NASA has just green-lighted a research project to investigate how swarms of robotic bees might spread out over the surface of Mars, equipping our exploration efforts with a much wider net.
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In 2015, a clever invention by two Australian beekeepers turned into a record-breaking crowdfunding campaign. The idea was a beehive with a tap system that can siphon honey without opening the lid and disturbing the bees. The duo has now launched the Flow Hive 2, a new and improved design.
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Pesticides generally take something of a shotgun approach to eliminating critters, but the problem is not all of them are bad news. Scientists have now discovered a way the recipe of these substances might be refined to better target the bad guys while leaving bees alone.
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Most humans are right-handed … but what about honeybees? A new study indicates that about a quarter of them are, while another quarter are left-handed, and half have no preference. The findings could have implications for the steering of fleets of aerial drones.
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Our brains attempt to identify the true color of an object under changing light conditions is called "color constancy." Cameras don't have this ability, but bees do, and the way they interpret color under varying light conditions could lead to more accurate image-processing.
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While some researchers have been busy developing a possible vaccine to help humans beat their nicotine cravings, others have been getting bumblebees addicted to the stuff to see whether or not the drug could influence the insects' ability to learn the color of flowers.
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Getting medication to the brain can be tricky because of the blood brain barrier. Certain peptides in animal venoms are known to bridge that gap in order to attack the brain and new research hopes to hijack that invasive quality to deliver drugs across the barrier instead.
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With its small brain, you might not think a bumblebee could be trained. However, in the words of a new study author: "Our study puts the final nail in the coffin of the idea that small brains constrain insects to have limited behavioural flexibility and only simple learning abilities."
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Without bees, the wingmen of the plant world, much of the food we eat would be a lot harder to come by – so their worldwide decline is cause for alarm. A team from Japan is giving them a little high-tech help, in the form of tiny pollen-collecting drones covered in a sticky gel and animal hairs.
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Bee brood has a "nutty flavor with a crunchy texture when eaten cooked or dried," plus it rivals beef in protein quantity and quality. With that in mind, a University of Copenhagen study suggests that the harvesting of bee brood be pursued on a larger scale in order to address world hunger.
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