Plight of the bumblebee

Abstract

Many important crops – not to mention more humble plants – rely on insects to pollinate them and ensure the arrival of the next generation. Thus, any decline in insect numbers has attendant ecological and economic problems. This is a particular problem for bumblebees in the UK, whose numbers have declined over the past 50 years, largely because of changes in farming methods. Using DNA-marking techniques, Dave Goulson of the University of Southampton (UK) will study bumblebees and assess which land-management practices result in increases in their numbers. Hopefully, such information will help to prevent further decline in this important pollination agent. [http://www.soton.ac.uk/∼pubaffrs/0161.htm] NC