The interaction of bumblebees with flowers becomes much more efficient when the flowers are patterned. Left a male individual of the white-tailed bumblebee, right a forager of the buff-tailed bumblebee.
The interaction of bumblebees with flowers becomes much more efficient when the flowers are patterned. Left a male individual of the white-tailed bumblebee, right a forager of the buff-tailed bumblebee. The search for nectar costs insects a lot of energy, so they have to be as efficient as possible. Colourful patterns on the petals can help with that. Be it mallow, foxglove or forget-me-not: many flowers bear colourful patterns, which are known as nectar guides in biology. They are assumed to show the pollinating insects the shortest way to the nectary. This guiding function could increase the efficiency of the insects in their search for food, and at the same time improve the pollen dispersal of the plant.
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