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Bees stick to known safety zones, learn to avoid danger

Date:
April 29, 2014
Source:
Queen Mary, University of London
Summary:
Bumblebees can distinguish between safe and dangerous environments, and are attracted to land on flowers popular with other bees when exposed to perilous situations, according to new research. "It's similar to walking through a bad neighbourhood -- you're more likely to choose a busier route, where there are lots of other people around than a deserted street, to get to your destination, since your chances of being attacked are probably lower," a co-author stated.
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Bumblebees can distinguish between safe and dangerous environments, and are attracted to land on flowers popular with other bees when exposed to perilous situations, according to new research from Queen Mary University of London.

The study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, shows that past experience of predation causes bumblebees to join other bees already safely feeding on flowers.

Co-author and PhD student Erika Dawson said: "Our experiment shows for the first time that when bees find themselves in these predator-infested environments they locate safe places to eat by joining other bees that are already safely feeding on flowers."

The scientists trained bees to differentiate between safe and dangerous environments: when bees landed on a flower associated with danger, foam pincers would trap the bee and prevent it from foraging. This simulates an attack by a crab spider, a predator that lurks on flowers to catch pollinators, and can hide by changing its colour, like a chameleon.

In safe environments, the bumblebees subsequently chose to feed from flowers at random, but in dangerous environments, the bees specifically flew to flowers that were occupied by other bees.

Erika added: "It's similar to walking through a bad neighbourhood -- you're more likely to choose a busier route, where there are lots of other people around than a deserted street, to get to your destination, since your chances of being attacked are probably lower."

Bumblebees face similar danger when foraging for food. Avoiding being eaten can be tricky as predators are often disguised or undetectable. The authors suggest that bees use information from other bees to help them to avoid these dangerous situations.

"These results show a remarkable flexibility in pollinators' strategic foraging decisions. Bees normally spread themselves out among flowers to minimise competition, but when danger lurks they dine together to seek safety in numbers," commented co-author Professor Lars Chittka from Queen Mary's School of Biological and Chemical Sciences.


Story Source:

Materials provided by Queen Mary, University of London. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. E. H. Dawson, L. Chittka. Bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) use social information as an indicator of safety in dangerous environments. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2014; 281 (1785): 20133174 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.3174

Cite This Page:

Queen Mary, University of London. "Bees stick to known safety zones, learn to avoid danger." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 29 April 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140429205823.htm>.
Queen Mary, University of London. (2014, April 29). Bees stick to known safety zones, learn to avoid danger. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 18, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140429205823.htm
Queen Mary, University of London. "Bees stick to known safety zones, learn to avoid danger." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140429205823.htm (accessed March 18, 2024).

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