Climate Change Impact on Honeybees (Apis spp.) and Their Pollination Services

Abstract

Honeybees participate in the pollination of many crops and wild species and serve as bioindicators of environmental health, and therefore play an essential role in agricultural production. While it is currently facing serious threats worldwide, its disappearance will impact the balance of ecosystems. Global economic value of crop pollination services has been estimated at 153 billion euros per year, representing 9.5% of global agricultural food value. As bees are ectothermic species, the ambient temperature determines their activity, and therefore, climate change, with the increase in temperatures experienced in recent years, can influence their biology, distribution, and behavior. Climate change affects negatively bees by impacting their food resources. Increased temperature induces a differential response of insects and plants that generate a temporal and spatial variation in the biological cycle of the species concerned, with serious demographic consequences. This results in an alteration of the synchronization between plants and insects.