An unmistakable buzzing can be heard nearby: a bee has appeared. Have you ever wondered why bees buzz?
Why do bees buzz? Most of the buzzing sounds we hear from bees are due to the rapid beating of their tiny wings. Some bees flap their wings about 230 times per second, generating an impressive noise. This is the main reason we hear buzzing sounds from flies, wasps and other fast-flying insects.
In addition, certain bees, such as bumblebees (species Bombus) and some solitary bees, can produce a special kind of “buzz” by vibrating the flight muscles in the thorax. This vibration is used in the pollination of some remarkable flowers, which release pollen only when exposed to the correct frequency of vibration. The phenomenon, known as buzz pollination, “sonication” or floral vibration, occurs in tomatoes, blueberries and many other plants.
Interesting trivia: If the tomato flowers in your garden are not producing fruit, you can pollinate them by hand by touching the back of each flower with an electric toothbrush and turning it on briefly, thus simulating the vibration produced by bees, explained Britannica.
Why do bees buzz and what do they do with pollen?
Bees don’t just transport pollen between plants, they also bring clumps of pollen into the hive for food. These “pollen grains”, which also contain nectar and can make up to 30% of a bee’s weight, hang from their back legs like overloaded sacks. Recently, researchers studied how well bees transport this precious cargo.
The team captured about 20 bees returning to the hive and examined their legs and pollen grains using high-resolution imaging and a technique similar to X-rays. The long hairs on the bees’ legs were found to help hold the grains of pollen in place during flight, according to a report presented at the 70th Annual Meeting of the Division of Fluid Dynamics of the American Physical Society, held in Denver.
To test the cargo’s safety, the researchers pulled a few grains of pollen using an elastic string. Although they seemed precariously placed, the granules were firmly attached: the force required to detach a granule was about 20 times greater than the force a bee normally experiences in flight, according to Science.
These findings could help scientists design artificial pollinators in the future, the team suggests.
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Source: www.descopera.ro
