One in three bites of food we eat depends on pollinators like bees.
Yet bee populations are declining, in part due to exposure to airborne pollutants such as fine particulate matter, pesticides, and microplastics (1). These pollutants harm bees and disrupt their ability to navigate, forage, and reproduce.
The impact extends beyond bee populations to the ecosystems and food systems that depend on them, making it increasingly important to reduce air pollution at its source and develop creative solutions for sustainable agriculture.
Why bees are essential to people and the planet
Bees are a critical component of the biodiversity that supports both ecosystems and human food systems. As pollinators, they enable plants—including many crops—to reproduce by transferring pollen between flowers.
It is estimated that roughly one-third of global food production depends on pollinators such as bees, making their role central to food security and agricultural stability.
Beyond agriculture, bees also support broader ecosystems by sustaining wild plant populations, which in turn provide food and habitat for countless other species.
Their impact extends across food systems, biodiversity, and rural livelihoods, where beekeeping remains an important economic activity in many regions.
Because of this, changes in bee populations often reflect wider environmental pressures—making their health an early signal of how ecosystems are responding to pollution and other stressors (2).
What pollutants are bees facing?
Bees are facing numerous modern environmental pollutants that threaten their colonies and the vital services they provide.
Research has demonstrated that PM2.5 – fine particulate matter measuring 2.5 microns in diameter or smaller – and ground-level ozone, both byproducts of industrial and vehicular emissions, are particularly damaging to bees (3). These pollutants can increase honey bee mortality by impairing their sense of smell. Sense of smell is essential for locating flowers and navigating back to their hives.
Air pollution can also reduce pollination success by masking the floral scents that guide bees to their food sources. According to research conducted on an English black mustard farm over the summers of 2018 and 2019, flowers located close to ozone and nitrogen oxide releasing pipes were visited 90% less often than areas that were less polluted (4).
A study on Giant Asian honey bee activity in India also found that bees visited flowers less often in moderate to highly polluted sites (5). Those that did experienced an increased impact on their circulatory physiology and a reduced survival rate.
Neonicotinoids and other pesticides, even at trace levels, pose another threat. These chemicals target the central nervous systems of insects, leading to impaired cognition, memory loss, and disrupted foraging behavior in bees (6).
Chronic exposure to pesticides affects individual bees and destabilizes entire colonies by altering the gut microbiome, which is crucial for digestion and immune function. This weakening makes bees more susceptible to parasites like Varroa mites and a host of pathogens further compromising colony health and productivity (7).
Microplastics, a more recently recognized hazard, are now known to infiltrate bee habitats and even their bodies (8). Bees ingest these tiny plastic particles from the air and contaminated food sources, leading to damage in their digestive systems, weakened immune responses, and altered behaviors. Microplastics have been found in the guts of bees and in the materials wild bees use to construct their nests, exposing entire colonies to the harmful effects of plastic pollution.
In addition to these factors, climate change can complicate bee survival rates as spring arrives earlier than bees are ready to feed. Drought, fire, and flooding can destroy bee foraging ranges, and Varroa mites may flourish during longer foraging seasons, placing additional pressure on bee colonies during their dormant winter months (9).
These overlapping pressures help explain why bees are especially sensitive to environmental change—and why shifts in their behavior can reflect broader ecological stress.
How pollutants disrupt bee biology and behavior
The impact of pollutants on bees extends beyond physical harm, seeping into the behaviors and biological processes that sustain their colonies and their role as pollinators. These effects can be observed across several key systems.
Respiration and foraging behavior
Air pollution makes it harder for bees to breathe and disrupts their ability to detect and follow the scent trails to flowers. When bees cannot locate food efficiently, foraging takes longer and becomes less productive, placing additional stress on colonies. Over time, this can lead to malnutrition, reduced honey production, and, in severe cases, colony collapse.
Immune function
Pollutants also weaken bees’ natural defenses, leaving them vulnerable to a host of secondary threats. Pesticides and microplastics, for example, compromise the immune systems of bees, making them more susceptible to diseases and infestations by parasites such as Varroa mites.
Cognition and navigation
Bees rely on their memory and learning abilities to efficiently gather nectar and pollen. When these faculties are compromised through reduced cognition, the entire process of pollination is put at risk.
Taken together, airborne pollution can result in a 30% reduction in pollinator performance through reduced insect reproduction, increased mortality, and loss of scent (10).
As these biological effects accumulate, the impact extends beyond individual species.
From bees to ecosystems
Bee decline is not an isolated concern. Bees’ collective health forewarns communities about broader ecological and economic impacts.
Bees are indispensable pollinators for a vast array of crops, and their decreased numbers have already been linked to reduced yields in these and other essential food sources. A 2020 study of 131 U.S. and Canadian farms found that apples, blueberries, and some varieties of cherries were experiencing limited yields due to reduced pollination (11).
Beyond agriculture, bees play a crucial role in maintaining the health of wild ecosystems. They pollinate a wide variety of wildflowers, which in turn support countless other species, from birds and mammals to insects and microorganisms. Without bees in a region, biodiversity loss can occur, disrupting food chains and altering habitats in unpredictable but far-reaching ways.
The economic effects of declining bee populations are equally important. The annual global value of pollination services is estimated to be between $235 and $577 billion (12). Bee colony declines put crop productivity at risk, leading to higher food prices, reduced agricultural output, and increased pressure on farmers to compensate for lost pollination through costly and often less effective alternatives, like hand- or machine-pollination (13).
Where bees thrive or survive
Bee resiliency is significantly impacted by their environment.
Managed bee populations are on the decline in Europe and North America while steadily growing in Asia, especially in China (14). Yet even in China there is a difference between strong growth in honeybee populations in contrast to falling wild bee populations. In industrial agricultural zones, where pesticide use is intensive and air pollution levels are high, bees face some of their greatest challenges. Urban areas can also be hostile territories, with traffic emissions and limited green spaces further stressing pollinator populations.
However, there are efforts underway to reverse course and protect bee populations. Kumamoto Prefecture in Japan is working to turn bee shortages around with a 2026 budgetary boost of 502 million yen ($3.27 million) for beekeepers (15). The money will go towards developing refrigerated facilities to reduce mite infestations. Kumamoto is the country's second largest honey producing prefecture, but populations have been declining since 2023 due to heat waves and mites.
In 2025, stingless Amazonian bees in two regions of Peru were granted legal rights, the first time any insect in the world has been given such rights (16). These rainforest pollinators are in competition with European honeybees, as well as deforestation, climate change, and pesticides. These protections mean that the bees have a right to exist and can be legally represented in court cases which could impact their survival.
The European Union banned neonicotinoids in 2013, then banned imports of products containing those pesticides in 2026 (17).
There are varying restrictions on neonicotinoid use in U.S. states and Canadian provinces, including (18):
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Illinois
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New York
- Ontario
- Quebec
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Washington State
Another way to foster bee survival is by creating bee corridors, networks of native plants and reduced-pesticide zones that provide safe passage and foraging grounds for pollinators.
The National Highways Authority of India outlined plans to create the country’s first dedicated bee corridors by planting native, nectar-rich mixes of trees and plants near highways (19).
When completed, the bee corridors will mirror similar projects in New England following electrical transmission lines and “B-Lines,” insect superhighways actively being mapped across the United Kingdom (20)(21).
Solutions to protect bees and pollination
Efforts to protect bees and pollination are taking place at multiple levels, from local communities to national policy.
What individuals and communities can do
- Planting native flowers, reducing plastic waste, and creating “bee corridors” can support local bee populations.
- Community science projects, such as monitoring bee health and air quality, empower citizens to drive change.
- Public advocacy and policy engagement can influence stronger air quality protections.
- Monitor outdoor air quality to arm researchers, farmers, and policymakers with data identifying pollution sources that could impact bee populations.
What farmers and researchers can do
- Farmers can adopt Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies, using biological controls and crop rotation to reduce reliance on chemical pesticides (22).
- Scientists are developing nutritional supplements to help bees detoxify pesticides and exploring bee breeds resistant to Varroa mites and other stressors (23)(24).
What governments can do
- Enacting and enforcing stricter standards for PM2.5, ozone, and diesel exhaust can directly improve bee health and pollination rates. Setting such policies could help bee colonies rebound.
Conclusion
Bees provide an early signal of how environmental pressures, like air pollution, affect ecosystems and food systems.
Observed on May 20, World Bee Day highlights the importance of protecting pollinators by reducing harmful exposures and supporting healthier environments.
