The alarming reports from Europe and the United States about large-scale mortality of honey bees and research into the decline of solitary bees received a lot of attention. But the decline of these pollinators has already been going on for a longer time.
Various causes can be mentioned. Habitat fragmentation, decline of nectar and pollen sources as a result of large-scale agriculture and the use of herbicides, introduction of exotic diseases, and the way in which beekeepers deal with these, all contribute to the decline of bees.
Bees@wur thinks along and participates in internationally coordinated research to bring this mortality to a halt.