Scientists: male and female bees have radically different tastes
They love different colors.
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The bees, male and female, completely different eating habits, according to a new study by American scientists, published in the journal Science.
Despite the fact that both sexes require nectar, they get it from different colors. While they taste so different that equally male and female bees could belong to different insect species.
Scientists came to this conclusion after an 11-week observation of food habits of different species of bees. The study was conducted in the fields of new Jersey, rich in a variety of colors. Then about 19 thousand insects returned to the laboratory and tracked the relationship between food habits, views and floors.
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The males rarely drank nectar from the same type of flowers, said the team of researchers. Probably, their preferences are dictated by various physiological and reproductive needs of the organisms.
Males were drinking the nectar, which immediately gave them a dose of energy, and avoid flowers with no nectar. Female worker bees also consume nectar, but they also collect pollen and carry it to the hive. In her search they overfly a variety of flowers.
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The researchers argue that understanding these differences will help in the fight for the preservation of bees. Around the hives need to plant a variety of flowers that will satisfy the needs of both males and females.
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