I suspect you are referring to the stories about people hand pollinating in China. My understanding is that there are parts of China with no bees. read more
My understanding is that there are parts of China with no bees. Decline of bees forces China's apple farmers to pollinate by hand and When Humans Are Forced To Replace The Bees They Killed Possibly because of the use of insecticides or other unfriendly bee practices. But yes, much of China still has bees. read more
However, the European species also carries a number of deadly, contagious diseases that can devastate colonies. The researchers estimated that up to 80 per cent of China’s native honeybee population has been lost since the first European bee farm in the country was established in the late 19th century. read more
The UK alone has lost three species of native bumblebee, and six more are listed as endangered. Four bumblebee species have gone extinct from the whole of Europe, and there is good evidence for similar declines in North America and China. read more