While moths are active at night, they prove to be more efficient pollinators than daytime species such as bees. This conclusion comes from new findings reported on March 29 in the journal Plos One, affiliated with the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom.
The study emphasizes that moths play a crucial role in sustaining natural ecosystems and supporting food production. Worries about the sharp decline of wild pollinators like bees and butterflies underscore a broader risk to global habitats and agriculture. The loss of pollinating insects threatens not only biodiversity but also the resilience of food systems worldwide.
Across ten sites in southeast England in July 2021, researchers observed that 83% of insect visits to blackberry blossoms occurred during the day. Yet, when moths did visit during the shorter summer nights, which accounted for only about 15% of visits, they completed pollination more rapidly. In essence, moths delivered pollination with striking efficiency during limited nocturnal hours.
Chart reflecting the activity of each type Plos One
As a result, researchers concluded that moths are more effective pollinators than diurnal insects such as bees. This challenges the traditional view of a single, dominant daytime pollinator and highlights the specialized capabilities of nocturnal species during the night.
Moths work more in less time
Professor Fiona Mathews, a researcher in Environmental Biology at the University of Sussex and a co-author of the study, stated: “Bees are important, but our work shows that moths can pollinate flowers faster than insects that fly by day. Unfortunately, many moths are in decline in the UK, affecting not only pollination but also the food supply for numerous species, from bats to birds.”
The team examined how nocturnal and diurnal insects contribute to blackberry pollination. Using camera traps, they tracked visitation rates to flowers and measured how quickly pollen accumulated at different times. They compared flowers where insect access was restricted in a controlled way to flowers left available for pollination.
Pollination is essential for world food
The research also highlights the blackberry, a shrub often treated as a nuisance but essential for night pollinators. Max Anderson, a collaborator on the project, commented: “Moths are important pollinators that are underappreciated and understudied. Much pollination research focuses on daytime, flying insects, while nocturnal processes remain less understood.”
He added, “With this new understanding, efforts should be made to support moths by encouraging flowering plants such as blackberries in parks, gardens, roadside plantings, and hedgerows.”
Fundamentals of world nutrition
Pollinating insects form a vital component of many ecological communities. They enable plants to bear fruit, form seeds, and reproduce, which in turn sustains food sources and habitats for a wide range of species. The overall health of ecosystems depends on bees and other pollinators, yet wild pollinator populations are in decline, driven in part by climate change and intensive farming.
This study underscores the need to protect both night-flying and day-flying pollinators to support natural ecosystems and food production. The researchers advocate actions such as planting flowering species, allowing a mix of weeds and coarse grasses, and reducing nighttime lighting to aid moths and other nocturnal pollinators.
Reference work: Plos One article on pollination by nocturnal and diurnal insects (2023).
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The findings encourage policymakers and the public to consider moths as an integral part of pollination strategies and biodiversity conservation, with practical steps that communities in North America and similar climates can adopt to bolster nocturnal pollinators.