A study conducted by scientists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service reveals that honey bees exhibit a higher level of fidelity to their flower patches compared to bumble bees. The study, published in Ecosphere, found that 76% of honey bees revisited the same plot of alfalfa flowers, while only 47% of eastern bumble bees did the same.
Interestingly, the size of the flower patch affected the fidelity of bumble bees, with a higher likelihood of returning to larger patches. On the other hand, patch size did not affect the likelihood of honey bees returning to a flower patch. The study found that bumble bees showed more explorative foraging behavior, often visiting multiple types of flowers per foraging bout, while honey bees relied on their highly developed communication system, the waggle dance, to share the location of valuable food sources with other foragers.
Lead researcher Johanne Brunet, an ecologist from the ARS Vegetable Crops Research Unit in Madison, Wisconsin, believes that the higher patch fidelity of honey bees may be due to their aversion to risk, as they avoid wasting energy and resources or encountering predators.
Understanding the factors that drive patch fidelity in pollinators like honey bees and bumble bees is crucial for supporting their health and ensuring agricultural productivity. Additionally, the pattern of pollination can impact gene flow and the genetic diversity of plant populations in the natural environment.
More information:
Fabiana P. Fragoso et al, Honey bees exhibit greater patch fidelity than bumble bees when foraging in a common environment, Ecosphere (2023). DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4606
Citation:
Honey bees more faithful to their flower patches than bumble bees, new study shows (2023, June 29)
retrieved 30 June 2023
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