All posts tagged: Bumblebees

Bumblebees surprise scientists by showing a sense of rhythm

Bumblebees surprise scientists by showing a sense of rhythm

Published by skeptic

A buff-tailed bumblebee on an artificial flower Bee lab at Southern Medical University Bumblebees have learned to recognise Morse code-like sequences of flashing lights and vibrations, demonstrating a sense of rhythm that has never been seen in such a small-brained animal. The ability to recognise flexible, abstract rhythms – when, for example, the same pattern or melody is played at a different tempo in different ways – has only been demonstrated in a few birds and mammals, including parrots, songbirds and primates like chimpanzees. Andrew Barron at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, and his colleagues ran a series of experiments to try to determine whether buff-tailed bumblebees (Bombus terrestris), which have far less complex brains, could also recognise a range of different rhythms. In the first experiment, bumblebees learned to choose between two artificial flowers consisting of flashing LED lights. One flower produced long flashes and the other short pulses, like dashes and dots in Morse code. One flower contained a reward – sucrose – and the other unpalatable quinine. Once the bees had learned …

the insects that cosplay bumblebees

the insects that cosplay bumblebees

Published by skeptic

Deception is everywhere in nature. Animals and plants routinely cheat, lie and manipulate for their own benefit. One example is mimicry, where one species (the mimic) has evolved to resemble another (the model). No group of animals takes this to greater lengths than hoverflies – bean-sized bullets that zip around your garden, cosplaying bees and wasps. As some new research by ourselves and others show, hoverflies surprise not just their predators, but evolutionary biologists too. Mimicry is most often for protection. Harmless mimics evade predators by evolving to resemble dangerous species. Some can even mimic several species. But mimicry can also be aggressive, where dangerous species dress up as innocuous ones to ambush unsuspecting prey, like the spider-tailed viper – or to steal food, like the rove beetle with a fake termite on its back. It can be sexual. Flowers such as bee orchids resemble female insects to trick males into trying to copulate with them, unwittingly pollinating them in the process. Weedy male bluegill sunfish adopt the dark colouration of females to sneak into …

Bumblebees use light to tell time, study finds

Bumblebees use light to tell time, study finds

Published by skeptic

Bumblebees spend much of their lives weaving through fields in search of food, yet new research shows their skills stretch far beyond color cues and floral scents. Scientists have discovered that these small insects can tell the difference between short and long flashes of light and then use that information to find better feeding spots. The finding may change how you think about the tiny animals that buzz past you in a garden. Why Timing Matters in Nature Timing shapes the lives of many creatures. Hummingbirds return to blossoms when nectar is likely to be replenished. Crickets send messages to each other through chirps that vary in length. Honeybees rely on the famous waggle dance, which encodes distance and direction through a pattern of movements. Experimental Apparatus. On the right is the wooden nest box where bees live. It is connected by acrylic tunnels to the observation chamber at the top of the picture and the three experimental compartments on the left. Bees feed in the observation chamber and those bees that were motivated to …