Bees ‘wake up too early’ as spring gets warmer

Warmer springs are causing bees to wake up earlier, threatening the pollination of crops such as apples and pears, new research suggests.

The study, believed to be the largest of its kind carried out in the UK, found that for every 1C rise in temperature caused by climate change, wild bees, such as bumblebees, emerged from their nests an average of 6.5 days earlier.

This may increase the risk of them emerging out of sync with the plants on which they depend for food. In turn, this could mean that bees lack the energy to pollinate crops effectively, or may miss crop blossoms completely.

• Crops at risk as wild bees vanish from huge swathes of countryside

Conservationists have warned that many wild bee species