In more than half of European countries, there are not enough honeybees to pollinate crops, according to new research. Scientists believe that a boom in biofuels has sparked a massive increase in the need for pollination.
The shortage is particularly acute in Britain which has only a quarter of the honeybees required. Researchers believe that wild pollinators including bumblebees and hoverflies are making up the shortfall. The study is published in the journal Plos One.
The number of honeybees in the UK and elsewhere has been in decline in recent years, with both pesticide use and disease being blamed for losses.
Across Europe though, overall numbers of honeybee colonies increased by 7% across 41 countries between 2005 and 2010.
The scientist say that the deficit across Europe now amounts to 13.4 million colonies or around seven billion honeybees.
The research suggests that much of the work is now being done by wild pollinators including bumblebees, solitary bees and hoverflies.
Britain is one of the countries with the biggest shortfall - only Moldova, with an economy 300 times smaller than the UK, has a bigger honeybee shortage.
Little is known about the number of wild pollinating species as they are not being monitored in the UK. The researchers believe this reliance on them could be hampering yields and putting UK crops at risk.
"We face a catastrophe in future years unless we act now," said Prof Simon Potts, from the University of Reading, a co-author on the paper. Wild pollinators need greater protection. They are the unsung heroes of the countryside, providing a critical link in the food chain for humans and doing work for free that would otherwise cost British farmers £1.8b to replace."
While steps have been taken at the EU level to protect bees by introducing a moratorium on neonicotinoid pesticides, the researchers say other European legislation is exacerbating the pollinator shortage.
"There is a growing disconnection between agricultural and environmental policies across Europe," said Prof Potts. "We need a proper strategy across Europe to conserve wild bees and pollinators through habitat protection, agricultural policy and farming methods - or we risk big financial losses to the farming sector and a potential food security crisis."
