Context: According to quantitative analysis on impacts of air pollution on insects by the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bengaluru, the giant Asian honey bee is falling prey to air pollution.
Key findings of the study

• The study examined the effects of air pollution on the behaviour, physiology, and molecular aspects of the giant Asian honey bee in Bangalore – one of India’s fastest growing megacities.
• In collaboration with other scientists from the NCBS as well as the Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (inStem) and the The Knight Cardiovascular Institute, the scientists found that bees from more polluted areas of the city exhibited lower flower visitation rates than in less polluted areas.
• Scientists from India’s National Centre for Biological Sciences in Bangalore found that the poor air quality could be devastating for organisms we rely on most for our own survival – pollinators such as the honey bee.
• Bees from more polluted areas also showed significant differences in heart rhythmicity, blood cell count, and the expression of genes coding for stress, immunity, and metabolism,
• In India Apis dorsata produces more than 80% of India’s honey.

Giant Asian honey bee

• Apis dorsata is giant honey bee native to South and Southeast Asia.
• They are typically around 17–20 mm long.
• Known for their aggressive defense strategies and vicious behavior when disturbed.
• Though not domesticated, the indigenous peoples have traditionally used this species as a source of honey and beeswax, a practice known as honey hunting.

Concerns

• India is the world’s largest fruit producer, second-largest vegetable producer as well as the second-most populous country.
• The wild pollinator is an important contributor to India’s food security and ecosystems.
• 80% of all flowering plants rely on animal pollination, maximum of which would disappear without insect pollinators like honey bees.