We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
The Honey Bee Apis mellifera: An Insect at the Interface between Human and Ecosystem Health
Summary
This review provides an updated overview of the many ways honey bees benefit both human societies and natural ecosystems, from pollinating crops and wild plants to producing honey and serving as environmental monitors. Researchers highlight the bee's role as a bioindicator species that can reveal pollution levels, including microplastic contamination, in the environment. The study underscores how threats to honey bee health, including exposure to environmental pollutants, can have cascading effects on food security and biodiversity.
The concept of ecosystem services is widely understood as the services and benefits thatecosystems provide to humans, and they have been categorised into provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural services. This article aims to provide an updated overview of the benefits that the honey bee Apis mellifera provides to humans as well as ecosystems. We revised the role of honey bees as pollinators in natural ecosystems to preserve and restore the local biodiversity of wild plants; in agro-ecosystems, this species is widely used to enhance crop yield and quality, meeting the increasing food demand. Beekeeping activity provides humans not only with high-quality food but also with substances used as raw materials and in pharmaceuticals, and in polluted areas, bees convey valuable information on the environmental presence of pollutants and their impact on human and ecosystem health. Finally, the role of the honey bee in symbolic tradition, mysticism, and the cultural values of the bee habitats are also presented. Overall, we suggest that the symbolic value of the honey bee is the most important role played by this insect species, as it may help revitalise and strengthen the intimate and reciprocal relationship between humans and the natural world, avoiding the inaccuracy of considering the ecosystems as mere providers of services to humans.
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
Biotic and abiotic stresses on honeybee health
This review covers the many threats facing honeybee health, including parasites, pesticides, habitat loss, climate change, and emerging pollutants like microplastics. Microplastics have been found in bee habitats and can be ingested during foraging, potentially affecting bee health and colony survival. Since honeybees are essential crop pollinators, threats to their health from microplastic pollution could indirectly impact human food production.
Microplastics comprehensive review: Impact on honey bee, occurrence in honey and health risk evaluation
This systematic review examines how microplastics contaminate honey through bees and their environment. The findings show that bees accumulate microplastics from polluted air, water, and soil, which can then end up in honey — a product many people consume for its health benefits.
Honey Bees as Bioindicators of Air Pollution: A Narrative Review on Human Health Implications
This review explores the use of honey bees as bioindicators of air pollution, including airborne microplastics, within a One Health framework. Researchers found that bees accumulate environmental contaminants during foraging, making them effective biological monitors for tracking air quality and pollution exposure relevant to both ecosystem and human health.
Are Honey Bees at Risk from Microplastics?
This review examines whether microplastics pose a risk to honey bee populations, noting that microplastics have been detected in honey samples and on bees collected from both urban and rural areas. Researchers found that exposure to certain polymer types may affect bee health, and the study calls for more research to understand the risks of microplastic exposure to pollinators and the broader implications for ecosystem health.
The Role of Beekeeping in the Generation of Goods and Services: The Interrelation between Environmental, Socioeconomic, and Sociocultural Utilities
This review examines the diverse ecosystem goods and services generated by beekeeping, including pollination, honey production, and cultural benefits, while documenting growing threats to bee populations from pesticides, habitat loss, and emerging pathogens. The authors argue that beekeeping supports biodiversity and food security in ways that are systematically undervalued in economic and environmental assessments.