How many species of bees exist in the world?

Bees are an indispensable part of the life of our planet. There are countless bee species all over the world. Bees are indispensable for our survival. By collecting nectar, they deal with an important factor, namely the pollination of flowers and plants. The immense work they do would not be artificially replaceable in any way, or at least it would not be possible to do it with the same efficiency.

It is thanks to bees that we have a large part of the plant species and consequently a large part of the world's food. The lack of these wonderful animals would lead to a lot of imbalances in nature. But let's get to the point. If you're wondering how many bee species exist in the world, the answer is 20,000. There are therefore many different species located all over the world with the exception of Antarctica where the climate and environmental conditions would not allow their development and settlement.

The great importance of bees

Bees are considered to be the beating heart of our planet. They contribute to inimitable natural mechanisms and obviously, their absence would also cause problems in the continuation of the food chain . Without bees, many plant species would disappear and with them the species that feed on them.

Protecting biodiversity

The best known species of bee is the Apis Mellifera or the honey bee . However, there are many other species that actively contribute to the life of our planet and to pollination. Of all the 20 thousand species, however, about 25% of them seem to have decreased significantly since the nineties. The decrease in bees is a factor that worries biologists a lot. They believe that relying on a single species, namely the honey bee, is not safe. Biodiversity should be protected and all other bee families and subspecies intact. What is most affecting the decrease in the various types of bees is due to the same causes that weaken the Apis Mellifera in the first place. The excessive use of chemicals in agriculture creates increasingly less favorable environments for the development of bees, as well as a sharp decrease in the food available for their nourishment.

It is important to protect the life and survival of honey bees but also of all existing wild species. Remember that a third of our food depends on the life of these animals, in Europe alone, bees are responsible for the development of over 4,000 types of vegetables.

Danger factors

In addition to the presence of enormous quantities of toxic substances for the environment such as pesticides, herbicides and other chemical agents, there are also other factors that influence the decrease in bees. These include the invasion of non-native species such as that of the Asian hornet or the velutina wasp responsible for the extermination of entire hives . In addition to the arrival of predators, some species from different places have also brought numerous diseases with them.

The life cycle

Bees are very hardworking insects. The functioning of the hive and their biological processes are truly amazing. They feed on the nectar of flowers and most species have a complex social organization: the queen bee , hundreds of worker bees and some males live together in the hives , called drones . The functioning of the hive proceeds in a very precise manner, with the assignment of very specific roles. The queen bee takes care of laying eggs in the hive. From the eggs the larvae will develop which will then become bees and therefore new components of the swarm. The more numerous a swarm is, the stronger it is. The queen is the only bee capable of reproducing, which is why her workers do their utmost to protect her health. It is also possible to decide in advance what the sex of the new births will be. Female bees will develop from fertilized eggs , while unfertilized eggs will give birth to new drones or males of the hive . To fertilize the eggs, the queen bee uses the seed of the drones stored inside its sperm sacs. In fact, the queen mates only once with all the drones of the swarm and then uses the stored semen for the production of fertilized eggs for the rest of her life.

The species of bees raised in Italy

In Italy, the species most raised by beekeepers is the ligustica bee or Italian bee . However, we find other species equally present in Italian farms. Among these: the Carnic bee, the Buckfast bee

Best bees for beekeeping

The Ligustica bee is undoubtedly the favorite bee of Italian beekeepers. It is a very hardworking and docile bee. Apicoltura Laterza deals with the production and sale of Ligustic Queen Bees but also parcels, swarms and bee cores . Our ligustic bees are industry excellence. These are carefully selected bees that maintain an optimized genetic profile. Our bees have all the best characteristics sought by beekeepers such as docility, excellent production and little predisposition to swarm. We are also engaged in the production and sale of Buckfast queen bees .

Sale of queen bees

If you need to buy Ligustic or Buckfast fertile queen bees, go to www.apicolturalaterza.it 

Just choose the product, enter the date of receipt and proceed with the purchase! You will receive your bees with professional and safe shipping. Our bees will come to you in full force and without stress during the journey. Buy api online now!