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Honeybees are barging aside wild pollinators in hunt for pollen and nectar, study finds

17 October 2026 at 05:00

As a surge in beekeepers has led to increased numbers of honeybees, researchers record them pushing bumblebees and other rival species away from flowers

Honeybees are outcompeting wild pollinators for resources by aggressively bumping into them and chasing them away from flowers, research has shown.

The study, by researchers from Anglia Ruskin University, found that areas where there were higher concentrations of honeybees had fewer wild pollinators, such as bumblebees, solitary bees and hoverflies.

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Β© Photograph: Dr Tom Ings/Anglia Ruskin University

Β© Photograph: Dr Tom Ings/Anglia Ruskin University

Β© Photograph: Dr Tom Ings/Anglia Ruskin University

Trill seekers: can scientists use AI and tutors to help birds remember lost songs?

13 October 2026 at 05:00

When populations fall, fledglings can struggle to learn the right notes to attract mates. But research on how birds communicate offers hope for species’ survival

Listening to birdsong is one of life’s great joys, but when researchers heard a particular tune emerging from a tree in a Buenos Aires park, they were especially jubilant. This arrangement was among those chirped by the local rufous-collared sparrows in the 1960s, but had since disappeared from the area.

That was until scientists created a computer-generated rendition, curious to find out if birds might consider it realistic enough to imitate. Less than three months later, a local avian resident began to copy parts of the song.

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Β© Photograph: MartΓ­n Benchimol

Β© Photograph: MartΓ­n Benchimol

Β© Photograph: MartΓ­n Benchimol

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