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Scientists discover that there is communication between bees and flowers
A team of experts has discovered that flowers have an electrical charge that communicates to the bees if they have or not nectar.
by The Third - 22/02/2013 - 09:45
A new study by scientists at the University of Bristol (United Kingdom) indicate that the flowers "advertise" their presence of nectar for bees when using electrical signals were recently visited by another bee.
Plants are usually loaded with negative energy and emit weak electric fields, while bees acquire positive charge while flying in the air. When a bee lands on a flower, is a small electric force, which can potentially lead information.
"This communication channel reveals how flowers can potentially inform their pollinators state about their nectar and pollen reserves" said Heather Whitney, co-author of the study.
By placing electrodes on the stems of petunias, researchers found that when a bee lands, the electric charges of the facility change and remain so for several minutes. Thanks to this method, bumblebees can also detect and distinguish between different electric fields, which are disclosed if another bee has been there or not.
So far, the team know how bees manage to detect electric fields, but believe it should be similar to the phenomenon of electrostatic force people feel after the hair is combed and tip.
According to Daniel Robert, author of the research, this discovery provides a new perspective and understanding of insects and their communication with flowers. "The co-evolution between flowers and bees have a long history, so perhaps not so surprising that we follow now discovering how sophisticated is their communication."