Role and Importance of Bees in Agriculture • Climate Change? • Impact of Climate Change on Bee health and Crop Pollination effect of Temperature on Bees effect of elevated CO2 on Bee Health effect of Rainfall on Plant pollinator interaction effect of Electromagnetic Wave on the Life cycle of Honey Bees shift in Species Distribution Range Impact of Relative Humidity Future Challenges • Adaption Measures/Mitigation for save of bee’s against climate changes • Conclusion

1. Shri Karan Chhabra
Subject Matter Specialist (Agrometeorology)
ICAR-CITH, KVK Baramulla

2. Contents
• Role and Importance of Bees in Agriculture
• Climate Change ?
• Impact of Climate Change on Bee health and Crop Pollination
q Effect of Temperature on Bees
q Effect of elevated CO2 on Bee Health
q Effect of Rainfall on Plant pollinator interaction
q Effect of Electromagnetic Wave on Life cycle of Honey Bees
q Shift in Species Distribution Range
q Impact of Relative Humidity
• Future Challenges
• Adaption Measures/Mitigation for save of bee’s against climate
changes
• Conclusion

3. Role and Importance of Bees in Agriculture
• Honey bee works as a pollinator in boosting
horticultural productivity and vegetable seed
production
• Economic Importance

4. Climate Change ?
Climate change
describes
a change in the
average
conditions
such
as temperature
and rainfall in
a region over a
long period of
time.

5. Impact of Climate Change on Honey Bees

6. Effect of Temperature on Bees
The optimum temperature of bee health for pollination and its survival vary from region
to region and species to species (Approx. 12-45 degree Celcius is the optimum temperature
for management of bees life cycle)
S. No. Effect due to
temperature
Increase Decrease
1. Bee Behaviour Number of stigmas
visited per minute
2. Abundance More Less
3. Honey bee
Phenology
Relationship
Negative
4. Foraging activity More
5. Yield losses More
6. Reduction of bee
colonies
More

7. Effect of elevated CO2 on Bee Health
Increasing Decreasing
Lower value of food Pollen nutrient quality
Decline of locomotory activity Reduced protein in pollen
Mortality of varroa destructor Reduced of pollination services
Deep anaesthisia in worker bee Development rate
Effect of Rainfall on Plant Pollinator Interaction
Release of Volatile Gases
Pollen Degradation
Nectar Dilution
Disruption of foraging patterns
Disruption to sensory signals

8. Effect of EMWs on the Life Cycle of Honey Bees
• Radiations by electronic devices are
affecting their reproduction generated
system, honey producing capacity with
increase in colony collapse disorder.
• Reduce hatching ratio but not the mating
success.
• Alter foraging activity and pupal
development.
• Apis cerena is the most affected species.
Cerentina australensis is predicted to have an overall
increased range with progressing climate change,
with a shift towards more coastal areas.

9. Impact of Relative Humidity
S. No. Effect of Humidity Impact (increasing with humidity
increases)
Decreasing
1 Survival rate Increases at 75-80%
2 Abundance (<30%) No Yes
3 Foraging Behaviour Increases at 75%
Honey bee workers have been found to survive better at 75% RH, whereas at
low RH of 50% to 15% worker survival was negatively impacted, especially
at 15%.

10. Future Challenges
Ø The honeybees, pollinate >90% commercial crops, have
declined by 30% in the last 20 years. This has posed a great
challenge to the agriculture production.
Ø Reductions in global honeybee populations are threatening the
pollination benefits to the planet and people.
Ø Increasing EMWs at very high frequency day by day and its
impact on Bees especially Apis Cerena.
Ø Lack of honeybee professionals and trained bee labour allows poor management of
colonies.
Ø Increasing the employment opportunity in the rural sector and thus enhancing the
ancillary income of the beekeepers and farmers
Ø Dissemination of information and technology advancement in the field of beekeeping
through its various publications and magazines “Bee World”.

11. Adaption measures for safe the Bee’s against
climate changes
• Habitats:
Make an environment with availability of forage through habitat management.
• Use of biodiversity friendly agro-ecosystem strategies: beekeeping, colony
management and skills in the key areas.
• Modern genomics methods
• Negative bee buffer to negative the impact on climate worming on bee
• Remote sensing and GIS application helpful in forecasting the system of bees
distribution and knowledge of weather prediction system to assess climatic
condition of bees
• Capacity building, training programmes of bee keepers for raising awareness
among them.

12. Conclusion
• Pollinators, particularly honeybees, play a key role in the
environment, food and seed & honey production.
• Climate Change can have a direct influence on honey bee
behaviours and phenology.
• The threat to our agricultural industry to a global crisis is in a
near future.
• There may be possibility of evolutionary adaptation in bee
against the changing environment.
• Less use of chemical synthetic pesticides which can be helpful
to brood health their survivability.
• If we know the importance of sustainable life and their effect
on mankind and if we work upon strategies and approaches
and improve knowledge and skills of the people then measures
to cop up with extreme conditions can be achieved.