Honeybees are far too insufficient to supply optimum pollination services in agricultural systems worldwide

Abstract

Evidence of a decline in wild pollinators is increasing across global and local habitats. However, with regional variation, the number of managed pollinators has increased globally. Whether these managed pollinators can sufficiently meet the agricultural pollination demand given wild pollinator declines remains unclear. Data on 49 honeybee-pollinated crops cultivated worldwide and stocked honeybee colonies were analysed to assess the pollination demand and pollination service capacity between 1989 and 2019. We found a rapidly increasing demand for honeybee pollination but a decreasing pollination service capacity of honeybee colonies. Globally, the demand for honeybee pollination rose approximately 2.3 times higher than the stocked number of honeybee colonies in 2019, growing 1.78% annually, almost 2 times faster than honeybee colonies (0.95%). On average, the pollination service capacity, growth rates of demands for honeybee colony stocks and honeybee pollination, and diversity of honeybee-pollinated crops varied regionally. Nevertheless, fluctuation of the honeybee-pollination demand increased with increased fluctuation of crop diversification. Oil crops accounted for over 70% of the world's honeybee-pollination demand in 2019, with soybean and rapeseed accounting for 39% and 16%, respectively. This was the case in less diversified countries, where a few crops dominated the demand for honeybee pollination, including American countries such as Argentina, Brazil, and the USA, compared to more diversified countries such as China, India, and Japan in Asia. Our study shows that managed pollinators are far too insufficient to adequately supply the agricultural pollination demand worldwide. This emphasises the importance of ongoing calls for protecting pollinators and the integrated management of honeybees and wild pollinator assemblages for a sustainable food-secure future world.