Why does a bee only visit one type of flower at a time? It seems such a waste of energy.
• Bees usually visit flowers for food in the form of nectar and pollen. At face value, bees’ fidelity to one type of flower at a time, or flower constancy, seems unintuitive. After all, a huge variety of different flower species exists in nature, so why would bees bother seeking out a particular species when a different one much closer might be just as good? In addition, bees might be expected to visit multiple flower species to maintain a healthy balance of nutrients in their diet.
However, flower constancy is thought to evolve because it actually improves the bees’ foraging efficiency. By learning to identify the scent and appearance of one flower especially well, it is easier for bees to locate that flower.
Advertisement
There are some species of bee that visit many flowers, such as leaf-cutter bees. It is possible that such species have more of a struggle identifying and locating flowers, giving them a lower foraging rate overall.
Nonetheless, bees that visit a range of flowers have an extended flight season compared with more specialist bees, as they can exploit flowers that emerge at different times of the year.
Sam Buckton, Cambridge, UK
We pay £25 for every answer published in ¿ìè¶ÌÊÓƵ. To answer this question – or ask a new one – email lastword@newscientist.com.
Questions should be scientific enquiries about everyday phenomena, and both questions and answers should be concise. We reserve the right to edit items for clarity and style. Please include a postal address, daytime telephone number and email address.
¿ìè¶ÌÊÓƵ retains total editorial control over the published content and reserves all rights to reuse question and answer material that has been submitted by readers in any medium or in any format.
You can also submit answers by post to: The Last Word, ¿ìè¶ÌÊÓƵ, 25 Bedford Street, London WC2E 9ES.