Bumblebees ‘threatened by farm changes’

THE loss of flower-rich meadows and nesting sites along hedgerows is posing a threat to the bumblebee, a conference in Dublin heard yesterday.

International research has shown that, globally, bumblebees have been hit hard by farming methods over the past 50 years.

And Ireland has not escaped from the effects of such activities, it was revealed at the conference, organised by the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) and the Agri-Food and Environment faculty at University College Dublin.