A field survey by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has recorded a rich diversity of wild bees, including bumblebees, in the high-altitude landscapes of Tawang district in Arunachal Pradesh, underlining the ecological importance of the region’s alpine habitats.
The survey documented wild bee populations across the district’s high-altitude terrain, adding to the growing body of research on pollinator diversity in the Eastern Himalayas. Researchers have highlighted the need to protect alpine flowering habitats that sustain these pollinators in the region.
Alpine Habitats in Focus
Tawang’s high-altitude meadows and alpine zones host a variety of flowering plants that provide nectar and pollen through the short mountain growing season. According to researchers, these flowering habitats are critical for wild bees, which depend on a continuous supply of floral resources to survive at high elevations.
The findings add to calls for the conservation of fragile alpine ecosystems in the state, which support a wide range of flora and the insects that depend on them.
A Rare Bee Recorded Earlier
The latest survey builds on earlier ZSI work in the region. Scientists from the institute previously recorded the rare solitary Himalayan bee Colletes bhutanicus in Tawang — the first time the species had been documented in India. The species had earlier been known only from Bhutan and parts of China.
Researchers found the bee at elevations between 1,500 and 3,800 metres, where it was observed visiting 25 species of flowering plants, including mustard, buckwheat, coriander, beans, chilli and eggplant. Unlike honeybees, Colletes bees are solitary and do not live in large colonies, but they play an important role in pollination as they move between flowers collecting pollen and nectar.
Why Pollinators Matter
Wild bees are among the most efficient pollinators of crops, fruits and wild plants, and their diversity is considered an indicator of ecosystem health. Arunachal Pradesh, with its wide variation in altitude, climate and vegetation, is regarded as one of India’s important biodiversity regions.
Researchers say the latest record highlights the need for continued biodiversity surveys in the state’s remote mountain areas, where several species remain poorly documented.
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