Climate change is having a significant impact on bumblebee species. Rising temperatures have led them to limit their southern range of North America and Europe. Despite losing the southern range to a great extent, the bumblebee species have not expanded north.

Study’s co-author Laurence Packer from York University said they wanted to know how many species have been impacted due to climate change. Packer thought that species would be declining in number, but he was surprised to notice that decline was not big.

In fact, they found bumblebees are not moving north. Study’s lead researcher Jeremy Kerr said, “As the climate warms, bumblebee species are being crushed as the 'climate vice' compresses their geographical ranges. The result is widespread, rapid declines of pollinators across continents, effects that are not due to pesticide use or habitat loss”.

Bumblebees play an important role as wild pollinators. They help plants to produce fruits and seeds, which in turn lead to the provision of food and habitat for other animals. The researchers were able to reach at the above conclusion by going through nearly half a million observations compiled from museum collections and citizen scientist collectors from North America and Europe over the last century.

They have also tracked 31 bumblebee species in North America and 36 in Europe. Study researchers said that bumblebees should have new colonies that they have not historically occupied.