The findings, published today in Current Biology, show that social bees venture further for pollen and nectar.
The findings, published today in Current Biology, show that social bees venture further for pollen and nectar. This has implications for predicting pollination services and for creating effective conservation strategies for bees and plants.
Social bees travel bigger distances as a result of several traits which include body size, colony size, communication and flower constancy.
Larger bees like the bumblebee have greater foraging ranges. They have bigger wings and can fly faster so it's easier for them to cover more ground.
Bees from greater colonies will experience more competition from their sisters if they stay close to the nest so they need to travel further to avoid congestion.
Read More: University of Bristol
Honeybee with pollen on sunflower (Photo Credit: Francisca Segers)
