Bees: How Neem Helps Pollinators Survive and Thrive

Most of us aren’t aware of the ecological importance of insects, or the fact that a lot of the food you eat is made possible by pollinators. Pollinators are key, in both the agricultural world and in wild habitats and one-third of the world’s food supply relies on pollinators such as bees.

Across the globe, 70 of the top 100 food crops supply 90% of the world’s nutrition. These crops are pollinated by bees, with honeybees alone being responsible for billions of dollars in crop value every year.

Bees play a critical role in preserving and maintaining the world’s ecosystems, helping to promote biodiversity through pollination. The price tag of global crops directly relying on pollinators is estimated to be between US$ 235 and US$ 577 billion a year – and their quantity is on the rise. The volume of agricultural production dependent on pollinators has increased by 300% in the last 50 years.

Bees and Pesticides

The proliferation of chemicals in agriculture since the first Green Revolution has led to an over-reliance on synthetic pesticides such as neonicotinoids. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) points to the use of neonicotinoids as one of the main threats to bees, while The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published a study earlier this year confirming that neonicotinoids have directly impacted the population of honeybees and other wild bee species.

The toxic chemicals in neonicotinoids were found to be responsible for damaging communication mechanisms that operate through the brains of bees, inhibiting their pollination abilities and thus their ability to efficiently pollinate crops. 

Neem and Bees

Neem-based pesticides get their power from Aazdirachtin, a substance in the neem tree which is  =biodegradable and non-toxic to mammals. Azadirachtin disrupts the growth cycle of insects and deters them from feeding on plants. It is effective against 600 species of insects.

For neem-based pesticides to take effect, insects need to feed on the leaves, which means that it is 100% safe for pollinators. An increase in the use of neem-based pesticides could have a significant effect on the recovery, survival, and growth of pollinator populations worldwide.