Small bees ‘better at surviving warmer conditions than bigger ones’

‘Climate change may reshape bee pollinator communities’ researchers say

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Small bees may be better at surviving in warmer conditions than bigger ones, according to a study.

Scientists in the US monitored at least 154 bee species in a sub-alpine region of the Rocky Mountains over an eight-year period to see how they responded to changes in abiotic conditions based on their life-history traits.

The study, published in The Royal Society Publishing journal, found that comb-building cavity nesters and large-bodied bees declined in relative abundance with increasing temperature.