Do hummingbirds drink alcohol? More often than you think
You may not realize it, but that backyard hummingbird feeder filled with sugar water is a natural experiment in fermentation—yeast settle in and turn some of the sugar into alcohol.
You may not realize it, but that backyard hummingbird feeder filled with sugar water is a natural experiment in fermentation—yeast settle in and turn some of the sugar into alcohol.
Plants & Animals
Jun 22, 2023
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A team of researchers affiliated with multiple institutions in the U.S., has found adding sodium to floral nectar increased both visits by pollinators and their diversity. In their paper published in the journal Biology Letters, ...
Bumblebees pollinate many of our favorite foods, but their own diet is being upset by climate change, according to a new UC Riverside study.
Plants & Animals
Nov 10, 2021
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Researchers from KU Leuven have found that the presence of yeasts can alter the chemical composition and thus the nutritional value of nectar for pollinators such as bees. Moreover, the study found that yeasts can even boost ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 20, 2019
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One of the biggest contemporary challenges for humanity is to safeguard food security for current and future generations. A growing demand and a steady increase of the world population—nearly 10 billion people are expected ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 26, 2019
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Have you ever seen a fairy? They exist, and may very well be in your garden. But you would need a high-powered microscope to spot the dainty creatures.
Plants & Animals
Jul 4, 2019
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Nicotine-laced nectar can speed up a bumblebee's ability to learn flower colours, according to scientists at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL).
Plants & Animals
May 16, 2017
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Researchers studying the interaction between plants, pollinators and parasites report that in recent experiments, bees infected with a common intestinal parasite had reduced parasite levels in their guts after seven days ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 17, 2015
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When researchers studying several bird-pollinated species of Impatiens flowers in the mountains of western Cameroon noticed one with an odd, upwardly curving nectar spur, they couldn't imagine how any sunbird could ever sip ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 8, 2014
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Hummingbird metabolism is a marvel of evolutionary engineering. These tiny birds can power all of their energetic hovering flight by burning the sugar contained in the floral nectar of their diet.
Plants & Animals
Dec 5, 2013
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