Heavy traffic can turn flower-rich verges into bumblebee traps, study finds
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Flower-rich road verges may attract hungry bumblebees, but at the same time, they can be dangerous for the buzzing insects—if traffic is too heavy. The new research from Lund University in Sweden examined the role roadsides play for bumblebees. The results show that road verges can be a dangerous environment for insects searching for food. The team used specially trained dogs that had learned to sniff out bumblebee nests to assist them. The survey covered 60 road verges in southern Sweden and compared the number of dead and living bumblebees along roads with varying traffic intensities.
"Along the least-trafficked roads, we found hardly any dead bumblebees at all, but already at around 4,000 vehicles per day, we found more dead than living bumblebees," says Sofia Blomqvist, a doctoral student at Lund University who led the study now published in Biological Conservation.
The bumblebee nests that were found were located almost exclusively in private road verges without traffic or along public roads with up to a few hundred vehicles per day. The researchers conclude that it is along these types of roads that measures to benefit bumblebees have the greatest chance of success. There, the flowers were well visited by bumblebees, and mortality was low.
At the same time, the researchers emphasize that investments in species-rich road verges must not come at the expense of conservation efforts in more important habitats.
"Although measures to support bumblebees along low-traffic roads may be valuable, this type of environment should not be seen as a replacement for traditional conservation habitats such as semi-natural pastures and hay meadows," says Blomqvist.
The study aimed to understand how nature and traffic interact. Johan Rydlöv, national coordinator for biodiversity at the Swedish Transport Administration, notes that the road network constitutes a significant proportion of potential habitats for wild organisms in large parts of Europe.
"To be able to use these environments in a way that benefits biodiversity, we need to understand both the opportunities and the limitations they entail," says Rydlöv. "In this way, the results are useful in efforts to create more sustainable infrastructure," he concludes.
Publication details
Sofia Blomqvist et al, High traffic-related mortality and few nests indicate limited value of public road verges for bumblebee populations, Biological Conservation (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111872
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Citation: Heavy traffic can turn flower-rich verges into bumblebee traps, study finds (2026, July 11) retrieved 11 July 2026 from https://phys.org/news/2026-07-heavy-traffic-rich-verges-bumblebee.html
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