In the UK, it appears there’s a new type of insect buzzing around after the European tree bumblebee made its way across the channel and has quickly spread across the island.
However, the bumblebees’ population has been declining recently due to intensive farming and other unknown factors which are threatening bee populations around the world.
Dr Ben Darvill, director of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust , discovered the bee while on a field trip and said they likely made it to the UK because of climate change. This new discovery gives pause of thought over the Gaia theory that the earth and nature is capable of adapting and self-regulating in order to maintain an overall balance.
Could it be that as one weaker bumble bee dies out due to global warming, a new one takes it place, more suited to the new conditions?
Whatever the cause of the new bumblebee migration, it’s good news story all around as bees are important pollinators of fruit trees, flowers, and several types of crops.
Despite their 'bumbling' appearance, these bees are actually complex creatures, with advanced mechanism to regulate their temperature, strong social networks, and clever ways to navigate and mark their territory. Bees are even used by farmers to help pollinate their crops.
Interestingly, a bumblebee's buzz is not actually generated by it's wings rubbing together, but by the vibration of it's 'flight muscles'.
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