Bees and pollinators - why it's not enough to place a beehive

You might have come across the photo of a supermarket with full shelves of fruit and vegetables, and then the same one without most of them, stating: “life with vs life without bees”. The losses in bee population are alarming, as about two-thirds of the crop plants that feed the world rely on pollination. Pollination is a time-consuming, highly specialized service whose value can be counted in billions of dollars, dispensed for free, that we compromise with more or less harmful pesticide applications since long time and the loss of natural and diverse ecosystems.

So, if it is known that bees are essential for our food production, pesticides can kill bees, and bee populations are dramatically shrinking, why can’t we just deposit a couple of beehives in a field - avoiding neonicotinoids and similar treatments - to solve the pollination question? Why do we still care for biodiversity?

Some facts and a quizz....