Wild queen bumblebees get killed by worker bees inside commercial hives after they are lured in by vibrant colors and the promise of usurping the resident queen.
Wild, free-roaming queen bees in search of a new kingdom are often lured to commercial hives — where resident workers murder the queens almost as soon as they get through the door, a new study shows. However, it's not all bad news: a new device could help stem the queen bee massacres.
Researchers serendipitously discovered the unusual killings while studying how common eastern bumblebees pollinate crops. When the team opened up the commercial-style hives they had set up around the Finger Lakes region of New York, they found that dead wild queens piled up just inside the entrance of every one. On average, each hive had 10 dead queens, but the record was 19. Most of the dead queens were B. impatiens but some of the murdered matriarchs belonged to the closely related species B.
The researchers realized that the wild queens, who are naturally drawn to commercial hives because of their bright colors, were likely attempting to usurp the resident queen. In the wild, bumblebee queens can invade the hives of other queens and overthrow them to claim the colony as their own.
The finding reveals another previously unknown way that humans are impacting wild bee populations, which are generally in decline, researchers wrote. This queen bee slaughter could also be reducing the pollination benefits of commercial beekeeping, because it wipes out wild queens. In a new study, published Feb.
"If you are a commercial grower, and you are wanting to manage bumblebees, you may actually be reducing your overall pollination services by investing in these commercial bumblebee colonies, unless you are taking some risk-mitigation strategies like putting in a queen excluder," study co-author Heather Grabb , an agricultural scientist at Cornell University, said in the statement.
México Últimas Noticias, México Titulares
Similar News:También puedes leer noticias similares a ésta que hemos recopilado de otras fuentes de noticias.
Badge Engineering Overload: Toyota Goes Wild With Suzuki Rebranding In South Africa | CarscoopsWe counted five Suzuki-based Toyotas for the South African market, with limited differentiation in terms of styling
Leer más »
Schumer: 'It is wild' U.S. didn't know about China's balloon program earlierSenate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer acknowledged it was 'wild' the U.S. didn't know about the Chinese government's use of balloons 'until a few months ago,' during an interview on ABC's 'This Week' Sunday.
Leer más »
8 seriously wild Super Bowl Halftime moments From nipplegate to Lady GagaThe Super Bowl has had a number of iconic performers grace the stage for its halftime show over the years. But not all of them have gone well.
Leer más »
Twitter Goes Wild After Rihanna's Riveting Super Bowl Halftime PerformanceRihanna took the stage for the first time in over six years at Super Bowl LVII, and the legend's riveting performance sent Twitter into a frenzy. Here's what fans had to say about the halftime show.
Leer más »
The Wild Logistics of Rihanna's Super Bowl Halftime ShowThe singer gave much of her halftime show performance atop seven suspended platforms. It was all in the name of protecting the grass.
Leer más »
Patrick Mahomes reinjures right ankle, but plays through pain to lead Chiefs to wild winDespite a record-setting performance by QB Jalen Hurts, it was Patrick Mahomes who shined the brightest when it mattered in Super Bowl 57 on Sunday.
Leer más »