Scientists have found that climate change is impairing the wing vibrations—frequency and pitch—of buff-tailed bumblebees. The study showed bees are affected by higher temperatures and heavy metals, resulting in less muscle contraction during buzzing. This diminished buzzing could impact bee communication and pollination effectiveness, particularly for plants like tomatoes, blueberries, and honeysuckle that rely on buzz pollination. The researchers suggest that monitoring buzzes could indicate bee stress and highlight regions at risk due to environmental changes.
Buzz pollination is an incredible behaviour whereby a bee will curl its body around the pollen-concealing anthers of some flowers and contract the flight muscles up to 400 times per second to produce vibrations which shake the pollen loose.
The bees were affected by both increased temperatures and exposure to heavy metals, with their muscles contracting less during buzzing, leading to fewer wing vibrations at a reduced audible pitch.
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