BBSRC Industrial Partnership Award Completed project

BumblePlus

Improving strawberry pollination with caffeine

Strawberry plants growing in bags inside a polytunnel.
A bumblebee on a feeding vial during an experiment.

Could caffeine help bumblebees pollinate more effectively?

About the research

BumblePlus investigated whether caffeine could improve the performance of commercial bumblebee colonies, helping them pollinate strawberries and other soft fruit crops.

Combining laboratory experiments with trials on working farms, the project explored how this approach could improve pollination, fruit quality and crop yields.