It’s early May in one of Spain’s most prolific honey-producing region, and Julio Solana Muñoz is worried. The third-generation beekeeper has noticed that the flowers in the fields near his town aren’t anywhere near as numerous as they were even a year ago. His hives are dying off, too. In recent years, the mortality rate for his bees has climbed to nearly 35 percent. 

Bees are critical to the economy of Fuenlabrada de los Montes, Julio’s hometown. Its honey is known as some of the best in Europe, and the region is responsible for nearly 10 percent of Spain’s honey production. Yet, bees are just as vital elsewhere in the world: three out of four crops across the globe producing fruits or seeds for human use as food depend, at least in part, on pollinators such as bees.