Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 178
Different to humans and animals with widely spaced eyes #bumblebees don’t have stereoscopic vision.
Bees hovering in a stationary position in front of an object can’t judge the size of the object or how far away it is.
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Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 177
Nutrient pollution may also affect #bees by changing the chemical make up of pollen/nectar of flowering plants and hence the quality of food foraged by bees.
So a double whammy effect on quality and quantity of available food.
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Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 176
The large scale and ever increasing application of agricultural fertilisers means greater #nutrient #pollution and the resulting loss in number and variety of pollen/nectar providing plants affects bees.
Fewer #flowers = fewer #bees.
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Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 175
Habitat loss and degradation is one of the main drivers of bee, pollinator and insect decline worldwide.
Nutrient pollution due to human activity is an ever increasing factor in the degradation of what habitat remains.
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Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 174
More energy for reproduction if not fighting disease?
Reduced infection improving forage effectiveness?
Research still has to find the answers to why #sunflowers in #bumblebee diet seems to mean more queens produced.
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Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 173
The number of queens a #bumblebee colony produces is a good indicator of the health of the colony.
Research found that increasing levels of #sunflower pollen in a colony diet sees the colony rear 30% more queens.
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Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 172
#Sunflower pollen is comparatively low in protein so while good for #bumblebees from a medicinal viewpoint it may not be from a nutritional viewpoint.
Best for #bees is to provide access to pollen from a variety of flowers.
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Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 171
# 170 contd.
A bit like high fibre foods for humans it turns out that it is the spiny outer shell of #sunflower pollen, not the contents, that combats a common pathogen (Crithidia bombi) that lives in #bumblebee guts.
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Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 170
Sunflower/sunflower family plant pollen has a spiny outer shell.
Consumption of this ‘spiny’ pollen by #bees reduces infection of a common parasite by up to 94% & greatly increases the number of queen #bumblebees produced.
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Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 169
Recent research in the US confirms that foraging on #sunflowers/plants in the sunflower family - Asteraceae - which include #dandelions is really really good for #bumblebees.
Why and with what results?
To be continued!
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Let me hear you say B!
…AT 3!
Ah said let me hear you say B!
…AT 3!
That’s B!
…AT 3!
Little louda!
B!
…AT 3!
Ah can’t hear you…
B!
…AT 3!
Okay…if you insist…
No need to shout though…
Ladies and gentlefolk #theBeeAt3…it’s back.
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 168
Research indicates that, for European buff-tailed #bumblebees at least, about 80% of early season pollen tends to be collected from #trees and woody plants.
Trees are vital for #bees and this is often overlooked.
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Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 165
Although flowering meadowland/open habitat is the predominant landscape associated with #bumblebees and #bees the vital role that #forests, woodland and #trees may play in the bee life cycle should not be underestimated.
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Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 164
Research suggests urban #bumblebees are more phenotypically diverse as there is a greater RANGE of flowers available in urban areas and #bees developing more diversity of traits gives the colony more options when foraging.
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Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 163
Research suggesting urban #bumblebees are smaller than their country cousins proposes that this difference in size is down to availability of resources and ‘urban warming’.
Less food and warmer environment = smaller #bees.
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 162
A study in Switzerland focusing on two species of #bumblebee commonly found throughout Europe suggests that ‘City Bumblebees’ are smaller but more phenotypically diverse than their ‘Country Bumblebee’ cousins.
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Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 161
# 160 contd.
Research found that in hotter and wetter years #bees had higher wing asymmetry meaning higher stress.
So #climate change bringing more hotter/wetter years will mean ever more stress on #bumblebees going forward.
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Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 160
# 159 contd.
Using bee specimens dating back to 1900 and concentrating on 4 species of #bumblebee research in the UK showed that based on wing asymmetry #bees experienced more and more stress as the 20th century progressed.
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Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 159
Bees develop asymmetrical wings when they experience stress during their development.
Very differently shaped left and right wings is an indicator of stress from an external factor which affects normal growth.
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Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 158
# 157 contd.
As the planet warms the range of temperatures in which #bumblebees can operate could shrink significantly.
#Bees carrying less pollen or foraging for shorter will have implications for colony health/pollination.
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