The UK government recently lifted the EU ban on the use of certain neonicotinoid pesticides, which have been linked to the decline in the bee population over the past few years, amid huge outcry.
But how important are bees worldwide? And what else could be responsible for the decline - which beekeepers in the US first noted in 2006.
Fairmont Hotels, which has been running its Bee Sustainable Program since 2008, has pulled together an infographic detailing the ins and outs of the bee epidemic - and what we can do to help.
Fairmont Hotels also created an interactive map highlighting which countries have acknowledged the dangers of pesticides, particularly neonicotinoids, by bringing in bans or restrictions for their use.