Where's the Buzz?

By MICHAEL D. LEMONICK

Bees may be the summer picnicker's bane, but they're a crucial part of many ecosystems--and their role in pollinating crops makes them important to the economy as well. That's why scientists are alarmed by a new study in the journal Science. Over the past 26 years, say European researchers, the diversity of species in British and Dutch wild bees--and the wildflowers they favor--has plummeted. That's not to say there are fewer bees (some species are thriving) but there are fewer varieties, and that is not good news. An ecosystem with fewer species is like a baseball team with only a couple of good pitchers: there isn't much to fall back on if one goes out of commission. One small positive note is that the disappearing species are mostly picky bees that pollinate just a few plants. The survivors tend to be the versatile generalists--those that pollinate a variety.

Nobody is sure whether the simultaneous drop in wildflower diversity is the cause or the effect of the bee decline. But scientists think the overall phenomenon may be linked mainly to loss of habitat for both plants and bees as countryside is plowed over for development--yet another price nature is paying for human civilization.