Decline of honey bees now a global phenomenon, says United
Nations The mysterious collapse of honey-bee colonies is
becoming a global phenomenon, scientists working for the United
Nations have revealed. Declines in managed bee colonies, seen
increasingly in Europe and the US in the past decade, are also
now being observed in China and Japan and there are the first
signs of African collapses from Egypt, according to the report
from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The
authors, who include some of the world's leading honey-bee
experts, issue a stark warning about the disappearance of bees,
which are increasingly important as crop pollinators around the
globe. Without profound changes to the way human beings manage
the planet, they say, declines in pollinators needed to feed a
growing global population are likely to continue. The scientists
warn that a number of factors may now be coming together to hit
bee colonies around the world, ranging from declines in
flowering plants and the use of damagi