Dec. 26, 2012 Landscapes with large amounts of paved roads and
impervious construction have lower numbers of ground-nesting
bumblebees, which are important native pollinators, a study from
The University of Texas at Austin and the University of
California, Berkeley shows. The study suggests that management
strategies that reduce the local use of pavement and increase
natural habitat within the landscape could improve nesting
opportunities for wild bees and help protect food supplies
around the word. The study also suggests that increasing the
number of species-rich flowering patches in suburban and urban
gardens, farms and restored habitats could provide pathways for
bees to forage and improve pollination services over larger
areas. The findings have major implications for global
pollinator conservation on a rapidly urbanizing planet. "We are
potentially in a pollinator crisis," said Shalene Jha, lead
author and assistant professor of biology at The University of
Texas at Austin. "Honey bees are declining pre