Climate change has been held liable for many things. In a study published in the journal Science, researchers have stated that climate change has reduced the range where bumblebees are found in North America and Europe.

The researchers have affirmed that since the 1970s, bumblebee populations have limited their range of southern travels by 190 miles. Things are difficult for bumblebees, as northern habitats are less hospitable for them.

Study’s lead researcher Jeremy T. Kerr a, conservation biologist at the University of Ottawa in Canada, said that the decline is taking place at the continental scales. He also stated that their research suggests that climate change has a major role to play in it.

The researchers developed a database having more than 420,000 observations of 67 different European and North American bumblebee species. The information also included when and where these bumblebees were found.

In the study, the researchers have also assessed the observations and climate information of every year starting from 1900 to 2010 in the region. After these procedures, the researchers came to know different bumblebee species have shifted from the northern and southern limits and at what level over the past decade.

The researchers found that the southernmost range of bumblebees have retreated north at a rate of around 3 miles per year. “Wild bumble bees are important pollinators of agricultural crops such as blueberry, apple, pumpkin and tomato, and declines in this ecosystem service of pollination could lead to lower crop yields and higher food costs”, said Leif Richardson, biologist at University of Vermont.