“Why Moths are Better Pollinators Than Bees: A Surprising Study”

When one thinks of the most popular animal for the important task of pollinating plants, the bee always comes to mind. Pollination is a vital process for the reproduction and survival of many plant species. in which insects are responsible for pollinating the flowers of many plants, which means that they transfer pollen from one flower to another, allowing fertilization and the production of seeds and fruits.

The best pollinator?

Despite this common belief, a recent study conducted by the University of Sussex (UK) has found that moths are more efficient pollinatorss during the night than day-flying pollinators, such as the well-known bees.

During July 2021, the researchers studied 10 locations in south-east England, focusing on the pollination of blackberry flowers. They monitored the number of insects visiting the flowers using camera traps and calculated how quickly pollen was deposited at different times of the day. by experimentally preventing insects from visiting some flowers but not others. In total, they collected 389,677 images from 10 monitored sites over three days, recording 11,564 “insect flower visitation events” and 38,216 pollen grains counted.

They found that 83 percent of insect visits to flowers occurred during the day (the flower fly being (Syrphidae), which closely resembles bees, the most common). Although this may seem like daytime insects have won the pollination ‘battle’when analyzing the nocturnal activity, they realized that the moths, despite having made fewer visits during the shorter summer nights, reaching 15% of the visitsthey were able to pollinate flowers faster than bees, butterflies and other insects of the day.

moths to power

With the data in hand, the researchers concluded that moths are better pollinators than daytime flying insects, which are traditionally considered pollination “workers.” This research comes at a very important time, as it there is growing concern about the decline of wild insect pollinators, like bees and butterflies, which are vital to maintaining healthy ecosystems.

“Bees are certainly important, but our work has shown that moths pollinate flowers at a faster rate than daytime flying insects. Unfortunately, many moths are in serious decline in Britain, affecting not only pollination but also the food supply for many other species ranging from bats to birds”, explains Fiona Mathews, professor of environmental biology at the University of Sussex and co-author of the work published in the journal PloS One.

Pollinating insects are a vital part of the natural world. They allow plants to bear fruit, produce seeds, and reproduce. This in turn provides food and habitat for a variety of other creatures. Three quarters of the world’s crops depend on insect pollinationhowever, their numbers are drastically declining due to climate change and development.

“Our work shows that simple steps, such as allowing patches of brambles to bloom, can provide important food sources for moths, and we will be rewarded with a crop of blackberries. They’re all winners!” Mathews clarifies.

According to experts, now that we know that moths are so important in pollination, “Steps should be taken to support them by encouraging some brambles and other flowering scrub plants to grow in our parks, gardens, roadsides and hedgerows.”

Let’s not forget that the work of pollinating insects supports various ecosystem services, such as soil formation, water purification, and climate regulation, equally essential to the overall health of our planet and our human well-being.

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