Microparticles contamination in urban wild bees: predominance of cellulose-derived fibres over microplastics.

Wild bees in urban areas are heavily contaminated with cellulose-derived fibers, with 69% of microparticles being white fibers, indicating widespread airborne pollution.

• Why it matters: Understanding microparticle contamination in pollinators is crucial because these particles pose potential threats to bee health and ecosystem stability, yet their prevalence and sources remain underexplored.
• What they did: The study analyzed 677 wild bees from 26 genera across urban gradients in northern Italy, characterizing over 3,100 microparticles through stereomicroscopy and micro-FTIR to identify composition and distribution.
• The result: Findings show that wild bees carry diverse microparticles, especially cellulose fibers, with larger and hairier species accumulating more, establishing bees as effective bioindicators for terrestrial airborne microparticle pollution.