The impact of air pollution on bees is demonstrated on a practical/pragmatic level by the many failed attempts to place beehives in community gardens that are adjacent to constant streams of car/truck traffic.  There are many such small gardens tucked into the spaces near on and off-ramps to elevated roads in NYC.  Almost none have beehives, as the community learned the hard way.

The best example I can think of is the Brooklyn, NYC "Carlton Bears" gardens (yes, "3 Bears" - as in the fable, only one is "just right" [though if offered porridge made by bears, I would have concerns about far more than just the temperature])

https://brooklynbears.wordpress.com/about/

Hives placed at both the "Rockwell" and "Pacific" Bear gardens in the mid-2000s consistently did poorly, while the hives at the Carlton Bear thrived, with the hives being cared for using the same techniques on the same schedule, by the same pair of beekeepers.  The difference is Flatbush Ave - both the Pacific (1) and Rockwell (2) gardens adjoin heavily-traveled Flatbush Ave, while the Carlton (3) garden is a mere 2000 feet away from Flatbush Ave, rather than adjacent (see attached map ).

Clearly, all 3 gardens are well within each other's flight zones, so the conclusion was that the impact of the exhaust fumes from the heavy traffic on the hives was the culprit.
Hives were consolidated at Carlton, and everyone lives happily ever after, to this day.

Things have gotten orders of magnitude better since the enactment of EPA low-sulfur diesel fuel regulations, whereas before, one could see a rust-colored sunrise from the NYC/NJ/CT pollution with ease from as far south as the Wallops Island, VA launch facility, near Chincoteague.

 

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