The Bees' Kamasutra
Female leaf-cutter bees are choosy about their sexual partners: they only fall for males who give off the appropriate smell. Zoologists at the University of Bonn have discovered that the male bees actually have to rub their scent under their partners' noses. Glands in their front legs serve as "scent sprays". There is not much room for... view more... (2002-03-12)
Honeybees succumb to cocaine's allure
Since its discovery in the 18th century, cocaine has been a scourge of western society. Strongly stimulating human reward centres in low doses, cocaine is extremely addictive and can be fatal in high doses. view more (2008-12-23)
The numerate honey bee
The remarkable honey bee can tell the difference between different numbers at a glance. A fresh, astonishing revelation about the 'numeracy' of insects has emerged from new research by an international team of scientists from The Vision Centre, in Australia, published January 28 in the online, open-access, peer-reviewed journal PLoS ONE. view more (2009-01-28)
Honeybee dance breaks down cultural barrier
Asian and European honeybees can learn to understand one another's dance languages despite having evolved different forms of communication, an international research team has shown for the first time. The findings are published this week in the journal PLoS ONE. view more (2008-06-04)
Research discovers oldest bee, evolutionary link
Researchers at Oregon State University have discovered the oldest bee ever known, a 100 million year old specimen preserved in almost lifelike form in amber, and an important link to help explain the rapid expansion of flowering plants during that distant period. view more (2006-10-26)
Plants Can Protect Themselves From Aphids And Locusts
Moscow biologists have proved that people can use the capability of some plants to protect themselves from vermin insects with the help of biologically active substances. It has been found that plants can protect themselves from vermin insects. One way is to use substances which the plants synthesise to suppress insects' hormones activity and to... view more... (2003-12-15)
Computer search for Billy Bumblebee and Friends
A fat bumblebee lies sedated beneath the stereo magnifying glass, its right wing pinned between a glass prism and a slide glass. A bright lamp illuminates the scene so that the veining of the wing is clearly visible on the display of the digital camera attached to the tube. „First we have to photograph the wing," Dr. Tom Arbuckle... view more... (2001-06-20)
Old developmental pathways spawn revolutionary evolutionary changes
When the larvae of the primitive social insect Polistes metricus, a paper wasp, slips into the quiet pupal stage, she doesn't know if she'll arise a worker or gyne (future queen) - unless she consults with Arizona State University's social insect researcher Gro Amdam. view more (2007-09-07)
Bee researchers close in on Colony Collapse Disorder
Across the nation, beekeepers have seen hive after hive succumb to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD); a team of entomologists and infectious disease researchers now report a strong correlation between the occupancy of CCD and a virus, Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IVAP). view more (2007-09-07)
Despite darkness, nocturnal bees learn visual landmarks while foraging at night
Day-active bees, such as the honeybee, are well known for using visual landmarks to locate a favoured patch of flowers, and to find their way home again to their hive. Researchers have now found that nocturnal bees can do the same thing, despite experiencing light intensities that are more than 100 million times dimmer than daylight. The new... view more... (2004-08-10)
The bee that would be queen
A team of researchers from Arizona State University, Purdue University and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences has discovered evidence that honeybees have adopted a phylogenetically old molecular cascade - TOR (target of rapamycin), linked to nutrient and energy sensing - and put it to use in caste development. view more (2007-06-06)
Bees go 'off-color' when they are sickly
Bumble-bees go 'off colour' and can't remember which flowers have the most nectar when they are feeling under the weather, a new study from the University of Leicester reveals. view more (2008-07-16)
Undergraduate research shows leaderless honeybee organizing
Undergraduate education generally involves acquiring "received knowledge" - in other words, absorbing the past discoveries of scholars and scientists. But University of North Carolina at Charlotte senior biology major Andrew Pierce went beyond the textbooks and uncovered something previously unknown. view more (2007-06-12)
Pure fructose frequently confused with high fructose corn syrup
As researchers continue to examine the role of sweeteners in the diet, it's important that people understand the differences among various ingredients used in scientific studies, according to the Corn Refiners Association (CRA). Interchanging two distinctly different ingredients, such as pure fructose and high fructose corn syrup, creates... view more... (2009-03-05)
Report lists top 20 most-vulnerable African carnivores
It may still be "king of the beasts," but the African lion's kingdom is dwindling, according to a new report released by the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) that says these emblematic big cats have disappeared from 82 percent of their historic distribution over the past several decades. view more (2006-02-02)
Bee swarms follow high-speed 'streaker' bees to find a new nest
It's one of the hallmarks of spring: a swarm of bees on the move. But how a swarm locates a new nest site when less than 5% of the community know the way remains a mystery. view more (2008-10-03)
Study finds higher pathogen loads in collapsed honeybee colonies
Honeybees in colonies affected by colony collapse disorder (CCD) have higher levels of pathogens and are co-infected with a greater number of pathogens than their non-CCD counterparts, but no individual pathogen can be singled out as the cause of CCD. view more (2009-08-14)
The cost of long tongues
Orchid bees use their extraordinarily long tongues to drink nectar from the deep, tropical flowers only they can access. view more (2007-04-17)
Threatened bumble bee populations studied in Southampton
Work is underway by researchers at the University of Southampton's School of Biological Sciences to help halt the decline in bumble bees. view more (2004-09-14)
Bumble bees can estimate time intervals
In a finding that broadens our understanding of time perception in the animal kingdom, researchers have discovered that an insect pollinator, the bumble bee, can estimate the duration of time intervals. view more (2006-08-22)
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