How Temperature Affects the Role of Bumblebees in Agriculture

Researcher Emily Baird in her lab at Stockholm University. Photo: Madeleine Bäckman

Bumblebees play a crucial role in agriculture, particularly for crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers, and clover, where their unique pollination technique is essential. To ensure effective pollination, many farmers purchase commercially bred bumblebees, whose effectiveness may depend on temperature, something we know surprisingly little about.

“Bumblebees don’t regulate their body temperature like we or other mammals do. When it’s cold, they have to buzz to warm up their flight muscles. This uses up energy and makes them less efficient,” says Emily Baird, researcher at the Department of Zoology at Stockholm University.

The project aims to compare bumblebees from different breeders to see how their pollination ability is influenced by temperature. The goal is to provide farmers with concrete advice, both to improve yields and to reduce dependence on imported bees.

“We want to quantify the differences so that farmers can choose the bumblebees that perform best in their specific greenhouse or field conditions. In doing so, we can also reduce the risk of foreign bumblebees impacting our wild populations,” says Baird.

Could Influence the Future of Farming

With the help of collaboration grants and seed funding, the research team has initiated a partnership with Ekenäs Farm, an agricultural foundation that supports scientific research.

“These funds have enabled us to launch experiments and establish an important collaboration. Ekenäs gives us the opportunity to test our hypotheses in real-world conditions,” says Emily Baird.

The research examines not only pollination at different temperatures but also how forest edges and landscape structure influence bumblebee behaviour, an increasingly important issue in the face of climate change.

“We hope to establish a long-term dialogue with more farmers. It’s vital to understand each other’s realities, both as researchers and growers,” says Baird.

The aim of the research is to influence both agricultural practices and policy, at national and EU levels.

“If we can demonstrate when different bumblebees perform best, we can help farmers make smarter decisions about pollination. That’s crucial for future food security,” Emily Baird concludes.

How the Research at Ekenäs Farm is Funded:

Collaboration grants and seed funding are smaller research grants that enable researchers to initiate partnerships outside academia, for example with businesses or other societal stakeholders. These funds are often used to test new ideas in practice, build networks, and gather preliminary data to support larger research applications in the future.

Read more about Emily Baird’s research here.

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Are you a researcher in need of collaboration support?

The Office for Research, Engagement and Innovation Services manages the University’s central engagement agreements and can help you find the right level for your partnership, whether it involves working with a company, authority, organisation, or otherwise.

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Written by: Madeleine Bäckman