Climate change is disrupting the phenological synchrony between pollinators and flowering plants, with welfare consequences for individual insects and ecosystem-level effects.
Individual pollinators face welfare threats from climate change including thermal stress during heat waves, nutritional deprivation from phenological mismatch, and dehydration. Solitary bee nests in exposed south-facing positions can exceed lethal temperatures during heat events. Queen bumblebees emerging during early warm spells face starvation if flowering plants have not yet bloomed. The welfare toll of climate change on pollinators is compounded by pesticide exposure and habitat loss, creating multiple simultaneous stressors for already-stressed populations. Actions that reduce overall pollinator stress, including reducing pesticide use and providing diverse floral resources, help individual insects cope with climate impacts.