University of Exeter scientists used RFID – similar technology to contactless card payments – to monitor when bumblebees of different sizes left and returned to their nest.
University of Exeter scientists used RFID – similar technology to contactless card payments – to monitor when bumblebees of different sizes left and returned to their nest.
The biggest bees, and some of the most experienced foragers (measured by number of trips out), were the most likely to leave in low light.
Bumblebee vision is poor in low light, so flying at dawn or dusk raises the risk of getting lost or being eaten by a predator.
However, the bees benefit from extra foraging time and fewer competitors for pollen in the early morning.
"Larger bumblebees have bigger eyes than their smaller-sized nest mates and many other bees, and can therefore see better in dim light," said lead author Katie Hall, of the University of Exeter.
Read More: University of Exeter
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