 per cent drop in honey yield per hive over a decade, jeopardising livelihoods and pollination of key crops. Such trends are mirrored globally. More than one-in-four native bee species in parts of North America and Mexico are classified as at risk, and many bee species have not been reliably observed since the 1990s.
Multiple Threats, One Crisis : Experts agree the decline is not caused by any single factor but a synergy of pressures
Pesticides and Chemicals: Certain agricultural chemicals—particularly neonicotinoids—harm bees’ nervous and immune systems, making them confused, weak, or unable to return to their colonies. Residues can also accumulate in pollen and nectar.
Habitat Loss: Urban expansion, intensive farming, and shrinking wildflower meadows rob bees of diverse food sources and nesting sites.
Climate Change: Shifting weather patterns disrupt the timing of flowering cycles. Bees may emerge when flowers are scarce, leaving them without adequate nourishment.
Parasites and Diseases: The Varroa mite, a tiny parasite, has become one of the most destructive threats to bee colonies globally. It feeds on bee blood and transmits deadly viruses, often overwhelming colonies.
Pollution and Emerging Threats: Air pollution can mask floral scents bees use to find food, and even microplastics have been found contaminating hives — a newly documented concern for bee health and behaviour.
Lack of Nutrition: Monoculture crops and reduced floral diversity deprive bees of a balanced diet, weakening immune systems and resilience.
The Bigger Picture: Food Security and Ecosystems: If honeybee populations continue to decline, the implications go far beyond honey jars. Lower pollination rates translate to lower crop yields, higher food prices, and reduced availability of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. This threatens both global food security and nutritional diversity, especially for populations reliant on diverse plant foods. Furthermore, bees play a foundational role in ecosystems. Wild plants depend on them for reproduction, and in turn provide habitat and food for wildlife. Loss of bees undermines biodiver-sity, ecosystem resilience, and environmental health.
What Must Be Done: The good news is that action — from governments, farmers, scientists, and individuals — can make a real difference: 1. Reduce harmful pesticide use and adopt pollinator-friendly farming practices. 2. Protect and restore habitats rich in native flowers and nesting sites. 3. Support research on bee health, diseases, and sustainable apiculture. 4. Plant pollinator gardens and preserve green spaces in urban areas. Conclusion: Honeybees may be small, but their contribution to agriculture, ecosystems, and global food systems is immense. From ancient reverence for honey to modern dependence on bee-mediated pollination, humanity’s story has always been intertwined with that of the honeybee. If current declines continue unchecked — and if actions to protect these vital insects are not swiftly scaled up — the gains of the Green Revolution could be undermined, with far-reaching consequences for food security, economies, and nature itself. No Honeybee — No Green Revolution — No Sustainable Future.
From ancient poetry to modern science, honey has long captured human imagination. A clay tablet from 5000 BC records a king addressing his bride as “honey-sweet,” reflecting how deeply this natural nectar was woven into early cultures. In ancient Mesopotamia, couples fondly called each other “honey.” Revered for its medicinal and nutritional value, honey — and the honeybee that produces it—has been esteemed across civilizations as a symbol of health, vitality, and prosperity. Yet today, these tiny workers face an unprecedented crisis. Their decline is not just about honey. It is about the very foundation of global food systems, biodiversity, and the gains of modern agriculture—the Green Revolution.
The Many Faces of Honeybees : Honeybees are not a single creature but a group of species with unique roles:
1. Indian honeybee (Apis indica), 2. European honeybee (Apis mellifera), 3. Rock or giant bee (Apis dorsata), 4. Little bee (Apis florea) The Indian and European species are the backbone of commercial beekeeping. Because of its superior honey-gathering ability, the European honeybee has been introduced into many Indian regions, such as Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, to improve honey yields. These two species are also the only honeybees successfully domesticated for large-scale apiculture. The rock bee, though the greatest honey producer, remains wild and aggressive—unsuitable for domestication.
Its massive combs, sometimes 1 to 1.5 metres across, hang from cliffs or tall trees. The little bee, on the other hand, forms palm-sized combs and has limited commercial value. Other lesser- known species, including stingless bees, produce honey that many believe has potent medicinal properties. In fact, in a world-first conservation leap, munici- palities in Peru’s Amazon have granted legal rights to native stingless bees to protect them from defores- tation, pesticides, and pollution— an unprecedented move in insect protection.
Honey: Nature’s Golden Gift : Honey is much more than a sweetener. Unlike refined white sugar, which contains mostly sucrose and virtually no nutrients, natural honey is rich in easily digestible glucose and fructose, plus vitamins and essential minerals such as iron, copper, and calcium. It has long been used as a natural remedy for wounds, coughs, digestive issues, and general health enhancement. This nutritional richness is part of why honey —and bees themselves—have been held in high regard throughout history.
Pollinators at the Heart of Agriculture : Beyond honey, honeybees’ most important role is pollination, the process by which pollen is transferred between flowers, enabling plant reproduction. Unlike wind or water-pollinated plants, many crops rely on insects — especially bees — for effective pollination.
Today, beekeeping (apiculture) is more than honey production; it has become a pivotal agricultural activity. Pollination biology is central to plant breeding, hybridisation, and seed and fruit production. Honeybees are the only pollinators humans can reliably manage on a large scale, making them indispensable — especially as other native pollinators decline due to habitat loss and intensive agriculture. Scientists estimate that a large portion of the world’s crops depends at least partly on insect pollination. For instance, a comprehensive review of global pollinator data found that bees and other pollinators support about 75 per cent of the world’s leading food crops, including many fruits, vegetables, nuts, and oilseeds.
Without effective pollination, yields for these crops fall sharply. Certain orchard trees, especially almonds and berries, produce tiny harvests without active bee involvement — a threat not just to beekeepers but to global food supplies.
Alarming Declines: A Crisis in Numbers : Recent data paint a stark picture. In the United States, commercial beekeepers reported losses averaging 62 per cent of honeybee colonies between June 2024 and March 2025 — far higher than normal seasonal losses. An estimated 1.6 million colonies were lost, marking one of the worst periods for honeybee health on record. Such losses have profound agricultural consequences. For example, California produces 80 per cent of the world’s almonds, a crop almost entirely reliant on honeybee pollination each spring. Severe colony losses have left growers short by as many as 500 000 hives, risking both crop yields and economic stability.
In Nepal’s mountainous regions, traditional beekeepers reported a 44 per cent decline in occupied beehives and a 50 per cent drop in honey yield per hive over a decade, jeopardising livelihoods and pollination of key crops. Such trends are mirrored globally. More than one-in-four native bee species in parts of North America and Mexico are classified as at risk, and many bee species have not been reliably observed since the 1990s.
Multiple Threats, One Crisis : Experts agree the decline is not caused by any single factor but a synergy of pressures
Pesticides and Chemicals: Certain agricultural chemicals—particularly neonicotinoids—harm bees’ nervous and immune systems, making them confused, weak, or unable to return to their colonies. Residues can also accumulate in pollen and nectar.
Habitat Loss: Urban expansion, intensive farming, and shrinking wildflower meadows rob bees of diverse food sources and nesting sites.
Climate Change: Shifting weather patterns disrupt the timing of flowering cycles. Bees may emerge when flowers are scarce, leaving them without adequate nourishment.
Parasites and Diseases: The Varroa mite, a tiny parasite, has become one of the most destructive threats to bee colonies globally. It feeds on bee blood and transmits deadly viruses, often overwhelming colonies.
Pollution and Emerging Threats: Air pollution can mask floral scents bees use to find food, and even microplastics have been found contaminating hives — a newly documented concern for bee health and behaviour.
Lack of Nutrition: Monoculture crops and reduced floral diversity deprive bees of a balanced diet, weakening immune systems and resilience.
The Bigger Picture: Food Security and Ecosystems: If honeybee populations continue to decline, the implications go far beyond honey jars. Lower pollination rates translate to lower crop yields, higher food prices, and reduced availability of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. This threatens both global food security and nutritional diversity, especially for populations reliant on diverse plant foods. Furthermore, bees play a foundational role in ecosystems. Wild plants depend on them for reproduction, and in turn provide habitat and food for wildlife. Loss of bees undermines biodiver-sity, ecosystem resilience, and environmental health.
What Must Be Done: The good news is that action — from governments, farmers, scientists, and individuals — can make a real difference: 1. Reduce harmful pesticide use and adopt pollinator-friendly farming practices. 2. Protect and restore habitats rich in native flowers and nesting sites. 3. Support research on bee health, diseases, and sustainable apiculture. 4. Plant pollinator gardens and preserve green spaces in urban areas. Conclusion: Honeybees may be small, but their contribution to agriculture, ecosystems, and global food systems is immense. From ancient reverence for honey to modern dependence on bee-mediated pollination, humanity’s story has always been intertwined with that of the honeybee. If current declines continue unchecked — and if actions to protect these vital insects are not swiftly scaled up — the gains of the Green Revolution could be undermined, with far-reaching consequences for food security, economies, and nature itself. No Honeybee — No Green Revolution — No Sustainable Future.