Pollinator Numbers are Declining
We have lots of hints that pollinator numbers are declining - but it’s very hard to track most pollinators - unlike honeybees which are used in agriculture
In New Jersey “Mr. McCarthy is hunting a rare bee called Andrena parnassiae. The species is only found near a flowering plant called grass of Parnassus, which, in the Northeast United States, only grows in alkaline wetlands, or fens.
By tagging the bees, Mr. McCarthy, along with his adviser Rachael Winfree, an ecologist at Rutgers, is trying to see how easily these insects can move between habitat patches, and how far. As their ecosystem is disrupted by climate change, development and invasive species, how well will the insects adapt?”
So many thanks to all the scientists that are working hard to uncover the data related to pollinators!