According to Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology, Australia is set to experience strong to very strong El Niño conditions this summer, and conditions under this weather system often result in extreme heat and fire-prone weather. As we prepare to spend summer trying to stay cool, what do these conditions mean for our insect pollinators and other animals?
What is an El Niño Weather Event?
An El Niño weather system occurs around every 3-7 years, and, according to the Australian Research Council, is characterised by weather patterns across the Pacific ocean including warming temperatures, higher surface air-pressure, and increases in cloud cover over the International Date Line. While there are many factors that can influence the course of Australia’s weather this summer, SBS News has emphasised that the event comes at the same time as an expected positive mesure of the Indian Ocean Diopole, which is a similar measure of ocean conditions to the west of Australia’s coast that can create drier and hotter conditions.
As reported by the ABC and SBS, this year is set to record the most rainfall during El Nino conditions, however, which significantly lowers chances of prolonged drought conditions occurring. But the heat remains a worry, as many weather systems across the globe have already displayed, or are forecasted to experience, extreme heat and dry conditions throughout this summer period. August 2026 was the hottest month on global record, characterised in Europe especially with large scale bushfires and drought. Bushfire experts have emphasised the importance of being prepared for these conditions, and ensuring that Australia has adequate recovery plans in place.
What about our pollinators?
Like humans, our ecosystem struggles in extreme heat, and many of our native fauna adapt their behaviour and reduce activity to protect themselves. As Dr James Turner from Charles Sturt University reports, both introduced and native bee species can struggle in high heat conditions, and as Australia heads towards a scorching summer, it’s more important than ever to help our pollinators keep their cool.
As temperatures rise, bees often reduce pollinating behaviours to conserve energy for their own survival. European honeybees will spread water along their hives and work together to ‘fan’ the hive with their wings, but solitary species often have fewer methods of cooling in extreme heat. University researchers across Greater Sydney have discovered that bee species differing nesting habits in plant cavities and stems can affect their heat tolerance thresholds, a critical factor in surviving extreme heat.
A June 2026 report published in Nature Communications (2026) on heat tolerance through nesting behaviour, and the subsequent climate vulnerability each species faces, highlights the greater threats many native bees face as Australian summers grow hotter - as the Climate Council reports. The report, which assessed the heat tolerances of 95 species of native bee, found that heat tolerance levels may not indicate their ability to withstand further warming, as they already live in climates that heat to their upper limit. Academics writing in The Conversation discovered nesting behaviours in above ground plants often have less capacity to avoid extreme heat compared to ground-nesting species, but the latter often have a lower heat tolerance overall.
The increase in heat further increases the risk of bushfires, which are detrimental to our invertebrate species. The 2019/2020 ‘Black Summer’ bushfire season decimated pollinator populations, with an estimated 2.5 billion honeybees alone estimated to have been lost to fire and smoke damage. A post-fire analysis report for the National Environmental Science Program found an estimated 14,000 invertebrates were affected by loss of habitat, much of which included leaf lotter and low-lying vegetation where many species of native bees and other pollinators inhabit.
Both native and introduced bees struggle under thick, smoky conditions and have little to no protection against bushfires, often leading to large numbers being lost in bushfire seasons.
How Can We Help Our Bees Bounce Back?
Researchers have implemented strategies to help replenish habitat, especially for native bees, which often struggle to rebuild population numbers in bushfire-damaged areas. Research conducted in south-western Australia by Dr Kit Prendergast discovered that ‘bee hotels’, structures designed for many native bee nesting habits, greatly increased native bee activity and their[ ability to rebuild population numbers. Further work planting native species in affected areas bolstered the return of native bees to affected areas, and helped restore the natural landscapes and population presence more quickly. This process is vital in restoring damaged pollinator communities, as well as other species of invertebrates like wasps, spiders and ants using these ‘hotels’ as habitat. Altogether, this method can bring back a rich ecosystem of pollinators back to the charred landscapes, giving the bushland a better environment to regrow.
People who keep native bees at home can help their colonies in the coming extreme heat by ensuring all hives or hotels are in shady, cool areas, or placing a damp towel over larger beekeeping structures for a cooling effect. Further, keeping a shallow dish of water with landing stones inside near hives or plants (with areas for the bees to land) can provide a great cooling and hydrating area for other pollinators. Planting native flowering species for native bees can also help to provide food sources as plants become affected by extreme heat.
By taking care of our pollinators as summer heats up, colonies can continue to thrive and allow heat- and fire-damaged areas a better chance at regeneration.
Article by Chiara Dakin
Photo by Maxime Francis: https://www.pexels.com/photo/cliff-near-beach-2246474/