News Animals

Collectors find plenty of bees but far fewer species than in the 1950s

A look at global insect collections suggests bee diversity has dropped sharply since the 1990s

bumblebee

A new study reports recent massive losses in bee diversity worldwide. Many bees, such as this endangered Bombus dahlbomii bumblebee, found in Chile, are threatened by habitat loss and diseases spread by invasive European bees.

Jose Montalva/Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

By Yao-Hua Law

- More than 2 years ago

Far fewer bee species are buzzing across Earth today, following a steep decline in bee diversity during the last three decades, according to an analysis of bee collections and observations going back a century.