But the bees’ last-ditch efforts to save themselves appear to be unsuccessful – the entombing behaviour is found in many hives that subsequently die off, according to Pettis. “The presence of entombing is the biggest single predictor of colony loss. It’s a defence mechanism that has failed.”
Bees Are Smarter Than You Think But It's Not Enough
Bees Are Smarter Than You Think But It's Not Enough
Honeybees are taking emergency measures to protect their hives from pesticides, in an extraordinary example of the natural world adapting swiftly to our depredations, according to a prominent bee expert. Scientists have found numerous examples of a new phenomenon – bees “entombing” or sealing up hive cells full of pollen to put them out of use, and protect the rest of the hive from their contents. The pollen stored in the sealed-up cells has been found to contain dramatically higher levels of pesticides and other potentially harmful chemicals than the pollen stored in neighbouring cells, which is used to feed growing young bees. “This is a novel finding, and very striking. The implication is that the bees are sensing [pesticides] and actually sealing it off. They are recognising that something is wrong with the pollen and encapsulating it,” said Jeff Pettis, an entomologist with the US Department of Agriculture. “Bees would not normally seal off pollen.”
But the bees’ last-ditch efforts to save themselves appear to be unsuccessful – the entombing behaviour is found in many hives that subsequently die off, according to Pettis. “The presence of entombing is the biggest single predictor of colony loss. It’s a defence mechanism that has failed.”
http://spectregroup.wordpress.com/2011/ ... honeybees/But the bees’ last-ditch efforts to save themselves appear to be unsuccessful – the entombing behaviour is found in many hives that subsequently die off, according to Pettis. “The presence of entombing is the biggest single predictor of colony loss. It’s a defence mechanism that has failed.”
Re: Bees Are Smarter Than You Think But It's Not Enough
Why couldn't something stupid happen to mosquitoes, or ticks?
Re: Bees Are Smarter Than You Think But It's Not Enough
Exactly!!!!!! Or ants!!!MrPenny wrote:Why couldn't something stupid happen to mosquitoes, or ticks?
Re: Bees Are Smarter Than You Think But It's Not Enough
Murphy's law.
Re: Bees Are Smarter Than You Think But It's Not Enough
Bees are giving and work, they're kinda fun, too.MrPenny wrote:Why couldn't something stupid happen to mosquitoes, or ticks?
Ticks and mosquitoes are selfish little bloodsuckers.
Just like in the human world, those who feed on others seem to thrive
Re: Bees Are Smarter Than You Think But It's Not Enough
BeNewsCorp™ reports that 37% of the incoming class at the University of Colorado are bees outnumbering Caucasians, African Americans and Hispanics for the first time since 1956. More on this breaking story as it develops.
"If you don't think to good, don't think too much." Yogi
Re: Bees Are Smarter Than You Think But It's Not Enough
That's because those little socialists have a beetter educational system.lkwalker wrote:BeNewsCorp™ reports that 37% of the incoming class at the University of Colorado are bees outnumbering Caucasians, African Americans and Hispanics for the first time since 1956. More on this breaking story as it develops.
Re: Bees Are Smarter Than You Think But It's Not Enough
The Egyptians loved honey.
Re: Bees Are Smarter Than You Think But It's Not Enough
and every last one of those fuckers is dead.
"If you don't think to good, don't think too much." Yogi
Re: Bees Are Smarter Than You Think But It's Not Enough
That's because everyone knows that bees didn't love the Egyptians.