Honeybees and other insect pollinators rely on scent to find plants from thousands of feet away while foraging for food, but air pollutants break down the scent molecules, says a team of researchers led by Penn State. As a result, bees spend more time searching for food and less time pollinating.
Scent molecules survived for shorter periods of time as ozone levels increased, according to the researchers. In an ozone-free environment, it took 10 minutes for 20 percent of foragers to find the scent molecule beta-caryophyllene. When the ozone level was 20 parts per billion, a relatively low level of pollution, it took three hours for the same amount of bees to find the scent. The team got similar results for five other scent molecules it analyzed.
“We found that when we confused the bees’ environment by modifying the gases present in the atmosphere, they spent more time foraging and would bring back less food, which would affect their colonies,” said Penn State professor Jose Fuentes. “It’s similar to being asked to get a cup of coffee at the nearest cafeteria while you are blindfolded. It will be hard to locate the coffee shop without using visual cues.”