Heatwaves Severely Impair Bumblebees' Floral Scent Detection

New research reveals that extreme temperatures significantly reduce bumblebees' ability to locate and identify flowers, impacting pollination processes.

• Bumblebees exposed to 40°C temperatures show up to 80% loss in scent detection ability.
• Heat stress affects wild bumblebees more than commercially used ones.
• Post-heatwave recovery does not immediately restore scent detection capabilities.
• The study highlights the critical impact of climate change on insect-plant interactions.
• Follow-up research will investigate how heatwaves alter bumblebees' foraging behavior.

3 Articles

Phys.org Nature Technology Networks