Everything starts somewhere, and for the daily lives of bees and other insects, that somewhere is grasses and flowers. 

However, conservationists in eastern England are worried that scorching heatwaves are drying out pastures and making life far harder for these species, according to the BBC.

What's happening?

Conservation experts who surveyed the land around Cambridge and Peterborough in June found the ground to be bone dry and browned over. 

As the BBC reported, these fields usually dry up later in the summer. Yet during this year's extreme heatwave, moisture left the ground at least a month earlier than normal.

Many insects, including bees, rely on these fields to stay green and provide a banquet of food well into the summer. Instead, the grasses wilted while flowers matured and died quickly. 

With the seasonal shift, locals have reported seeing many dead bees and fewer buzzing around overall. When they are spotted, it's only during the cooler morning or evening hours, conservation group Buglife explained to the BBC.

Why are healthy bee populations important?

The relationship between bugs and flowers is one of nature's greatest — and most vital — collaborations. 

That's because insects collect pollen from plants and spread it around. The pollen nourishes the bugs, and the bugs bringing it around with them helps the plants reproduce. 

This pollination process keeps the Earth's ecosystems in balance and full of diverse life, including most of the fruits and vegetables we humans rely on. In fact, without pollinators like bees helping us out, we would lose over one-third of our food supply. 

That's why pollinator numbers dwindling in early summer, as observed during the heatwave in England, is such a major concern. If too many bugs are killed by the heat or lack of food, their entire colony may struggle to survive going forward, Iain Webb, conservationist with the Wildlife Trust in Cambridgeshire, explained to the BBC. 

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"There are less of them and this isn't a good sign," he told the outlet. "With reduced numbers already this year it is making it even worse for them."

What can be done to protect insects from heat?

Paul Hetherington, communications director at Buglife, told the BBC that the public could help out their pollinator neighbors during the heatwave by creating extra water sources, such as a shallow bird bath or garden pond. 

Planting native species is another great way to attract and protect friendly pollinator bugs, and they are an easy choice for your garden and need little watering and maintenance. 

Plus, getting involved and supporting the conservation movement as a whole is a good way to combat the driving forces behind extreme heat. 

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