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New research indicates that bumblebees prioritize obtaining the maximum amount of calories in the least amount of time.
Based on the results, the insects balance their nectar collection time with the nectar’s energy value.
The most prevalent bumblebees found in the United Kingdom are Bombus terrestris. They will search for nectar, even if it is hard to reach, but only if the nectar contains a high enough sugar content to make it worth their effort.
This method differs from honeybee foraging. According to researchers, honeybees base their choices on optimizing their personal energy usage for the nectar they gather.
Using a more calculated method can extend the lifespan of honeybees.
behaviour
While searching for food, bumblebees prioritize nectar sources that provide the most immediate energy gain, rather than focusing on maximizing their foraging efficiency.
Dr Jonathan Pattrick, joint first author of the report, who started the research while in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Plant Sciences, said: “As they forage, bumblebees are making decisions about which nectar sources will give the greatest immediate energetic return, rather than optimising the energy efficiency of their foraging.”
Now based at the University of Oxford, he added: “Our results allow us to make predictions about the sorts of flowers the bumblebees are likely to visit, which could inform the choice of which flowers to plant in field margins to support these important pollinators.
This is also significant for crop breeders seeking to develop varieties that are more beneficial for bumblebees.
During a period of six months, researchers observed the behavior of bumblebees and recorded 60,000 observations. This helped them determine the amount of energy the bees expended while gathering food.
The researchers observed every bumblebee in the research for a maximum of eight hours per day, without any breaks.
The experiment utilized synthetic flowers with both vertical and horizontal orientations, as well as smooth surfaces that posed a challenge for the bumblebees to hold onto.
A specialized computer program was utilized to record precise timing while bumblebees moved between artificial flowers and collected nectar from them.
The scientists monitored the energy expenditure of the animals during flight and the energy intake during drinking.
The researchers also determined if the bumblebees chose to expend additional effort gathering nectar with high sugar content from difficult-to-reach flowers, or if they opted for the easier route of collecting nectar with lower sugar content from flowers they could easily land on.
It’s amazing that, even with a brain smaller than a sesame seed, bumblebees can make such complex decisions
Dr. Hamish Symington from the University of Cambridge
According to Dr. Hamish Symington, who is a joint first author of the report and works in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Plant Sciences, it is impressive that bumblebees are able to make complex decisions despite having a brain that is smaller than a sesame seed.
He stated, “It is evident that bumblebees do not simply rely on the notion that ‘the higher the sugar content in nectar, the better’ – it is a more nuanced process.”
This emphasizes that there is still a lot to discover about the behavior of insects.
Each bumblebee was administered one of three assessments.
The initial experiment showed that the nectar on artificial flowers, both vertically and horizontally placed, contained equal amounts of sugar.
The bumblebees logically decided to gather nectar from the flat flowers instead of wasting time and effort hovering over the upright ones.
During the second test, it was found that the nectar from the vertical flowers contained a significantly higher amount of sugar compared to the nectar from the horizontal flowers.
The bumblebees have a preference for vertical flowers when it comes to drinking.
During the third trial, the vertical flowers provided nectar that was only marginally sweeter than the horizontal flowers.
The bumblebees in this scenario had to make a compromise between the amount of time and energy they used for gathering nectar and the amount of energy they obtained from the nectar. As a result, they began feeding from the flowers that were positioned horizontally.
Based on the results, bumblebees have the ability to decide if it is worth their effort to gather nectar from difficult-to-reach sources, as long as the payoff is sufficient.
Bumblebees transfer nectar from flowers to their nest by regurgitation for the benefit of other members of the colony.
Unlike bees that produce honey, these bees only store a small quantity of nectar in their nest. As a result, they must take advantage of every chance to gather food.
The study, which was supported by BBSRC, has been released in the journal iScience.
Source: independent.co.uk
