According to research presented recently at the annual meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, rising temperatures are forcing some bees to take shallow, rapid breaths—essentially hyperventilating—which burns more energy and makes them less likely to survive.

About half of the 45 bumble bee species in the United States seem to be in trouble. The reasons are unclear, but climate change appears to be at least somewhat responsible.

Dr. Avery Russell, assistant professor of biology at Missouri State University, comments on the study in Science Magazine.