In the study, bees were first trained to get a sugary treat from colourful fake flowers - and then University of Exeter-led experts observed which colours the bees were attracted to after.
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Bigger bumblebees make better foragers
The study sheds light on the roles different bees play within a hive
28 December 2020 • 5:17pm
The team was surprised to find that size variation had a significant impact on their behaviour.
Credit: Natalie Hempel de Ibarra
Bigger bumblebees are better at foraging, scientists have discovered, because they spend more time memorising the best flowers.
Researchers at the University of Exeter examined the behaviour of bumblebees placed on artificial flowers with different levels of sucrose in the university s greenhouses.
After leaving flowers, bees took learning flights , which involve turning and facing the flower in order to memorise its appearance and surroundings.
A bumblebee on a flower. (Credit: Natalie Hempel de Ibarra)
(CN) Scientists revealed Monday that big bumblebees, able to carry more than their smaller counterparts, are pickier about which flowers to draw nectar from and put in more effort to find them.
In a study published in the journal Current Biology, researchers from the University of Exeter in the U.K. discovered that the larger bees use their increased flight range to pick out the best flowers, something smaller bumblebees don’t seem to do.
“It might not be widely known that pollinating insects learn and develop individual flower preferences, but in fact bumblebees are selective,” said Natalie Hempel de Ibarra, associate professor at the university.
Bumblebees carry out “learning flights” after leaving flowers (credit: Natalie Hempel de Ibarra)
Big bumblebees take time to learn the locations of the best flowers, new research shows.
Meanwhile smaller bumblebees – which have a shorter flight range and less carrying capacity – don’t pay special attention to flowers with the richest nectar.
University of Exeter scientists examined the “learning flights” which most bees perform after leaving flowers.
Honeybees are known to perform such flights – and the study shows bumblebees do the same, repeatedly looking back to memorise a flower’s location.
“It might not be widely known that pollinating insects learn and develop individual flower preferences, but in fact bumblebees are selective,” said Natalie Hempel de Ibarra, Associate Professor at Exeter’s Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour.