Trucked-in honeybees may edge out bigger bumblebee foragers

In Ireland, bumblebees’ size and activity changed when the honeybee hives arrived

A bumblebee clings upside down to a pink cluster of blossoms.

A bumblebee clings to blooming heather. Local bees may be faced with competition when honeybees are brought in to feast on the mass blooms on Irish heathlands.

Roman Overko/Alamy

Even in the face of vast fields of flowers, local bumblebees may face the sting of competition when people bring their honeybees to the floral feast.