Study finds how physical traits of flowers affect health of bumble bees

According to new research, specific physical characteristics of flowers impact the health of bumble bees by influencing the spread of a dangerous virus called Crithidia bombi. The research, conducted by scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, shows that the length of a flower's corolla, or petals, affects how this pathogen is transferred between bees because shorter corollas mean that fewer bee faeces wind up inside the flower itself and in the path of bees looking for nectar. The findings of the study were published in the journal Ecology. Scientists have recently sounded the alarm over the "insect apocalypse," or massive die-off of the world's bugs. By some estimates, the past 50 years have seen a 75 per cent decline in the world's insect life. Among the many ecological implications of this apocalypse is the collapse of pollinator species, some of which scientists estimate have died back by 90 per cent in the US during the last twenty years.