There are a variety of hop species in Europe and each species has its specific requirements for the environment.
The dark bumblebee, for example, can handle almost anything. For it, an old stuffed animal in an attic or a hole in a house wall are excellent places to build a nest in. The Alphumlan is more picky and has fewer options when moving.
The alpine bumblebee may disappear
The Alpine hummock is also one of the heat-sensitive species that in 30 to 50 years may lose 90 percent of the areas it can now live in. It states biologists, engineers and climate scientists in Belgium after calculating how 46 hop species in Europe are coping with a changing climate. The alpine bumblebee is unwell and becomes inactive from heat, and the plants it needs to eat can also wither in drought.
The less sensitive species are estimated to lose 30 percent of their habitats in the future.
– These are frighteningly large areas that will no longer be suitable for bumblebees in just a few decades, says Lina Herbertsson, who researches the behavior of bumblebees.
In the worst-case scenario in the calculations, 75 percent of all bumblebee species could be threatened in 30 to 50 years.
Sweden can be the salvation
Europe up to southern Sweden will be difficult for most bumblebee species to live in, according to the researchers’ calculations. Areas above Uppsala and Fagersta, on the other hand, can be a saving grace for bumblebees.
– Sweden is not necessarily a great hop country today, but will be less affected by climate warming because there are southern species that can replenish our species diversity here as time goes on and the northern species die out, says Lina Herbertsson.
What do we use bumblebees for?
Bumblebees are needed in our food production and different species pollinate different types of crops. The less sensitive dark bumblebee, for example, pollinates above all canola.
– But we want to grow something more than just rapeseed in the future, says Lina Herbertsson.
The species are also active in different types of weather. If we are to be able to grow in both bright sun, wind and rain, we need bumblebees that are active in all conditions.
See what the bumblebees’ dream life looks like in the video above.