In the journal Environmental Pollution, scientists have presented their research results on the effects of air pollution on insects. The result is not really surprising, but it is worrying.
In the research, the same mustard plants were sown in two fields, but one was deliberately polluted with ozone and particulate matter. The bees and butterflies released on the fields tuned with their wings and flew to the polluted field a third less often and also pollinated the plants there correspondingly less often.
The scientists argue that polluted flowers smell differently and can thus emit fewer enticing scents. But of course scent is not the only criterion; the plant's colouring is also important. There are insects, such as the hoverflies, which look similar to wasps, that react above all to the colouring of the petals. They therefore particularly like to fly to mustard plants and did so in the clean field. In the case of bees and real wasps, on the other hand, it is the scent that attracts them. Without scent, the insects often simply buzz off again.
The results are an indication of how high our crop losses can be if we do not take other measures to pollinate fruit plants. Air pollution is not just a problem that harms the human body, but affects many areas. With environmental zones and driving bans, this development can be slowed down, but not stopped. Faster and more comprehensive measures would have to be taken.
Theo Zeegers of the Dutch foundation EIS, which aims to inform and research about insects, adds: "In the last 30 years, we have lost 80 percent of the insect population due to nitrogen and agricultural poisons, but mainly due to human intervention in the natural landscape." He warns, "Just having bee hotels in the garden will not stop the continuing decline of the insect population." Above all, however, the pollution of the air would have to be massively reduced.