Bees map shows global distribution and can help conservation efforts - Daily Mail

There are some 20,000 individual species of bee living on Earth — but accurate, compiled data on their distribution had been lacking. .

Researchers from China, Singapore and the US analysed and validated nearly 6 million different data sources to map out the ranges of different bee species.

The creation of the map is an important first step in assessing the distribution and potential declines of bee populations, the team said.

'People think of bees as just honey bees, bumble bees, and maybe a few others,' said paper author and biologist John Ascher of the National University of Singapore.

There are some 20,000 individual species of bee (including Amegilla andrewsi, pictured) presently living on Earth — but accurate, compiled data on their distribution had been lacking.

'I was surprised how terrible most of the prior global data really was about bee diversity,' said paper author and conservation biologist Alice Hughes of the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden.

Experts from China, Singapore and the US analysed and validated nearly 6 million different data sources to map out the ranges of different bee species

'Many crops, especially in developing countries, rely on native bee species, not honey bees,' added Professor Hughes. 

The creation of the map is an important first step in assessing the distribution and potential declines of bee populations, the team said

Bee health has been closely watched in recent years as nutritional sources available to honey bees have declined and contamination from pesticides has increased