Scientists Reveal 'Major' New Factor in Bumblebee Decline [View all]

Bumblebee populations have declined by 90 percent in the past 20 years, according to Environment America. There are many different factors contributing to their decline, including the use of pesticides and urban development. However, climate change is perhaps the biggest factor.

"The decline in populations and ranges of several species of bumblebees may be explained by issues of overheating of the nests and the brood," Peter Kevan of the University of Guelph in Canada and lead author of the study said in a statement. "The constraints on the survival of the bumblebee brood indicate that heat is likely a major factor, with heating of the nest above about 35 degrees Celsius being lethal, despite the remarkable capacity of bumblebees to thermoregulate."

"Excessively high temperatures are more harmful to most animals and plants than cool temperatures. When conditions are cool, organisms that do not metabolically regulate their body temperatures simply slow down, but when temperatures get too high metabolic processes start to break down and cease," Kevan said. "Death ensues quickly."


https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/scientists-reveal-major-new-factor-in-bumblebee-decline/ar-AA1o4ryA?OCID=BingNewsSearch