DIVERSIDAD E IMPORTANCIA DE LAS ABEJAS SILVESTRES: MUCHO MÁS QUE MIEL Y ABEJORROS

Abstract

Objective: Within the global biodiversity crisis, a topic of great concern has been the loss of bee pollinators. However, generated information is notably biased towards the honeybee (Apis mellifera) and the bumblebee (Bombus genus). The objective of this study is to highlight the importance of wild bees as pollinators in natural ecosystems and crops, and hence, to human welfare.

Approach: We compare the biology of the wild bees with that of the domesticated honeybee, detailing the differences in social and solitary habits, as well as their nesting. We also provide a general context of wild bee diversity in Mexico and the world. This comparison emphasizes the fundamental role of wild bees in pollination.

Implications: This work provides information about wild bees and their importance as pollinators, in order for the public to gain access to an integral and adequate outlook of the major causes for their decline, as well as recommendations from worldwide scientists for their conservation.

Conclusions: It is fundamental to generate basic ecological knowledge of the huge diversity of wild bees which, although scarcely recognized by the general public, are the insects that maintain natural vegetation and pollinate the fruits and seeds that provide diversity to our diet.