The decline of honeybee colonies around the world is likely to negatively impact commodities and crops that are reliant on the bees' pollination, according to Rabobank.
Bloomberg reports one-third of the globe's output is somehow dependent on pollination and will suffer as a result of declining bee population, whose death rate rose as much as 35 percent in the four years through 2010, according to a report by analyst Ruben Verwijs. The normal loss per year is around 10 percent.
"A further decline in honeybee numbers could cause a pollination shortage," the report states. "In a more extreme scenario, farmers might not be able to grow some crops profitably."
Known as colony collapse disorder, the scourge impacts about 90 products including cocoa, coffee, apples, almonds and pears. Causes could be inbreeding, malnutrition and use of more potent pesticides and the phenomenon is rearing throughout the world.
"Although problems have been the worst in Europe and the U.S., inexplicable losses are also being witnessed in Asia, South America and the Middle East," according to Verwijs.
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