Bumblebee, buzzing against the odds

There’s a quiet magic in watching Himalayan meadows bloom, as flowers of myriad colours and shapes sprout up on the green grass once the snows relent. It is within this endearing tapestry of natural beauty that one can make an acquaintance with bumblebees, flitting restlessly between blossoms, their fuzzy bodies dusted in golden pollen, defying the thin air and cold with a fervour that belies their gentle appearance.

Bumblebees are vital pollinators in the Himalaya and the Northern Hemisphere as a whole, especially for wild flowering plant species in higher elevations where other pollinators cannot survive. These industrious insects exhibit remarkable adaptations that enable them to thrive in cold, high-altitude environments.

One of the most intriguing aspects of bumblebees is their ability to fly despite having a large body mass relative to their wing size. This apparent paradox is resolved through their unique flight mechanics. By rapidly flapping their wings in a figure-of-eight pattern, they create little pockets of air, or vortices, that generate lift, which allows them to hover and navigate efficiently in the thin air.

Their thick, insulating body hair, known as ‘pile’, helps conserve heat and increases the surface area for pollen to stick to their bodies as they travel across nearly 6,000 flowers on a favourable day. Additionally, they possess the ability to shiver their flight muscles and generate body heat, an important pre-condition for many insects to be able to fly.

Bumblebees are among the most effective pollinators in the sub-alpine and alpine ecosystems. Their robust bodies and long tongues enable them to access nectar from a variety of flowering plants, including those that other pollinators cannot reach. Species such as the Himalayan blue poppy and Rhododendron rely heavily on bumblebee pollination for reproduction.

Today, bumblebees face severe threats from climate change and human activities. Rising temperatures are altering flowering times and shrinking their suitable habitats, while the pervasive use of pesticides threatens their populations by directly causing mortality or impairing foraging and navigation skills.

Their activity not only supports plant biodiversity, but also sustains the livelihoods of local communities. Consider the case of apple plantations, where bumblebees, along with other species like honeybees, are important pollinators. As the populations of these species decline, farmers in some regions of China, and even in the Western Himalayan regions of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, have been forced to pollinate the crops by hand, a time-consuming and labour-intensive process.

The absence of bumblebees in high-altitude Himalayan ecosystems could trigger an ecological collapse. Without these pollinators, the reproduction of many alpine plants would be severely compromised, leading to a decline in plant diversity. This, in turn, would affect herbivores that depend on these plants for food, subsequently impacting the entire food web, while also accelerating soil erosion.

Protecting bumblebees requires urgent action. By restricting the use of harmful pesticides and promoting sustainable alternatives, such as organic farming and integrated pest management, farmers can protect pollinators and maintain their crop yields.

Equally important is the need for dedicated research to better understand bumblebee ecology, behaviour and population dynamics in wild areas. Awareness campaigns are also vital in ensuring that people understand and appreciate the indispensable yet sometimes hidden role of bumblebees.

It is a cathartic experience, watching bumblebees dance from bloom to bloom, their plump bodies defying gravity with an energy that seems borrowed from the sun itself. Sometimes, in a nectar-fuelled revelry, they get too drunk and drowsy to continue, curling up unconscious inside flowers like tiny, slumbering pilgrims in nature’s delicate inns. Their ceaseless hum is not just the sound of life in motion, but a reminder of nature’s delicate balance, one that we must protect.

— The writer is an outdoor enthusiast