Perfect hexagonal structures inspired by honeycombs in bee nests are widely used to build everything from airplane wings, boats, and cars, to skis, snowboards, packaging and acoustic dampening materials.
Plants & Animals
Jul 27, 2021
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1362
If you've ever walked past a bees nest on a hot summer day, you've probably been too focused on avoiding getting stung, rather than stopping to wonder how all those bees stay cool. Don't worry, Harvard scientists have braved ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 6, 2019
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139
For bees, being social is everything.
Ecology
Nov 8, 2018
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302
A trio of environmental specialists at the National Institute for Environmental Studies, in Japan, has found that Japanese honeybees sometimes resort to slapping ants with their wings to prevent their entry into their nest.
At first glance, the hexagonal cells build by honey bees and social wasps may seem similar, but they are significantly different. Honey bees build using wax, whereas wasps use paper. Honey bees build their double-sided combs ...
Evolution
Jul 27, 2023
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301
Not all bees and wasps live in colonies of several thousand individuals. The horned mason bee (Osmia cornuta), for example, nests solitarily. When choosing a nesting site, the females often use existing cavities ranging from ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 5, 2023
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141
Put yourself in the exoskeleton of a bumble bee for a moment: Your world would be a riot of colors and scents, both essential to guide your search for pollen and nectar. Bumble bees have excellent vision: They have a pair ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 14, 2023
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147
Researchers from the Department of Biological Sciences at Auburn University have discovered that honey bee colonies have surprising abilities to adapt and maintain their nest structure, even in the face of severe disruptions.
Plants & Animals
Jun 6, 2023
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354
In the course of experiments to test how well commercial bumblebees pollinate early spring crops, researchers made a surprising discovery: dead wild bumblebee queens in the hives, an average of 10 per nest box.
Ecology
Feb 6, 2023
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1108
People—who get lost easily in the extraordinary darkness of a tropical forest—have much to learn from a bee that can find its way home in conditions 10 times dimmer than starlight. Researchers at the Smithsonian Tropical ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 17, 2021
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15
