EUROPEAN
BUMBLEBEE - ENVIRONMENT
News:
Over 75% of European
bumblebee species threatened in the next 40-60 years
What's
in the news?
●
More than 75% of European bumblebee species may be threatened in the next 40-60
years according to worst-case-scenario projections of bumblebee
populations, according to a paper published in Nature.
Key
takeaways:
●
Degradation of habitats and alterations of
climate due to human activity are identified as key drivers of these estimated
population declines.
●
The findings underscore the importance of climate change mitigation policies to
protect bumblebees.
Bumblebee:
●
The bumblebee (Bombus) is a genus of bees
considered to be especially important for the pollination of crops in the cold and temperate regions of the northern
hemisphere.
●
Female bumblebees can sting repeatedly,
but generally ignore humans and other animals.
●
Most bumblebees are social insects that form colonies with a single queen.
Habitat:
●
Found primarily in higher altitudes or latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, although
they are also found in South America, where a few lowland tropical species have been identified.
●
European bumblebees have also been
introduced to New Zealand and Tasmania.
Appearance:
●
Bumblebees possess spherical-shaped bodies
and with a layer of downy and delicate hair, commonly referred to as ‘pile’,
which gives them a fuzzy texture and appearance.
●
Bumblebees have warning coloration with
contrasting bands of colour, and different species in a particular area
resemble each other as a form of protection called Müllerian mimicry.
Importance
to Environment:
●
Bumblebees play a crucial role in
pollinating various plants including crops and wildflowers.
●
Bumblebees are being raised more often for
agricultural purposes, particularly
because they are able to pollinate greenhouse plants like tomatoes through buzz
pollination, which other pollinators cannot do.
○
These play a crucial role in pollinating
around 90% of wild plants and the majority of crop plants.
●
Bumblebees do not store honey for the
winter and do not produce enough honey to be considered useful as honey
producers.