Date: September 12, 2016
Source: Queen Mary University of
London
Honeybees are hardwired to
efficiently search the landscape enabling them to continue working for the
greater good of their hives even when they are sick, according to new research
co-authored by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL).
Radar technology has been used to
show for the first time that bees remain nimble and able to search and respond
to their environment even when they have infections or viruses.
Honeybees tirelessly commute
between rewarding flower patches and their hive, often hundreds or even
thousands of metres apart. Their remarkable navigational skills rely on
distinct landmarks, such as trees or houses, which they very efficiently find
and memorise on orientation flights.
Experts fitted a transponder, a
tiny dipole aerial much lighter than the nectar or pollen normally carried by
the bee, to the thorax of the bee. Tracking each bee individually they would
pick up a radar signal form the transponder showing where and how it was
flying.
Co-author Professor Juliet
Osborne from University of Exeter, said: "We tracked the individual flying
bees with a harmonic radar system. This involves attaching a very lightweight
aerial to their back but it doesn't affect how fast they fly, or how much
nectar they collect. It is still the only method for getting these really
detailed data on where the bee flies."
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