Heat waves in the summer are not the only consequence of rising global temperatures — warmer winters are also an issue.
A study has shown how changing winter weather can harm important bumblebee species.
What's happening?
Many plants and animals depend on normal seasonal cues to survive. Bees are no exception, as a team from the University of Regensburg discovered while studying bumblebee queens in the mountains of Switzerland.
New bumblebee queens are used to hibernating through the winter, but they will begin activities early if temperatures get too warm.
This premature awakening can use up their energy at the wrong time of year — before flowers bloom and they have a chance to establish a strong colony from scratch.
The study, published in the Journal of Animal Ecology, also found that increases in winter rainfall and extreme weather make it even harder for new queen bees to find food during this false startup.
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"It is worrying," co-author Dr. Ruth Archer said. "Our results show that various climatic factors — especially temperature and precipitation — in combination significantly impair the living conditions of bumblebee queens."
Why are sleeping queen bees important?
Maintaining bumblebees' winter sleep schedules is not only about ensuring they are well-rested come springtime.
They are also a critical pollinator species, with these creatures crucial to about one-third of humankind's food supply, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Disrupting their rhythms can throw the wider ecosystem out of balance and cause a ripple effect that impacts humans.
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Majorly 😥 What can be done to protect pollinators?
While the researchers voiced concern, they remained optimistic. Planting flower gardens is an easy way to give these all-important species a hand. Creating green spaces in cities and along roads that are full of flowering plants is another way to help, they added.
"If we ensure that bumblebees find sufficient flowers during crucial phases of their development, we can protect them from the worst effects of climate change," co-author Professor Lena Wilfert said.
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