Here you can find the study I refer to in this cartoon. No additional comment is needed here, I believe 😉
This post was published on Instagram in cooperation with The Pollinator Academy. I’m happy to be involved in this initiative. If you are interested to learn about pollinators, in particular bees, hoverflies and butterflies, and recognizing them, check out the PA website!
Have you ever seen a bumblebee lift its leg as if to say hello or give you a high five? The bee looks as though she wants to be friends with you. In reality, however, it’s the opposite.
In bee language, raising a leg is a sign of discontent. This message can be directed towards humans or other insects. It’s a warning not to approach any closer if you don’t want to get stung. However, in the case of males, it’s only a bluff as they don’t possess a stinger.
Many bee species only fly at a specific time of year. Sometimes, they are only active for a few weeks and you can’t see them at any other time… or can you?
Every autumn, occasional sightings of spring-active bees are reported. It is thought that these are either bees that were disturbed in their underground nests, e.g. by gardeners, or bees that simply made a mistake regarding to when to emerge. Sadly, their fate is pretty much sealed – they have little chance to live long, not to mention finding a mate of their own species and reproducing.
Rumour has it that the cases of spring bees active in autumn are becoming more frequent because of the climate change. However, I don’t know of any papers that explore this possibility. If you know of any, please post a link in the comments!
Do you like to get up early, or prefer sleeping in and staying up late? In Poland, we call the first type of people “the skylarks” and the second – “the owls”. I’m definitely the latter.
Bees usually are early risers, but you still can find a variability among them. The pantaloon bee, Dasypoda hirtipes, prefers flowers of common chicory, which usually open early and close already around noon. The bee also tends to finish her work early. At the other end of the spectrum are nocturnal bee species, which fly at dawn or dusk. They usually have large eyes and ocelli to catch as much light as possible. Probably the best known nocturnal species is Megalopta genalis (in the cartoon, I portrayed a male).
Mimicry is a phenomenon whereby different species resemble each other. One type of mimicry involves defenseless species resembling species that are somehow armed, e.g., poisonous or venomous. This is the case with defenseless hoverflies and stinging bees.The mimic gains protection when predators mistake it for the model and refrain from attacking.
Mimicry is not always perfect—sometimes the mimic only superficially resembles the model, but this is enough for it to gain benefits. A predator’s moment of hesitation can mean the difference between life and death. It is also important to remember that our perception of the world differs from that of other species, and what is different to us may be similar to a bird.
Today’s post was published on Instagram in cooperation with Pollinator Academy. From their website: “The Pollinator Academy is a European, open source platform for sharing taxonomic knowledge. It is a learning platform aiming to strengthen taxonomic capacity throughout Europe and was created through close collaboration between specialists and trainers from different institutes.” Want to check if you can tell a bee from a hoverfly? Take a look here!
The honey bee is a unique species of bee, and we have made it even more so. It is bred in large numbers, even in places that it would never naturally reach. It is the best-known species — ask any child about bees and see which ones they describe! When people hear that bees are in danger and need protection, the honeybee is often the first species that comes to mind. Many people want to become beekeepers or support apiaries in order to help the bees. However, the honeybee is not a species threatened with extinction. Artificially increasing its population doesn’t help and can even endanger wild bee species — many of which are actually vulnerable! Honeybees can outcompete wild bees when collecting pollen and nectar, and their diseases can spread to wild bee populations. When honeybees’ densities are very large, they compete with each other and diseases spread more easily, which is not good for them either.
I believe that most of you reading this are familiar with the issue. What you can do is spread the word to others. Let people know that there are many bees in the world (and even more pollinators) that need food, a place to nest and a safe environment — not more honeybee hives.
Shortly after emerging from the nest and mating, young bumblebee queens start looking for a place to hibernate. Typically, a female will dig a hibernaculum in the ground — a relatively short tunnel with a small chamber at the end. I was surprised to read that when a digging female encounters an obstacle in her way, like a pebble, she doesn’t try to bypass it but leaves the burrow and starts a new one. What could be the adaptive significance of this? Or is there none? If you know, please tell me!
Have you ever seen a bee sitting on a flower or leaf with a droplet of liquid by its mouth? It looks as though the bee is blowing a bubble with bubble gum. What is it doing?
This behaviour is called ‘concentrating nectar’. Nectar is basically a sugar solution that can vary in concentration. When a bee evaporates water from the nectar, it becomes more concentrated. This benefits the bee because it can then carry more sugar (therefore, more calories!) in its crop. Concentrating nectar can also serve other purposes, such as thermoregulation — evaporating water cools the bee. This behaviour is widespread not only among bees, but can be seen also in flies.
You can read more about nectar concentrating in bees here: Portman, Z. M., Ascher, J. S., & Cariveau, D. P. (2021). Nectar concentrating behavior by bees (Hymenoptera: Anthophila). Apidologie, 52(6), 1169-1194.
Did you know that the majority of bee species do not produce honey? But they all pollinate plants!
This is another post which was published on Instagram in cooperation with Pollinator Academy. By the way, I hope you remember that I’m also on Instagram and Facebook?
It’s a bit old news, but I’ve only just found out about it. During wild bee research in New York State, one species was observed for the first time in over 100 years in the state. Congratulations to the rediscoverer!
Do you remember my previous post about oligolectic bees? Andrena rehni is a member of this group. It is common in plant-pollinator relationships that the specialisation is only on one side. This is also the case here. The American chestnut can be pollinated by other insects in the absence of its specialist. So, Andrena rehni can’t live without its favourite tree, but the tree didn’t miss the bee too much during its absence.
The females of some bee species collect pollen only from certain plants’ flowers. Those that collect pollen from a single plant species (or genus, according to some authors) are called monolectic, while those that can choose from a larger group of plants (but no larger than a single family) are called oligolectic. These bees can’t live in areas where their food plants are not present. If these plants are rare or endangered, so are the bees. There is no single plant group on which all oligolectic bees forage; some depend on members of the Asteraceae family, while others specialize on the Fabaceae, Ericaceae, Malvaceae or others. In the picture below you can see a large scabious mining bee (Andrena hattorfiana), which collects pollen almost exclusively from field scabious.
One could think that larvae of oligo- and monolectic bees can’t survive on other pollen types than those collected by their mothers. Surprisingly, it is sometimes the other way around. There are experiments showing that the larvae of specialists developed perfectly well on other pollen types. Conversely, generalist larvae may experience difficulties when fed a monodiet typical for oligolectic species. For example, bumblebees don’t develop well on Asteraceae pollen, whereas females of species such as Colletes daviesanus and Heriades truncorum feed their larvae almost exclusively on pollen from this very family.
It seems that being a larva of food specialist may be challenging and require special adaptations. Adult females of these species are limited in their pollen choice, which can cause problems if their preferred plant type becomes scarce. So what are the advantages of specialization? In the case of plant species which are hard to use (eg. those with structurally complicated flowers, or chemically protected pollen), specialists have fewer competitors. Also, mastering the art of foraging on one or a few species could make it quicker and more efficient.
Taxonomists are scientists who study species. They seek to answer questions such as which traits distinguish one species from another, and how species evolve. When a taxonomist discovers a species that is new to science, they have the right to name it. Each scientific name has two parts: the first part is usually fixed, as it refers to the genus to which the species belongs. The discoverer is free to choose the second part. Provided they comply with the rules set out in the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, they can choose anything. Some taxonomists name species based on their characteristic traits — for instance, ‘bicornis’ means ‘two-horned’ and refers to the small horns on the face of the female red mason bee (Osmia bicornis). Others honour important figures in science or people who are important to them. You can also find names that refer to popular culture or are humorous.
Today’s post was published on Instagram in cooperation with Pollinator Academy. From their website: “The Pollinator Academy is a European, open source platform for sharing taxonomic knowledge. It is a learning platform aiming to strengthen taxonomic capacity throughout Europe and was created through close collaboration between specialists and trainers from different institutes.” Among the training materials, there is one about taxonomy and naming new species – check it out here 🙂
Non-honey bees 