Created by: Ethan Pauckner
The writing in this section covers how the European honeybee affects the environment around it in the United States and how they may be contributing to pollinator populations decreasing.
An image of the European Honeybee feeding on the nectar of a flower. Image gotten thanks to Adobe Stock.
Industrial scale farming has always had a large impact on local ecosystems, whether that be from tearing down habitats or spraying pesticides on their crops. One of the lesser known environmentally damaging things that some farmers use is the use of honeybees to pollinate their crops. While these honeybees may be seen as good to have around, they are an invasive species in the Americas and cause many local pollinators to have extreme competition for previously uncontested resources. This as a result causes native pollinator populations to decline.
The European honeybee is native to Europe and the Middle East and were introduced nearly 400 years ago in the Americas by humans for the use of honey production and farming. Ever since their introduction they have changed the environment by helping the spread of European crops and grasses and molding the environment around them. In the present day, honeybees are still affecting the environment around them by competing with local pollinators for resources and potentially causing local species to die off.
In areas with large amounts of honeybees, introduced either through farmers or hobbyists, "Individuals of 193 native bees and 1269 honeybees were counted during walking surveys of 25 patches" This research indicates that honeybees outnumber local bees 3:1. Honeybees also compete with local pollinators for previously uncontested resources. This causes a massive population decrease in local pollinators which is evidenced by research stating, "The number of nests produced by H. alcyoneus was 23% less (Wilcoxon’s T) at treatment sites than control sites."
Honeybees also cause some plants to be less successfully pollinated, meaning the plants cannot reproduce as effectively as if they were pollinated by local pollinators. This is since honeybees are better adapted to gather nectar but also do not carry as much pollen on their bodies. This contrasts with the native bumblebee which can carry a lot more pollen, and as a result are much more effective in pollenating some plants. This is further evidenced through less fruit being produced in plants with a nearby honeybee nest.
Honeybees also cause "...a direct negative effect on the reproductive success of a dominant wild plant." This means that honeybees cause major plants in an ecosystem to have less success in producing seeds, this also appeared to have similar results from plants that were self-pollinated, this can cause inbreeding depression. Bumblebees, however, were able to pollinate in ways that result in cross-pollination which promotes genetic diversity and allows the plants to better survive in their environment.
Image of a bumblebee gotten thanks to Adobe Stock
Image of a honeybee gotten thanks to Adobe Stock
Overall, honeybees cause many detrimental effects to the environment around them, such as competing with native pollinators such as the bumblebee causing their populations to decrease and disrupting the pollination system of some plants. This could cause a lot of species of both pollinators and plants to die off over a long period of time if they fail to adapt. Environmentally conscious people who keep honeybees should be careful to not let the bees disrupt local ecosystems if possible due to the havoc they cause. While it is true that global pollinator populations are decreasing, the honeybee may be causing local species in the US to die off faster.
Brenda Kellar "History of Honeybees in America" Los Angeles Beekeepers Association https://www.losangelescountybeekeepers.com/history-of-honey-bees-in-ameri
Cane J.H. Honeybees prevail at native wildflowers distant from wildland apiaries. Biological Conservation 296, Aug 2024, 110732 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320724002945
Paini D.R.; Roberts J.D. Commercial honey bees (Apis mellifera) reduce the fecundity of an Australian native bee (Hylaeus alcyoneus). Biological Conservation 123 (1), May 2005, 103-112 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320704004367
Page M.L.; Williams N.M. Evidence of exploitative competition between honey bees and native bees in two California landscapes. Journal of Animal Ecology 92 (9), Sep 2023, 1802-1814 https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2656.13973
Magrach A.; González-Varo J.P.; Boiffier M, Vilà M.; Bartomeus I.; Honeybee spillover reshuffles pollinator diets and affects plant reproductive success. Nature Ecology & Evolution 1, 2017, 1299-1307 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-017-0249-9