Reacción a "Agricultural production losses due to insufficient pollination have decreased thanks to honeybees"

Does the press release accurately reflect the study?

“I think the press release is fine; it accurately summarizes the study. However, I would clarify a few things:

• It is preferable not to start with Researchers, which is imprecise, but rather with a reference to the researchers (a recent study led by Catarina Siopa…), the university (a recent study led by the University of Freiburg…), or the research group (an international group of researchers…).
• The press release mentions supplementary pollination, and the term is misleading. The term managed pollinators is better, as it appears in the article.
• The same applies to self-fertile… ‘Autogamy’ is the correct term, but it can be clarified by adding self-fertile immediately after or in parentheses.
• Apis mellifera should be in italics.
• I would end the note with the final sentence of the Abstract, which is very appropriate: “The results suggest that current pollination management practices have become increasingly efficient in crop production systems, possibly helping to mitigate the negative impacts of wild pollinator declines. However, continued efforts to diversify pollination strategies, including the conservation of wild pollinators and the management of alternative pollinator species, can play a significant role in ensuring the long-term resilience and sustainability of global agriculture.”

Is the study of good quality?

“Yes.”

How does this work fit with existing evidence?

“It aligns with the concerns of experts and international organizations such as the FAO, IPBES, the European Union, and many others regarding the steady decline of pollinators—especially bees, the thousands of species that exist and are the best pollinators—and, in particular, the decline of bumblebees, the best of the best. And also the serious repercussions for biodiversity, for agriculture, and for us, therefore.”

Are there any important limitations to consider?

“The fact that it is a meta-analysis, even of 165 studies, means that others are missing, so the results cannot be generalized and, if at all, only to equivalent studies.”

What are the implications for the real world?

“Those indicated earlier, in the last sentence of the Abstract.

Furthermore, the decline of pollinators, especially wild bees, has a negative impact on agriculture, puts terrestrial ecosystems at risk, and threatens global food supplies and their economic value.”