Some chemicals used in agriculture can be a threat to key pollinators like bees, which can put entire plant species at risk of extinction. A new study tested the effect of insecticides, fungicides and their various combinations on two bee species: the Africanized honeybee and the stingless bee. Results showed that the stingless bees are […]
Tag: bees
Cutting away at the mystery of leafcutting bees
Leafcutting bees use pieces of various plant leaves to build their nests, however determining which plants they prefer has been a challenge. In the past, researchers had to either observe leafcutting bees visiting a plant or identify pieces of leaf in the nest in to know which plant the bees relied on. Now, using DNA […]
Don’t forget the other pollinators
Butterflies, wasps, beetles and flies might not be as effective pollinators as bees but new research shows their impact shouldn’t be discounted. Non-bee pollinators visit more flowers than bees so that even if they’re not such effective pollinators, their rates pollination are similar to bees. The analysis of 39 field studies revealed there is […]
Ancient farming bee-haviour
Researchers have found evidence that humans have been gathering bee products, such as honey and honeycomb, for at least 9,000 years. The researchers examined residues preserved on thousands of pottery vessels from across Europe, North Africa, and Asia. The earliest evidence was found in pots from Neolithic sites in Anatolia, where Europe and Asia join, […]
Farming fungus: A new bee-haviour
An accident in the lab has lead to the discovery that a specific species of bee, native to Brazil, farms fungus for their larvae to eat. This finding raises concerns about the use of fungicides in agriculture. Researchers made the discovery while attempting to breed queen bees, but found white fungus growing out of control, […]
Bumblebees may have false memories
People are known to have false memories where they remember experiences that never occurred. Can these errors also occur in animals? Researchers have found that bumblebees may be capable of creating false memories. The researchers made this observation by training bumblebees to expect a reward from either a solid coloured flower or a patterned one. […]
