Environmental News Network - Why Plant Diversity is so Important for Bee Diversity

Details: By University of Sussex; 10.Feb

As abundant and widespread bees, it is common to see both bumble bees and honey bees foraging on the same flower species during the summer, whether in Britain or many other countries.

Cheryl Porter

As abundant and widespread bees, it is common to see both bumble bees and honey bees foraging on the same flower species during the summer, whether in Britain or many other countries.

Yet researchers at the Laboratory of Apiculture and Social Insects (LASI), at the University of Sussex, show that these two different bees dominate on different flower species and have found out why.

By studying 22 flower species in southern England and analysing the behaviour of more than 1,000 bees, they found that ‘energy efficiency’ is a key factor when it comes to mediating competition.

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Why Plant Diversity is so Important for Bee Diversity