Bees Prefer a Warm Drink!

Bumblebees will prefer a flower with a warmer nectar rather than a cooler one. The bees identify the flower with the warmer nectar by its color. They had to warm themselves as they should fly. Lars Chitka of Queens Mary College of the University of London stated the fact. She published her work in the reputed journal Nature dated August 3, 2006. Bumblebees needed a body temperature close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The bees need a lot of energy to fly. So he takes the warm nectar to raise its temperature of its body to 100 degree Fahrenheit. Even flowers have conelike cells to focus sunlight on the floral pigments underneath.

Researchers experimented with artificial flowers. They found that the bees prefer the flowers that are 7 degrees higher than the rest of the flowers. In another experiment with artificial flowers, the researchers found that the bees quickly learned to associate warmth with color. For example, deep colors like red and deep blue get more attraction from bees rather than light colors like yellow.

Bumbleblee belongs to the two genera constituting he insect tribe Bombini (family Apidae, order Hymenoptera), found almost worldwide but most common in temperate climates.

Bumblebees are robust and hairy, average about 0.6-1 in. (1.5-2.5 cm) in length, and are usually black with broad yellow or orange bands. Bombus species are nest builders, often nesting in the ground, commonly in deserted bird or mouse nests. They live in organized groups, with a queen, drones, and workers (see caste). Psithyrus species are social parasites (see parasitism); they lay their eggs in Bombus nests, where the eggs and larvae are cared for by Bombus workers.