pollinators

A High Point organization is hoping to help the local food community by adding more bees.

As the tequila industry surges, the early harvesting and cloning of agave are disrupting the ecosystem of some species — leading some groups to go to bat for the hardworking nighttime pollinators.

Scientists in Switzerland used mobile streetlamps to light up patches of cabbage thistle. They found that nocturnal pollinators, such as beetles and flies, mostly stayed away.

Typically, when insect females evolve to become larger than males, it's in order to produce more offspring. But female orchid mantises evolved to look like flowers for a sinister reason: to hunt prey.

Some plants will release their pollen only to bees that buzz in just the right way. It's a risky strategy — and it's critical to human agriculture, from tomatoes to blueberries.

A U.N.-sponsored report warns that disappearing pollinators, such as bees, could cut production of healthful foods like fruits and nuts. But the degree of damage is mostly a matter of speculation.

About 40 percent of invertebrate pollinator species such as bees and butterflies are facing extinction, according to the global assessment.