Study: Bees struggling to find flowers because of pollution

Pollinating insects like bees use aromas given off by flowers to find nectar. [David Gichuru, Standar]

A new study has found that air pollution is preventing pollinators from finding flowers because it degrades the scent.

A research team comprising the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) and the Universities of Birmingham, Reading, Surrey and Southern Queensland, found that ozone substantially changes the size and scent of floral odour plumes given off by flowers and that it reduced honeybees' ability to recognise odours by up to 90 per cent from just a few metres away.