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Beijing, July 15 (Xinhua) -- A team from the University of Reading in the UK recently published a study in the journal Nature Communications, saying that air pollution is far more harmful to bees and other beneficial insects than to agricultural pests. This finding is of great significance to agriculture and food security.

The researchers analyzed data from 120 scientific papers to understand how 40 insect species in 19 countries responded to air pollutants such as ozone, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter. The study focused on how air pollution affects insect behavior, including feeding, growth, survival, reproduction, and the ability to find food sources. Of all these factors, the ability of insects to find food was the most affected by air pollution, decreasing by about a third on average.

The study found that pollinating insects, including bees, some moths and butterflies, decreased their foraging efficiency by 39% after exposure to higher concentrations of air pollution; in contrast, aphids and other pests that feed on plants were not significantly affected.

Of the above air pollutants, ozone is particularly harmful to beneficial insects, reducing their ability to thrive and function in the ecosystem by 35%. Even ozone levels below current air quality standards can cause serious damage. In addition, nitrogen oxides also seriously harm beneficial insects.

The study suggests that many beneficial insects use chemical cues in the air to locate flowers, find mates or forage for food. Air pollutants can chemically interfere with insects' detection abilities, essentially destroying their perception range. In contrast, many pests rely more on direct contact or visual cues, which makes them less susceptible to air pollution's interference with chemical cues in the air.

Researchers say the threat of air pollution to some insects that are beneficial to humans has been underestimated, and if air pollution levels are not reduced, they will face threats such as further decline in their numbers.

The study warned that insect populations are already declining worldwide and that even moderate levels of air pollution are harming beneficial insects, meaning countries need stricter air quality regulations to protect these nature's "hardest workers."