Articles tagged with Bees
Researchers found that environmental inputs can modify bees' genetic hardware through DNA methylation, leading to distinct behaviors. The study, published in PLOS Biology, sheds light on the nature-nurture debate and highlights the importance of diet in shaping behavior.
A vast amber deposit from western India has revealed a new light on the history of the sub-continent, challenging the assumption that India was an isolated island-continent. The discovery indicates that tropical forests are older than previously thought and have close evolutionary relationships with fossils from other continents.
Researchers at Arizona State University found that aging bees impair their ability to extinguish memories of unsuitable nest sites. Despite poor learning in the lab, a few old bees still perform well in recalling suitable homes.
A study by Hebrew University researcher Prof. Guy Bloch found that honeybees can alter their biological clocks in response to changes in their social role, enabling them to make a 'quick switch' in their daily routines. This flexibility is striking, as humans and most other animals struggle with drastic schedule changes.
A Texas Tech University biologist has identified a possible cause of the sudden death of bee colonies across North America: a combination of an insect virus and a fungus. The researchers' study published in PLOS ONE found an association between the two pathogens and high mortality rates among bees.
A 17-year study in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado confirms widespread fears of a decline in bee pollination, with a progressive decrease in fruiting rates observed over the years. The research suggests that climate change may be a contributing factor, particularly during early seasons when bees emerge from hibernation.
A York University doctoral student has identified 19 new species of sweat bees in Canada, including one found in downtown Toronto. The study provides valuable insights into bee diversity and the evolution of social behavior in insects.
Researchers found that altering a honey bee's perception of distance alters its brain gene expression, particularly in the optic lobes and mushroom bodies. This study provides new insights into how bees process spatial information and communicate through dance language.
A study by Monash University researchers reveals that bees use a 'hot' drink to warm up on cold days and a 'cool' drink in warmer weather. The bees preferred feeding from artificial flowers with warmer nectar, which helped them maintain an optimal body temperature for flight.
Researchers created an artificial bee eye with a fully functional camera, achieving a comparable field of vision to bees. This system could inspire the development of mobile robots and small flying vehicles with enhanced navigation capabilities.
The USDA research found that bee pastures can support the growth of healthy young bees by up to fivefold a year. The pastures feature native California plants such as Chinese houses and lacy phacelia, providing a practical and environmentally friendly way to promote pollinator populations.
A $1.5 million NSF grant will consolidate data from 10 natural history bee collections across the US, including Cornell's 250,000-specimen collection. This effort aims to establish conservation status and predict risks to bee pollination services from climate change and habitat loss.
A University of Michigan biologist and a colleague at the University of California, Berkeley, found that shade-grown coffee farms support native bees that pollinate native trees and enhance genetic diversity. The study suggests that these bees play a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity in tropical regions.
Researchers at Arizona State University have discovered that the insulin signaling pathway is crucial for caste development in honeybees. By manipulating this pathway, scientists can determine whether a larva will become a worker or queen bee. This study provides valuable insights into human biology and aging, as well as the importance...
A collaborative project is digitizing and consolidating nearly one million specimen records from ten bee collections across the US to create a centralized database. The project aims to understand native bees' roles in agricultural and natural systems and predict risks to bees due to climate change and habitat loss.
Researchers identified defensin-1 protein in honey as a potent antibacterial agent, showing promise in treating burns, skin infections, and combating antibiotic-resistant infections. The discovery sheds light on the inner workings of honey bee immune systems, potentially leading to healthier bees.
Researchers tracked bumblebee movements in Arctic conditions, finding that bees work a day shift and retire before midnight. The study suggests that bees may have an internal sense of time based on light intensity or temperature changes.
Researchers tracked orchid bees using tiny radio transmitters, revealing they travel surprisingly long distances through sparse tropical forest patches. The study opens doors to future research on temperate forests and highlights the importance of preserving plant pollination.
Scientists tracked 17 iridescent orchid bees using radio transmitters, finding that males spent most of their time in small core areas but could visit farther afield. These long-distance movements help explain why some orchids are rare despite being pollinated by these bees.
Researchers found that bumblebee populations with similar colors in the same environment did not have higher loss rates to predators. Instead, birds likely avoid all animals resembling a bumblebee to avoid the sting.
Scientists have identified a synergistic relationship between a fungal pathogen and RNA viruses from the family Dicistroviridae as contributing factors to Colony Collapse Disorder. The presence of these pathogens in sick colonies is a strong predictor of collapse, with higher levels of the fungus compromising gut wall integrity.
Researchers discovered a rare species of solitary bee that lines its underground nests with petals from various flowers. This unique behavior provides essential nutrients for the larvae's growth and protects them from the harsh winter conditions.
A recent survey found that managed honey bee colonies nationwide experienced a 33.8% loss rate from October 2009 to April 2010, with starvation, poor weather, and weak colonies being the top reasons for mortality. The continued high losses pose an economic challenge for commercial beekeepers.
Researchers found that paper wasps and honey bees rely on the same network of genes to guide their social behavior, including division of labor and brain activity. The study identified over 4,900 genes active in the wasp brain, confirming a genetic toolkit shared by both species.
Researchers developed a novel hybrid of two orchid species, creating a unique scent that attracted a distinct wild bee. The offspring's floral odor was highly attractive to solitary bees unfamiliar with the parent plants' scent.
Researchers found that bees with artificially reduced insulin receptor substrate (IRS) in abdominal fat cells preferred pollen over nectar. This suggests an alternative mechanism for insulin's impact on eating behavior beyond the brain.
Researchers found that social bee queens have a more developed mushroom body, associated with learning and memory, despite not having bigger brains overall. This suggests that social interactions are cognitively challenging for these bees, as predicted by the social brain hypothesis.
Scientists at the Phyletic Museum of Jena University are using MicroCT imaging to analyze insect genital morphology. The research aims to shed light on the key-lock principle, which explains how male and female reproductive organs fit together, and instead reveals that it's a result of sexual selection.
The buff-tailed bumblebee's unique behavior allows it to collect nectar from exotic winter-flowering plants like strawberry trees and Mahonia, raising an extra generation of workers.
A biologist at UC San Diego discovered a 'stop' signal in honey bee communication that warns nest mates about dangers. The signal reduces recruitment to dangerous food patches and is an example of negative feedback in superorganisms.
Researchers found that bees can learn to recognize the arrangement of human facial features on a face, but not individual humans. The insects use this strategy to distinguish between face-like and non-face patterns.
Researchers discovered bees use their antennae to estimate surface slope, allowing them to orient correctly and land on surfaces ranging from horizontal to ceilings. By slowing down in the final moments before touchdown, bees control their approach and optimize landing speed.
Researchers at Michigan State University have discovered proteins that can channel sodium ions through the cell membranes of Varroa mites, a parasite that devastates commercial bee colonies. This breakthrough could lead to more effective controls and reduce the need for toxic pesticides.
Researchers discovered that high-fructose corn syrup can form a potentially harmful substance called hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) when heated. HMF levels increase steadily with rising temperatures, posing a threat to honey bee health and human consumption of HFCS products.
The NSF's Expeditions in Computing program supports research that promises significant advances in computing while yielding great benefit to society. The new projects focus on energy-efficient computers, customizable domain-specific computing, and robotic 'bees' for search and rescue operations.
A £1 million research project will investigate the decline of honeybees, exploring how disease and food supply affect bee survival in farmed landscapes. The team aims to build a predictive model to improve honeybee health and mitigate the impact on food security.
Africanized bee invasion of Mexico's Yucatan led to a shift in pollination patterns, with native bees benefiting from increased availability of certain plant species. However, native populations in less diverse areas may be more vulnerable to invasions.
Scientists have received £1 million to research the decline of honeybees, focusing on how bees' behavior outside the hive interacts with factors affecting their health. The project aims to build a model that can predict bee responses to diseases in changing farmed landscapes.
Research discovered a conflict between worker bees and the queen, with some workers reproducing and living up to three times longer than non-reproducing workers. This leads to a 'reproductive class war' where individual benefits come at the cost of the colony.
A genomic study has identified a plausible cause of colony collapse disorder in honey bees. The research found that the loss of ribosomal function, caused by viral infections and other stressors, contributes to the mysterious disappearance of American honey bees.
A new study by University of Illinois researchers reveals that environmental factors can alter aggression levels in honey bees. By analyzing gene expression patterns in response to alarm pheromone, the team found similarities between short-term and long-term changes, suggesting a connection between nurture and nature.
Researchers discovered higher levels of pathogens and co-infections in honeybees from collapsing colonies, but no single pathogen can be identified as the cause. The study suggests that CCD may be contagious or caused by exposure to a common risk factor impairing bee immune systems.
Researchers found that foraging honey bees experience decline in associative learning with increasing age, but nurse bees remain unaffected. By switching tasks, foragers' learning performance improves, demonstrating remarkable plasticity in brain circuits.
Researchers have discovered that calcium modulation affects long-term memory specifically while leaving learning and short-term memory intact. The study found that increased calcium levels during learning led to stronger responses to olfactory stimuli associated with food, indicating improved memory performance.
Agricultural Research Service scientists have sequenced the genome of a parasite that can kill honey bees, providing new insights into colony collapse disorder. The microsporidian parasite produces spores that bees consume when foraging, leading to infection and colony loss.
New research shows bees extend hind legs for stability in windy conditions, increasing drag and aerodynamic power by 30%. This behavior is likely seen across Hymenoptera, affecting many flying insects.
Researchers found that bees prefer conical-celled petals with a rough surface, allowing for better grip and easier nectar extraction. This adaptation enables bees to efficiently collect nectar from flowers in windy or wet conditions.
A recent study reveals that honeybee populations are increasing worldwide, contrary to concerns of a 'pollination crisis'. However, the demand for crops relying on insect pollination has more than tripled over the last half century.
Researchers discovered Nosema ceranae, a Microsporidia parasite, is the primary cause of honey bee colony depopulation syndrome in professional apiaries. Treating infected colonies with flumagillin resulted in complete recovery.
Scientists created a mathematical model to study cooperative groups of animals, known as superorganisms, which evolve through two scenarios: closely related individuals or policing-based control. This finding suggests that some animal groups can behave like united organisms.
A three-year study found that wild bees visit more flowers per minute and deposit more pollen than honey bees, making them potential blueberry pollinators. Growers can support natural bee populations by providing nesting materials, such as bamboo or reeds.
A study published in HortScience found that honeybees and bumble bees move in a way that minimizes distance between flowers, which impacts pollination efficiency. The research tracked pollen flow in watermelon plantings, revealing directional movement both down and across rows.
The Sibbett Group's interconnected garden design won the international bee-friendly garden competition from Häagen-Dazs and UC Davis. The garden will provide a year-round food source for honey bees and raise public awareness about their plight, aiming to inspire visitors to plant bee-friendly gardens.
Researchers found that honey bees can reliably distinguish between patterns containing two and three dots, but struggle with four. The bees use a combination of working memory and memory rules to solve the problem. This remarkable cognitive ability challenges traditional views on the numerical competence of insects.
Honeybees can learn to recognise human faces even when seen from different viewpoints due to their ability to interpolate or image average previously learnt views. The study suggests that bee brains have evolved clever mechanisms for problem solving which may help develop improved models for AI face recognition systems.
Researchers found that honey bees on cocaine exaggerate their dances, regardless of food quality or hive status. The study supports the idea that insects have a reward system motivated by feelings of pleasure.
Researchers found that honeybees danced vigorously in response to cocaine, indicating a potential susceptibility to the substance. The bees' sensitivity to rewards was increased, and they exhibited withdrawal symptoms when the drug was withheld.
Researchers found that honeybees reduce plant damage by 60-70% when present, even without pollination, due to the caterpillars' inability to distinguish between bees and predators. This discovery highlights the importance of indirect effects in food webs and may lead to a new biological control method for sustainable agriculture.
The American Society for Cell Biology's Celldance contest reveals visually engaging and scientifically important cell-related content. This year's winners showcase stunning visuals of cellular processes, including Golgi ribbons and clathrin proteins, through videos and microscope stills.
Recent studies show that social signals can profoundly affect when and how genes function, leading to changes in behavior. In animals like honey bees and songbirds, social information alters gene expression, allowing for complex adaptations and behaviors.