Honeybees have the potential to cause damage to the structure of homes. The honey and wax produced by bees can melt under certain circumstances, like when the colony dies or during hot weather.
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Articles on bee forage
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When a bee leaves the hive for the first time to go foraging, how does she know what a flower even looks like?
Honeybees are crucial for pollinating crops and plants. They need good forage resources to do this and these resources are under threat in South Africa.
Bees can perceive flower colours and hues which are invisible to us — such as those produced by reflected ultraviolet radiation.
A single colony of bees can have 60,000 bees in it. Together, they can visit up to 50 million flowers each day to collect pollen and nectar. They’re not called ‘busy bees’ for nothing!
Past research has shown honeybees can add, subtract and even understand ‘zero’. But according to new findings, they can’t tell four flowers from five in natural settings.
Beekeeping cannot depend on a single forage source. This makes the business of ensuring bees have what they need to stay healthy a precarious business.
Top contributors
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Associate Professor, Department of Physiology, Monash University
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Lecturer, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University
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Scientist, South African National Biodiversity Institute
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Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Sydney
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Researcher and analyst, Monash University
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Associate professor, University of Sydney
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Lecturer and Director - Bees for Sustainable Livelihoods, Southern Cross University
